• Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Ami Vitale

  • Archive
  • Website
  • About
  • Contact
Show Navigation
Cart Lightbox Client Area

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
Next
{ 258 images found }
twitterlinkedinfacebook

Loading ()...

  • Women pray at the Sufi mausoleum Nizamuddin Dargah in New Delhi, India. This is the  mausoleum of one of the world's most famous Sufi saints, Nizamuddin Auliya. It is visited by thousands of Muslims every week, and sees a fair share of Hindus, Christians and people from other religions.
    DSC_5316.TIF
  • KASHMIR,INDIA, JULY 25:  Kashmiri children enjoy some relief from the scalding temperatures with a swim in Dal Lake at the base of the Himalayas in Srinagar, the Indian held summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir July 25, 2003.  Islamic guerrillas have been fighting for independence of the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir since 1989 but for the first time in 13 years, Kashmiris living in Srinagar have enjoyed a fragile peace and rise in tourism.
    011b.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_0150.tif
  • Hindu holy men perform a "puja" which is a ceremony to their gods, 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.<br />
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.
    _DSC7443.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_0072.jpg
  • Jeffrey Tayler works his way through the endless traffic of humanity and livestock that crowds the streets of one of India's holiest cities, Varanasi December, 2006.
    DSC_0041b.jpg
  • DSC_0152.jpg
  • Buddhists meditate next to the tree where Buddha got his Enlightment in Bodh Gaya, India in December 2006. Buddhists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Tibet, Bhutan and Japan have  been streaming to the holy city, circumambulating the temple, performing prostrations and offering prayers in a multitude of languages.
    DSC_0150.tif
  • DSC_0142.tif
  • An Indian baby displaced by the fighting along the Line of Control between Pakistan and India sleeps inside a police station in Samba in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, May 21, 2002. Fears of another war between India and Pakistan grow as a moderate Kashmiri leader, Abdul Gane Lone was shot by unidendified gunmen in Srinagar, India. Lone was one of the leaders of the All Party Hurriyat Conference, a group of political and religious parties that advocate Muslim-majority Kashmir's separation from predominantly Hindu India.
    101a.jpg
  • A Muslim Kashmiri woman sits inside a shop with her children where traditional Islamic veils are made in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian held Kashmir. The shadowy group, Lashkar-e-Jabbar, also known as Allah's Army sent a letter to a local newspaper saying that Muslim Kashmiri women must adhere to the dress code or face acid attacks beginning on April 1, 2002. The leader of the group also wrote, "if our members see any boy or girl or any illegal couple doing acts of immortality they will be killed there and then".The same group claimed responisiblity for two acid attacks on women in Srinagar last year. Kashmir has been the center of the ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan since the region was partioned when the British left in 1947.
    016e.jpg
  • Gujarat001.jpg
  • NABLUS, WEST BANK, FEB. 9 2003: A Palestinian visits  a grave of his relative on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) in the West Bank city of Nablus,  February 10, 2003. <br />
(Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    pal107A.JPG
  • Sikhs bath in the early morning at the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib  in New Delhi, India. A Gurdwara meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism.
    DSC_5518.TIF
  • NABLUS, ISRAEL, JAN. 29,2003: A section of the old city of Nablus that was destroyed by Israeli helicopters is January 31, 2003 in the West Bank city of Nablus. A British non-governmental agency recently reported that Palestinians are currently living in a state of extreme, worsening poverty and fear for their future.  Almost three-quarters of Palestinians now live on less than US$2 a day Ñ below the United Nations  poverty line..(Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    DSC_0008.jpg
  • JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - FEBRUARY 27: Orthodox Jewish men stand in the rain at the funeral for a rabbi in Jerusalem, Israel February 27, 2003.  Thousands of people gathered to take part in the procession.  (Ami Vitale/Getty Images).
    jer101.jpg
  • JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - FEBRUARY 27:An Orthodox Jewish boy slips on the ice as he watches  the funeral for a rabbi in Jerusalem, Israel February 27, 2003.  Thousands of people gathered to take part in the funeral procession.  (Ami Vitale/Getty Images).
