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  • Indians wash in the holy Ganges river in the early morning fog December 10, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var109.jpg
  • Indians wash in the holy Ganges river in the early morning fog December 10, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var109.jpg
  • Indians make prayers next to the holy Ganges river December 10, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var103A.jpg
  • The steps leading to a shrine on the holy Ganges river are filled with early morning bathers and sheep December 11, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var112.jpg
  • An Indian prays in the holy Ganges river December 11, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees.   (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var102.jpg
  • Indians wash clothes along  the holy Ganges river December 10, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var107.jpg
  • Indians wash clothes along  the holy Ganges river December 10, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var107.jpg
  • Indians wash in the holy Ganges river in the early morning fog December 10, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var106.jpg
  • An elderly Indian woman who just passed away is brought to the holy Ganges river and cremated December 11, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var103.jpg
  • Indians make prayers next to the holy Ganges river December 10, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale)
    09.jpg
  • An Indian prays in the holy Ganges river December 11, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees.
    06.jpg
  • Villagers, many of whom lost their homes, crops, and even a man who was killed by elephants perform a "puja" or holy ceremony to the Hindu God Lord Ganesha who is half human and half elephant to ask him to protect the village from real elephants coming back and causing more destruction  near Tezpur in Assam, eastern India January 6, 2004.  Villagers have been forced to stay up lighting fires, banging tin cans, throwing firecrackers to keep elephants from destroying their crops, homes and somtimes killing people. India and its sacred elephants are threatened by the deforestation caused by encroachment of the reserved land and natural forests.  As a result, wild elephants are rampaging through villages, killing people and destroying their homes and crops. (Ami Vitale)

    Elephants046.jpg
  • An Indian prays in the holy Ganges river December 9, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var102.jpg
  • The Ganges river is shown in the early morning fog December 10, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var102.jpg
  • The Ganges river is shown in the early morning fog December 10, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var101.jpg
  • Indians bathe in the holy Ganges river December 9, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var114.jpg
  • An Indian prays in the holy Ganges river December 9, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var103.jpg
  • An Indian swims in the Ganges river December 9, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var101.jpg
  • An Indian puts candles for prayers in the holy Ganges river December 9, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var108.jpg
  • Children run through the streets as the Indian Rapid Action Force conduct a flag in the disputed northern Indian city of Ayodhya, March 14, 2002. The police have sealed the city in anticipation of preventing thousands of kar sewaks or holy men from building a temple  near the site of a razed 16th century mosque that ignited a spree of killing.
    Gujarat011.jpg
  • An Indian prays in the holy Ganges river December 9, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered. (Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    var104.jpg
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0083.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0129.tif
  • Relics from a  puja ceremony to Hindu Gods including Ganesh, the half human-half elephant God sit on the banks of a river in Tezpur, in Assam, eastern India December 25, 2003. India and its sacred elephants are threatened by deforestation and encroachment of the reserved land and natural forests.  As a result, wild elephants are rampaging through villages, killing people and destroying their homes and crops but still people revere the elephants. (Ami Vitale)
    Elephants051.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0006.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    _DSC7280.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0093.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    _DSC7276.jpg
  • Hindus wash after making prayers to Lord Shiva at the river Saruj in the northern Indian city of Ayodhya.
    ayo104a.jpg
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0208.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0194b.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0193.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0191.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0178.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0174.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0150.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0142.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0108.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0090.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0088.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0087.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0085.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0075.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0046.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0013.jpg
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0011n.jpg
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    _DSC7908.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0176.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0157.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0066.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0054.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0033.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0131.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0040.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    _DSC7268.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0121.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
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  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    _DSC7303.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    _DSC7289.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
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  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0022.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
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  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
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  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0098n.tif
  • Bodh Gaya or Bodhgaya is a city in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place of Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment. Thousands of Buddhists from all over the world gather in front of the tree where he attained enlightment in December 2006. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Since 1953, Bodh Gaya has been developed as an international place of pilgrimage. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have established monasteries and temples within easy walking distance of the Mahabodhi compound.
    DSC_0005.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    DSC_0015.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
    0121.jpg
  • Hindus gather and wash along India's Ganges River in their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly Banaras). Varanasi is principally known to travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.Varanasi also has cremation ghats because Hindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.
