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Gajan Festival in India

Devotees are performing in a procession, dressed up as cosmetic deities in Burdwan, India on 13 April 2017. "Gajan" is one of the prominent folk festivals of Bengal, is mostly celebrated by the scheduled caste Bengali people on the last two days of the month Chaitra. This period is known as chaita sankranti when the sun enters the Pisces sign. The festival takes place in open grounds and not in anyone's residence. People involved in this festival are respected by the mass as the representatives of Lord Shiva. People believe that the festival will provide them prosperity, eliminating all the sorrows they suffered in the past year. During Charak the devotees of lord shiva perform some of the dangerous stunts like jumping on the sharp edge weapons from a certain height to show their devotion. People also dress up as cosmetic shiva, Parvati and other deities to seek alms from door to door which is a prime ritual of this festival as well. (Photo by Sushavan Nandy/NurPhoto)

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