    jer102.jpg
  • NABLUS, WEST BANK, FEB. 12, 2003: Palestinian children  play in a park a during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) in the West Bank city of Nablus,  February 12, 2003. Most families are not able to see their relatives this year because of a complete closure for all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. While Israel maintains that they are trying to control and capture potential terrorists,  every Palestinian is suffering enormous hardships. Most people have expressed their fears because of the violence and see little hope for the future. (Phot by Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    pal104.jpg
  • NABLUS, ISRAEL, FEB 5, 2003: Palestinian children who have not had teachers for the last three weeks because  they are not permitted to travel from the nearby city of Nablus, attempt to catch up on all their missed lessons after the instructors finally were permitted to cross the checkpoint for the first time today, February 5, 2003. When the teachers tried to go home, they were made to wait for nearly 4 hours at the barricade by Israeli soldiers. Not only do the students and teachers suffer difficulties with getting to their schools, but they also do not have books because of the road blocks. A British non-governmental agency recently reported that Palestinians are currently living in a state of extreme, worsening poverty and fear for their future.  (Ami Vitale)
    pal101.jpg
  • Zeina Waled Dossane pounds millet in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.   the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0088.jpg
  • This is one of the villages that was established after the Moroccans threatened to kill anyone possessing manuscripts in Timbuktu. The Kati family escaped and came to this place along the Niger river and has been living here since. Recently, a library was established in Timbuktu and the hidden manuscripts were brought back to be catalogued and preserved in the Fondo Kati Library.
    DSC_0199.jpg
  • Arab Moors  who live in the remote town of Boujbeja struggle to survive in the harsh desert. "Boujbeja" means the luck of the desert but after a severe drought in 1966, they have been fighting the constant push of the sands and must dig 70 meters under ground to get water. Despite these difficult living conditions, the villagers do not want to leave and like the peace they enjoy from the rest of the world. The leader of the villager, Cheik Bey, is trying to preserve ancient manuscripts from his family. Sadly, many of them have been lost or severley damaged but for those that remain it is a magnificent reminder of Africa's literary history.  (Photo by Ami Vitale),
    _DSC0111.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
  • 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 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
  • 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
  • KASHMIR,INDIA, JULY 27:  Kashmiri  women dig out weeds from Dal Lake to feed to their cattle in Srinagar, the Indian held summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir July 27, 2003.  Dal Lake is extremely polluted and has not gotten much attention because of the conflict between Inda and Pakistan.   Islamic guerrillas have been fighting for independence of the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir since 1989 but for the first time in 13 years.
    004.jpg
  • TRIMBAKESHWAR,INDIA, AUGUST 8:  A Hindu pilgrim poses at a shrine at Trimbakeshwar during the month long Kumbh Mela in in India, August 8, 2003. Kumbh Mela, a famous Hindu festival, is expected to bring  more than three million pilgrims and foreign tourists. (Photo by Ami Vitale/Getty Images)
    20.jpg
  • Children listen to their teacher in a classroom in the  village of Intedeyne March 16, 2007.  She had to drop out of school when she was married at the age of 14.  the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0152.jpg
  • Litne poses outside the school in Intadeynen,  March 14, 2007 in Mali.
    DSC_0161.jpg
  • Manema Walet Issafeytane, the animatrice for the village of Intedeyne, sings songs with children including Zida, to the left of her wearing a headscarf,  March 17, 2007. Mali is one of the poorest countires in the world with 90 percent of the population living on less than $2 per day.
    _DSC0469.jpg
  • Baksesa prepares lunch for children, often their only meal of the day after school in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.    Food is provided by Oxfam in an effort to encourage the children to attend school. the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    _DSC0388.jpg
  • Fatimata sits in a classroom in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.     the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    _DSC0366.jpg
  • Adaha sits in her home and talks about the need for women and men to be able to have more equality in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.   the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0139.jpg
  • Children answer questions in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.   the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0111.jpg
  • Zeina Waled Dossane pounds millet in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.   the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0089.jpg
  • Abouleacrine ag Tadima teaches children basic health in his classroom in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.    the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0086.jpg
  • Mahmoud stands in front of the chalk board as they wait for their teacher to arrive in a classroom in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.    the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0045.jpg
  • Mahmoud stands in front of the chalk board as they wait for their teacher to arrive in a classroom in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.    the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0041 (1).jpg
  • Fatima stands in a garden that Oxfam supported in the village of Intedeyne March 14, 2007. In this arid landscape, it requires a lot of work to maintain any kind of agriculture but it is one of the projects along with  education that Oxfam is supporting here.  Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day. In 2000, following the international commitments on education, the Government of Mali created a ten year education development program and as a result, donars provided two and a half times more aid to basic education. As a result, more than 6 out of 10 primary school age children are now enrolled in Mali. Yet the challenge to educate still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates.Eight of the world's ten countries farthest from the gender parity goal are in West Africa: Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Benin and Guinea.
