Weekly Photo Challenge: Future Tense
I normally don’t keep very close to what the Challenge host has posted as an example of the challenge but today I think I’ll stay on the spiritual theme – especially after our experience in India. This theme is very appropriate when talking India and the Hindu religion as individual enlightenment and reincarnation are such cornerstones of their faith. We were lucky enough to spend a few days in Varanasi – where thousands upon thousands of Indians make a pilgrimage each year to visit, bath, and pray by the Ganges River. This first photo is of a holy man praying while standing in the Ganges. He was totally immersed in his faith and appeared totally at peace despite the throngs of people around him.
I can only imagine his vision of the future…
To give you an idea of the crowds, this is a photo from a boat on the Ganges looking back at the evening Aarti or prayer ceremony. Again, thousands of people show up every night to join in this ritual. At the main Ghat on the Ganges there are 9 priests conducting the ceremony in unison. You can see one of the holy men in this photo in the lower center of the picture waving the smoking urn.
Thousands preparing for their futures
The last photo is of an Indian man at sunrise on the Ganges. He managed to find a solitary perch above the river to meditate on. I thought his face was a perfect expression of his faith and his belief in the future(s).
Namaste
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