"temple identity"

#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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#12710601

3 September 2025

Nepali workers change the sacred clothes at various temples in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 3, 2025, as the nation prepares for the Indra Jatra festival. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, according to the lunar calendar, marks the Indra Jatra, which has been observed for a long time. Devraj Indra, the God of rains and good harvest, is worshipped for eight days, starting with the erection of a sacred wooden pole, ''Lingo,'' at the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square. The fourth day of the festival features singing, mask dances, and other rituals. The procession in Kathmandu Durbar Square has the living goddess Kumari as the center of attraction, as Goddess Kumari makes a public appearance on this particular day. 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 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 to this day. Indra, the god of rain, is worshipped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#12710602

3 September 2025

Nepali workers change the sacred clothes at various temples in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 3, 2025, as the nation prepares for the Indra Jatra festival. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, according to the lunar calendar, marks the Indra Jatra, which has been observed for a long time. Devraj Indra, the God of rains and good harvest, is worshipped for eight days, starting with the erection of a sacred wooden pole, ''Lingo,'' at the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square. The fourth day of the festival features singing, mask dances, and other rituals. The procession in Kathmandu Durbar Square has the living goddess Kumari as the center of attraction, as Goddess Kumari makes a public appearance on this particular day. 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 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 to this day. Indra, the god of rain, is worshipped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#12710607

3 September 2025

Nepali workers change the sacred clothes at various temples in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 3, 2025, as the nation prepares for the Indra Jatra festival. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, according to the lunar calendar, marks the Indra Jatra, which has been observed for a long time. Devraj Indra, the God of rains and good harvest, is worshipped for eight days, starting with the erection of a sacred wooden pole, ''Lingo,'' at the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square. The fourth day of the festival features singing, mask dances, and other rituals. The procession in Kathmandu Durbar Square has the living goddess Kumari as the center of attraction, as Goddess Kumari makes a public appearance on this particular day. 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 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 to this day. Indra, the god of rain, is worshipped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#12710611

3 September 2025

Nepali workers change the sacred clothes at various temples in the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 3, 2025, as the nation prepares for the Indra Jatra festival. The fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, according to the lunar calendar, marks the Indra Jatra, which has been observed for a long time. Devraj Indra, the God of rains and good harvest, is worshipped for eight days, starting with the erection of a sacred wooden pole, ''Lingo,'' at the premises of Kathmandu Durbar Square. The fourth day of the festival features singing, mask dances, and other rituals. The procession in Kathmandu Durbar Square has the living goddess Kumari as the center of attraction, as Goddess Kumari makes a public appearance on this particular day. 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 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 to this day. Indra, the god of rain, is worshipped in this festival primarily celebrated by the Newar communities following both Hinduism and Buddhism.

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#12439598

3 June 2025

LG Manoj Sinha is at Tulmulla as Kashmiri Pandit devotees participate in the annual Hindu festival of Mata Kheer Bhawani Mela at the Kheer Bhawani Temple in the Tullamulla area of Ganderbal district, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on June 3, 2025.

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#12439599

3 June 2025

LG Manoj Sinha is at Tulmulla as Kashmiri Pandit devotees participate in the annual Hindu festival of Mata Kheer Bhawani Mela at the Kheer Bhawani Temple in the Tullamulla area of Ganderbal district, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on June 3, 2025.

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#12415601

27 May 2025

A plaque marks the headquarters of the Jewish Religious Community in Prague with inscriptions in Czech and Hebrew. It is mounted on the exterior of a historic building in the Jewish Quarter in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 11, 2025.

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#12341595

7 May 2025

Nepali Hindu teenage and adolescent boys undergo the ritualistic tradition of Bratabandha at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 7, 2025. Bratabandha is a pivotal coming-of-age Hindu ritual marking a boy's transition into adulthood within Nepali and broader South Asian culture. Also called the ''sacred thread ceremony,'' Bratabandha traces its origins back over 3,000 years, historically marking the end of childhood around age 12 and charging new adults with societal responsibilities. In Nepal, Bratabandha carries enhanced cultural weight amidst the dominant Hindu population. The extensive rituals connect present citizens to ancestral heritage, conferring identity within the ancient caste system through the wearing of the eponymous sacred ''Janai'' threads diagonally crossing the chest. Beyond just familial celebration, communities recognize the oaths of devotion to learning, faith, and dignity boys take, becoming grown men who lead households and perpetuate traditions into the future.