    DSC_0040.jpg
  • Children in a classroom in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.    the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0037.jpg
  • Muna, wearing white flowered dress, sits in a classroom in the  village of Intedeyne March 15, 2007.    the challenge to educate children in Mali still exists and particularly for girls. Female literacy rates never reach even 50 percent of male literacy rates. Mali has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in any country in the world. Ninety percent of Malians survive on less than two dollars a day.
    DSC_0011.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_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_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_0129.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_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_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.
    _DSC7908.jpg
  • Bhutan085.jpg
  • Bhutanese dancers perform in the Jampey Lhakhang festival in Jakar, Bhumtang district
    Bhutan084.jpg
  • Bhutan079.jpg
  • Bhutanese dancers perform in the Jampey Lhakhang festival in Jakar, Bhumtang district October 18, 2005.
    Bhutan078.jpg
  • Bhutanese dancers perform in the Jampey Lhakhang festival and later a fire is lit and villagers run underneath it as they believe it will wash away all their sins in Jakar, Bhumtang district October 18, 2005. The festival is a traditional Buddist ceremony performed every year and begins with a dance of the black hats. The Black hats perform a purification and blessing of the ground with alcohol and grains and then they dance to chase away evil influences. (Ami Vitale)
    Bhutan070.jpg
  • Monks practice a mask dance for the annual festival on November 7th, 2005 at the Old Dzong in Trashi Yengtse village in Eastern Bhutan October 15, 2005.l (Ami Vitale)
    Bhutan056.jpg
  • Bhutanese dancers perform in the Jampey Lhakhang festival in Jakar, Bhumtang district
    Bhutan026.jpg
  • Bhutanese dancers perform in the Jampey Lhakhang festival in Jakar, Bhumtang district October 18, 2005.
    Bhutan023.jpg
  • Bhutan021.jpg
  • Bhutan016.jpg
  • Bhutan014.jpg
  • Monks practice a mask dance for the annual festival on November 7th, 2005 at the Old Dzong in Trashi Yengtse village in Eastern Bhutan October 15, 2005.l (Ami Vitale)
    Bhutan007.jpg
  • 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
  • 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 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 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
  • Muslims walk around the Jamia Masjid, or Grand Mosque, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan in Delhi, India December 17, 2001.  (Getty Images/ Ami Vitale)
    del112.jpg
  • A Muslim reads the Koran inside the Jamia Masjid, or Grand Mosque, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan in Delhi, India December 17, 2001.  (Getty Images/ Ami Vitale)
    del111.jpg
  • Muslim boys stand inside the Jamia Masjid, or Grand Mosque, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan in Delhi, India December 17, 2001.  (Getty Images/ Ami Vitale)
    del109.jpg
  • Young Muslim boys pose inside the Jamia Masjid, or Grand Mosque, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan in Delhi, India December 17, 2001.  (Getty Images/ Ami Vitale)
    del108.jpg
  • DSC_0003.tif
  • Hindu holy men perform a "puja" which is a ceremony to their gods, 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.<br />
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.
    _DSC7423.jpg
  • DSC_0014.jpg
  • DSC_0114.jpg
  • DSC_0156.jpg
  • DSC_0125.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_0033.jpg
  • _DSC7061.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.
    _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.
    _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.
    _DSC7280.jpg
  • DSC_0082.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_0095.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
  • Hindu holy men perform a "puja" which is a ceremony to their gods, 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.<br />
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.
    _DSC7432.jpg
  • Hindu holy men perform a "puja" which is a ceremony to their gods, 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.<br />
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.
    _DSC7408.jpg
Next