"ritualistic"

#12821434

2 October 2025

Female devotees smear the idol of Goddess Durga with vermillion and offer sweets before her immersion into the Ganges River, as seen on the last day of the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata, India, on October 2, 2025.

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#12801683

27 September 2025

Deities in human form put on ritual attire before performing in the annual Shikali Jatra in Khokana, Nepal, on September 27, 2025. Masked dancers in the form of various Hindu deities take flights on air as they tour around the temple of Shikali. This is an age-old tradition celebrated in Khokana as a substitution for the fortnightly festival of Dashain. Khokana, a medieval Newari heritage village in the southern Kathmandu Valley, observes Shikali Jatra for five days, dedicating it to the goddess Shikali, who is also known as Ajima or Mother Goddess. Gods and goddesses in human form take flights as they tour around the Sikali temple, which is located on a grassy hill just outside the village. The festival starts with Goddess Rudrayani or Shikali being carried in a wooden chariot throughout the village and rested in front of the temple in Khokana, along with various religious copper vessels. The Jatra witnesses Tantric rituals along with masked dances garbed in colorful attire, representing 14 gods and goddesses of the Hindu Pantheon. Priests clad in white robes, along with 14 masked deities, come together to perform dances. It is believed that the goddess protects the town from misfortunes and prevents calamities. It is also regarded as an occasion for the farmers to rejoice in the post-harvest season. The dances shown during the Jatra are based on various religious beliefs and perceptions.

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#12780051

21 September 2025

A Hindu devotee performs rituals on the auspicious day of Mahalaya, also known as Pitru Paksha, an auspicious day to pay homage to ancestors in Mumbai, India, on September 21, 2025.

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#12780054

21 September 2025

A Hindu devotee performs rituals on the auspicious day of Mahalaya, also known as Pitru Paksha, an auspicious day to pay homage to ancestors in Mumbai, India, on September 21, 2025.

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#12780061

21 September 2025

A Hindu devotee performs rituals on the auspicious day of Mahalaya, also known as Pitru Paksha, an auspicious day to pay homage to ancestors in Mumbai, India, on September 21, 2025.

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#12780067

21 September 2025

A Hindu devotee performs rituals on the auspicious day of Mahalaya, also known as Pitru Paksha, an auspicious day to pay homage to ancestors in Mumbai, India, on September 21, 2025.

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#12780070

21 September 2025

Tattoos are seen on the body of a Hindu devotee as he bathes while performing rituals on the occasion of Mahalaya, also known as Pitru Paksha, an auspicious day to pay homage to ancestors, in Mumbai, India, on September 21, 2025.

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#12780071

21 September 2025

Tattoos are seen on the body of a Hindu devotee as he bathes while performing rituals on the occasion of Mahalaya, also known as Pitru Paksha, an auspicious day to pay homage to ancestors, in Mumbai, India, on September 21, 2025.

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#12755517

14 September 2025

Hindu women perform a dondi ritual during the Jitiya festival for the long lives of their children on the bank of the river Hooghly in Kolkata, India, on September 14, 2025.

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#12749700

13 September 2025

KRAKOW, POLAND – SEPTEMBER 13, 2025: Marek Jedraszewski, Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow, leads a prayer during the celebrations of Land Forces Day and the presentation of the banner to the command of the 2nd Polish Corps – Land Component Command, in Krakow, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, on September 13, 2025.”

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#12726951

7 September 2025

A Sidakarya Mask dancer performs during the 20th Pujawali ceremony at Parahyangan Agung Jagatkartta in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on September 7, 2025.

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#12726952

7 September 2025

A Sidakarya Mask dancer performs during the 20th Pujawali ceremony at Parahyangan Agung Jagatkartta in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on September 7, 2025.

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#12726953

7 September 2025

A Sidakarya Mask dancer performs during the 20th Pujawali ceremony at Parahyangan Agung Jagatkartta in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on September 7, 2025.

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#12723507

6 September 2025

Nepali Hindu deity Bhairav performs a ritualistic dance during the Indra Jatra procession in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 6, 2025. The ascension of three living deities--the Kumari, Ganesh, and Bhairab in the form of humans on three different chariots that tour around the city--is an annual festival observed for eight days starting from Bhadra Shukla Chaturdashi of the Nepali month of Bhadra. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, as per the lunar calendar, is the Indra Jatra, which is followed for a long time. Legends say that the Indra Jatra festival is observed to celebrate the victory of the gods over the demons to release Jayanta, the son of Lord Indra. It is believed that Lord Indra comes to the earth to collect white flowers for his mother but is caught by the locals (The Newars) of the Kathmandu valley and kept bound. After Lord Indra's mother, Jayanta, comes and discloses his identity, a procession takes place, which continues till now. Indra, the god of rain, is worshiped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#12723512

6 September 2025

Nepali Hindu deity Bhairav performs a ritualistic dance during the Indra Jatra procession in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 6, 2025. The ascension of three living deities--the Kumari, Ganesh, and Bhairab in the form of humans on three different chariots that tour around the city--is an annual festival observed for eight days starting from Bhadra Shukla Chaturdashi of the Nepali month of Bhadra. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, as per the lunar calendar, is the Indra Jatra, which is followed for a long time. Legends say that the Indra Jatra festival is observed to celebrate the victory of the gods over the demons to release Jayanta, the son of Lord Indra. It is believed that Lord Indra comes to the earth to collect white flowers for his mother but is caught by the locals (The Newars) of the Kathmandu valley and kept bound. After Lord Indra's mother, Jayanta, comes and discloses his identity, a procession takes place, which continues till now. Indra, the god of rain, is worshiped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#12723515

6 September 2025

Nepali Hindu deity Bhairav performs a ritualistic dance during the Indra Jatra procession in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 6, 2025. The ascension of three living deities--the Kumari, Ganesh, and Bhairab in the form of humans on three different chariots that tour around the city--is an annual festival observed for eight days starting from Bhadra Shukla Chaturdashi of the Nepali month of Bhadra. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, as per the lunar calendar, is the Indra Jatra, which is followed for a long time. Legends say that the Indra Jatra festival is observed to celebrate the victory of the gods over the demons to release Jayanta, the son of Lord Indra. It is believed that Lord Indra comes to the earth to collect white flowers for his mother but is caught by the locals (The Newars) of the Kathmandu valley and kept bound. After Lord Indra's mother, Jayanta, comes and discloses his identity, a procession takes place, which continues till now. Indra, the god of rain, is worshiped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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