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#12341597

7 May 2025

Nepali Hindu teenage and adolescent boys undergo the ritualistic tradition of Bratabandha at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 7, 2025. Bratabandha is a pivotal coming-of-age Hindu ritual marking a boy's transition into adulthood within Nepali and broader South Asian culture. Also called the ''sacred thread ceremony,'' Bratabandha traces its origins back over 3,000 years, historically marking the end of childhood around age 12 and charging new adults with societal responsibilities. In Nepal, Bratabandha carries enhanced cultural weight amidst the dominant Hindu population. The extensive rituals connect present citizens to ancestral heritage, conferring identity within the ancient caste system through the wearing of the eponymous sacred ''Janai'' threads diagonally crossing the chest. Beyond just familial celebration, communities recognize the oaths of devotion to learning, faith, and dignity boys take, becoming grown men who lead households and perpetuate traditions into the future.

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#12341598

7 May 2025

Nepali Hindu teenage and adolescent boys undergo the ritualistic tradition of Bratabandha at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 7, 2025. Bratabandha is a pivotal coming-of-age Hindu ritual marking a boy's transition into adulthood within Nepali and broader South Asian culture. Also called the ''sacred thread ceremony,'' Bratabandha traces its origins back over 3,000 years, historically marking the end of childhood around age 12 and charging new adults with societal responsibilities. In Nepal, Bratabandha carries enhanced cultural weight amidst the dominant Hindu population. The extensive rituals connect present citizens to ancestral heritage, conferring identity within the ancient caste system through the wearing of the eponymous sacred ''Janai'' threads diagonally crossing the chest. Beyond just familial celebration, communities recognize the oaths of devotion to learning, faith, and dignity boys take, becoming grown men who lead households and perpetuate traditions into the future.

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#12341599

7 May 2025

Nepali Hindu teenage and adolescent boys undergo the ritualistic tradition of Bratabandha at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 7, 2025. Bratabandha is a pivotal coming-of-age Hindu ritual marking a boy's transition into adulthood within Nepali and broader South Asian culture. Also called the ''sacred thread ceremony,'' Bratabandha traces its origins back over 3,000 years, historically marking the end of childhood around age 12 and charging new adults with societal responsibilities. In Nepal, Bratabandha carries enhanced cultural weight amidst the dominant Hindu population. The extensive rituals connect present citizens to ancestral heritage, conferring identity within the ancient caste system through the wearing of the eponymous sacred ''Janai'' threads diagonally crossing the chest. Beyond just familial celebration, communities recognize the oaths of devotion to learning, faith, and dignity boys take, becoming grown men who lead households and perpetuate traditions into the future.

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#12341600

7 May 2025

Nepali Hindu teenage and adolescent boys undergo the ritualistic tradition of Bratabandha at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 7, 2025. Bratabandha is a pivotal coming-of-age Hindu ritual marking a boy's transition into adulthood within Nepali and broader South Asian culture. Also called the ''sacred thread ceremony,'' Bratabandha traces its origins back over 3,000 years, historically marking the end of childhood around age 12 and charging new adults with societal responsibilities. In Nepal, Bratabandha carries enhanced cultural weight amidst the dominant Hindu population. The extensive rituals connect present citizens to ancestral heritage, conferring identity within the ancient caste system through the wearing of the eponymous sacred ''Janai'' threads diagonally crossing the chest. Beyond just familial celebration, communities recognize the oaths of devotion to learning, faith, and dignity boys take, becoming grown men who lead households and perpetuate traditions into the future.

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#12341601

7 May 2025

Nepali Hindu teenage and adolescent boys undergo the ritualistic tradition of Bratabandha at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 7, 2025. Bratabandha is a pivotal coming-of-age Hindu ritual marking a boy's transition into adulthood within Nepali and broader South Asian culture. Also called the ''sacred thread ceremony,'' Bratabandha traces its origins back over 3,000 years, historically marking the end of childhood around age 12 and charging new adults with societal responsibilities. In Nepal, Bratabandha carries enhanced cultural weight amidst the dominant Hindu population. The extensive rituals connect present citizens to ancestral heritage, conferring identity within the ancient caste system through the wearing of the eponymous sacred ''Janai'' threads diagonally crossing the chest. Beyond just familial celebration, communities recognize the oaths of devotion to learning, faith, and dignity boys take, becoming grown men who lead households and perpetuate traditions into the future.

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#12341603

7 May 2025

Nepali Hindu teenage and adolescent boys undergo the ritualistic tradition of Bratabandha at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 7, 2025. Bratabandha is a pivotal coming-of-age Hindu ritual marking a boy's transition into adulthood within Nepali and broader South Asian culture. Also called the ''sacred thread ceremony,'' Bratabandha traces its origins back over 3,000 years, historically marking the end of childhood around age 12 and charging new adults with societal responsibilities. In Nepal, Bratabandha carries enhanced cultural weight amidst the dominant Hindu population. The extensive rituals connect present citizens to ancestral heritage, conferring identity within the ancient caste system through the wearing of the eponymous sacred ''Janai'' threads diagonally crossing the chest. Beyond just familial celebration, communities recognize the oaths of devotion to learning, faith, and dignity boys take, becoming grown men who lead households and perpetuate traditions into the future.

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