Hinduism

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Hinduism

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INDIA. Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi. 2011. After a dip in the river Ganges, women pilgrims dry their saris. | License

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INDIA. Rajasthan. Pushkar. 2013. At dawn, a Hindu devotee prays to an altar by the lake. | License

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INDIA. Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi. 2011. Led by a Brahmin, Hindu pilgrims perform "Anthyasthi", last rites for their deceased, in a ghat by the river Ganges. | License

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INDIA. Uttar Pradesh. Banares. 1990. Pilgrims at sunrise over the Ganges, a river holy to the Hindus. Hinduism is a religion born out of a culture of water, Islam out of the desert. This difference shows in the devotees' daily practice. | License

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INDIA. Tamil Nadu State. Rameshwaram. 2012. At dawn, a couple performs puja in the sea, facing the sun. The woman's sari is tied to the man's dhoti. | License

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INDIA. Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya. 1990. A Sadhu (Hindu monk) and pilgrims bathe in the river. A cow drinks from it. | License

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INDIA. West Bengal. Kolkata. 2010. A day after its puja, devotees drown a statue of Durga, the Bengali avatar of goddess Kali, in the Hoogly river (local name of the Ganges). | License

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INDIA. West Bengal. Tarapith. 2011. Temple dedicated to goddess Maatara, an avatar of Kali. Devotees pay respect to Charan, the goddess's feet. | License

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INDIA. Maharashtra State. Near Mumbai. 2012. The ELEPHANTA caves. A stone lingam with offering of flowers and bank notes. | License

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NEPAL. Bhaktapur. 2011. Dewali Puja of the Newari people. Fires are lit, shamanic style. | License

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SRI LANKA. Udapuwa. Village in Puttalam district. 2013. Hindus celebrate the Ativila yearly festival. Outside the Mariaman temple, women are in trance, holding a pot of fire or a bouquet of leaves. | License

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INDIA. Uttarakhand. Haridwar. 2011. Hindu pilgrims from Bihar state perform the farewell pooja by the river Ganges. They offer cooked rice to the fire. | License

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INDIA. Uttar Pradesh. Allahabad. The Kumbh Mela's most auspicious day, Feb. 10, 2013. Naga sanyassis hurry towards the sangam to take their ritual bath. | License

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SRI LANKA. Colombo. 2013. The Hindu temple Shiva Subramaniya celebrates its annual festival. A devotee, suspended by hooks inserted in his flesh, follows the Golden Chariot, housing a resident deity, which is paraded in the streets of the neighbourhood. | License

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NEPAL. Kathmandu. 2011. Hanuman Durbar square. Cow and pigeons are fed every morning by Hindu devotees. | License

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INDONESIA. Bali. 2013. The Junjungan village near Ubud, celebrates a special ritual every thirty years, but none remember the last one. Ceremony in the main Pura Dalem Hindu temple. A dog is skinned, after being sacrificed to the gods. | License

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INDIA. West Bengal. Kolkata. Around the KALIGHAT temple. Dove flies next to the head of goddess KALI under plastic. | License

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Homage to Chim (David Seymour) “I do not believe in empathy in photography, unapologetic or otherwise. I believe in sharp observation, always, and in confrontation with my subjects, sometimes. Although I never felt close to the work of Chim, nonetheless I admired his engagement and appreciated the empathy with which he photographed his subjects. There is more than empathy between this beggar in Rishikesh, India and the calf he is cradling like his own baby. There is love and compassion. The beggar, paralyzed in both legs, spends half of the alms he receives to feed the calf whom he has raised since it was born. The calf is growing up and will soon be a cow, no doubt a sacred one, like the tree behind them.” “I do not believe in empathy in photography, unapologetic or otherwise. I believe in sharp observation, always, and in confrontation with my subjects, sometimes. Although I never felt close to the work of Chim, nonetheless I admired his engagement and appreciated the empathy with which he photographed his subjects. There is more than empathy between this beggar in Rishikesh, India and the calf he is cradling like his own baby. There is love and compassion. The beggar, paralyzed in both legs, spends half of the alms he receives to feed the calf whom he has raised since it was born. The calf is growing up and will soon be a cow, no doubt a sacred one, like the tree behind them.” — Abbas | License

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INDIA. Tamil Nadu State. Madurai. 2012. School for Hindu priests in the Tiruparan Kundram temple. Students perform an afternoon "face wash" ritual in a farm nearby. | License

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INDIA. Uttarakhand. Rishikesh. 2011. A giant statue of monkey god Hanuman who tears his chest open to let figurines of Shiva and Parvati appear at regular interval, to the delight of visitors. | License

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INDIA. Rajasthan. 2013. Pushkar. Monkeys are respected as representative of Hanuman, the monkey god. | License

INDIA. 1. New Delhi. A bazaar in Old Delhi, near the Fort.

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INDIA. New Delhi. A bazaar in Old Delhi, near the Fort. | License

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INDIA. Tamil Nadu State. Madurai. 2012. A man milks his cow in the city street, as if he was in a village or a farm. | License

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INDIA. Tamil Nadu State. Tiruchirapalli (Trichy). 2012. Sri Ranganatha Swamy Hindu temple. The temple elephant blesses a pilgrim with his trunk after receiving a cash donation. The pilgrim has offered her hair to a resident deity and her shaved head is covered by tumeric paste for protection. | License

INDIA. 5. Rajasthan. Udaipur. Horse.

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INDIA. Rajasthan. Udaipur. 2013. Horse. | License

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INDIA. Rajasthan. Deshnok. 2013. The KARNI MATA Hindu temple where rats are cared for. Rats are fed grain. | License

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INDIA. Rajasthan. Udaipur. 2013. The AMABAMETA Hindu temple, where cocks roam freely around as the temple's pets. A young boy plays with one. | License

INDIA. 5. Rajasthan. Jaipur. The AMBER Fort.

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INDIA. Rajasthan. Jaipur. 2013. The AMBER Fort. | License

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        My encounter with Hinduism began long before I set foot in India, on 27 March 2009, during the second year of my journey among Buddhists. The Polonnaruwa Museum in Sri Lanka holds endless rows of Buddha figures with stone features forever frozen in beatitude. By the time I passed statue number ten I no longer paid much attention to the succeeding ones. Buddhist art – which seems to have only ever reproduced the head and body of its founder – is indisputably a sublime art, but little more than an eternal repetition.

        In the wing dedicated to Hindu art I found myself transfixed, literally, before a small statue of Shiva Nataraja performing his cosmic dance. His complex movement, his graceful gestures beckoning spirituality, his androgynous nature mesmerized me.

        Hinduism may be the least egalitarian of the great religions, but what diversity exists in its artistic expression! I very much look forward to my next plunge into the Hindu world.

        God… Gods

        The collection