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  • Indian holy men, also known as "sadhus", make a pilgrimmage to a holy site in Katmandu March 6, 2005.  Nepal marked its annual Democracy Day under emergency rule with severe press censorship, telephones cut and streets flooded with security forces.  King Gyanendra got rid of the government and declared emergency rule on February 1 saying that the country  is under threat from Maoist rebels and political instability.  The Maoist insurgency has claimed over 11,000 lives since 1996. (Ami Vitale)
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  • Ganges-Prayer-An Indian prays in the holy Ganges river December 11, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees.
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  • Coptic christians bath in what they believe is holy water in the river Abune in Barentu, Eritrea August 29, 2006. They believe that the water cured a blind girl and her brother who was paralyzed  over 30 years ago. Hundreds of pilgrims came to the site  to make  offerings of goat, drink the holy water, bath and pray.     (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Coptic christians bath in what they believe is holy water in the river Abune in Barentu, Eritrea August 29, 2006. They believe that the water cured a blind girl and her brother who was paralyzed  over 30 years ago. Hundreds of pilgrims came to the site  to make  offerings of goat, drink the holy water, bath and pray.     (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Coptic christians bath in what they believe is holy water in the river Abune in Barentu, Eritrea August 29, 2006. They believe that the water cured a blind girl and her brother who was paralyzed  over 30 years ago. Hundreds of pilgrims came to the site  to make  offerings of goat, drink the holy water, bath and pray.     (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Ganges-Shrine-The steps leading to a shrine on the holy Ganges river are filled with early morning bathers and sheep December 11, 2001 in Varanasi, India.  The late George Harrison, a longtime devotee of Hinduism, reportedly left over a million dollars to build a temple in the holy city of Varanasi  according to Hare Krishna devotees. The news came as hundreds of Harrison fans still waited expectantly by the banks of the River Ganges for his ashes to arrive, amid confusion on how they were to be scattered.
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  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling127.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling068.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling062.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling058.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • Holy men and fishing families from New beach in Nagapattinum district in Tamil Nadu, India carry an idol of the God of the Sea, Athi Baktha Navanar from the ocean as they take part in the unique ritual of reliving the day when Athi Baktha Nayanar found a gold fish in the ocean, offered it to his God and received "moksha", September 2,2005. Villagers worship this God who is know to be the God of the Sea and the 49th nayanmar. The yearly ritual symbolizes an unwavering  pious man who always offered his daily catch to his God first, even when people in his village were starving. The ritual had been stopped for 25 years and many fishermen believed this is why the tsunami ravaged the coast of India.  (Ami Vitale)
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  • Fishing families and holy men from New beach in Nagapattinum district in Tamil Nadu, India  take part in the unique ritual of reliving the day when Athi Baktha Nayanar found a gold fish in the ocean, offered it to his God and received "moksha", September 2,2005. Villagers worship this God who is know to be the God of the Sea and the 49th nayanmar. The yearly ritual symbolizes an unwavering  pious man who always offered his daily catch to his God first, even when people in his village were starving. The ritual had been stopped for 25 years and many fishermen believed this is why the tsunami ravaged the coast of India.  (Ami Vitale)
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  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling146.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling122.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling114.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling102.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling101.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling094.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling092.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling091.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling088.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling087.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling085.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling084.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wreslting083.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling082.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling081.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling080.jpg
  • KOLHAPUR, INDIA - MARCH 22: Indian men practice the three thousand year old sport known as "Kushti", a form of wrestling, in its traditional form at the fight club Shahupuri in Kolhapur, India.  In this south-eastern Indian city Kushti has a long tradition. It used to be supported by local maharajas and is financed by the government. But its days are numbered. Last year, the Indian Fighters Federation in the capital of New Delhi stunned thousands of fighters when it announced prohibition of fighting on red soil and ordered fight clubs to buy mattresses for their arenas. Ending the traditional red clay wrestling was an idea sprouted from the aspiration to achieve more Olympic medals since the last and only medal India brought home in wrestling was a bronze in 1952. So far no one here in Kolhapur is buying the mattresses and instead they continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at 3:30am six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day. They live together in one small room above the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, a few items of clothes and some books about the art of Kushti. They have been compared to holy men because of their celibacy and dedication and they practice exercises like standing on one's head for lengths of time to expel "filthy" thoughts. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
    Wrestling079.jpg
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