Pilgrims circling the Ram Raja temple in Orchha where thousands of people came to witness the wedding of Ram and Sita.

Sri Maitresa Sharma was a Sadhu from Banauli,Bihar. When he died, his brother decided he would come to Sonepur to throw the body in the river on Kartik Purnima day, as a Sadhu can't be cremated. We drove the body in the middle of the river before letting him go.

After the gods celebration near the lake in Puhskar, the family came back to the Home temple where women are still dancing and paying respect to the gods. Thsi woman is praying in front of the home temple.
A slide show of this ceremonial:
www.flickr.com/photos/clodreno/sets/72157610905415088/show/

A pilgrim drying her sari after having taken her Holy bath, on the banks of the Sacred Ganges.

A little girl working in the courtyard of her house. She is making incense like a lot of people around Mysore.
www.clauderenault.fr

Widows leaving the courtyard where they receive their daily meal in the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan.

a slide show
www.flickr.com/photos/clodreno/sets/72157600464084928/show/

Rani, sitting in front of her house in Moti Bagh, an area of New Delhi.

Sitting in front of his room in a street of Varanasi.

Cows waiting for something to eat in front of a house inside the jaisalmer's fortress.
I'll leave for India at the end of next month, October 28th, 2009, my first stop will be the Sonepur Mela in Bihar, hopefully i'll get new images to add on this blog.

A Rajasthani woman and her daugther in law preparing the dough for Millet chapatis in a little village 30km south of Jodhpur

Brahmins students going to classes in the temple of Tiruparankundram, a little town 20km away from Madurai. Those students study to become priests.

A kusti wrestler training in a Varanasi Akhara near Scindia Ghat.

A Rajasthani pilgrim drying up a saree on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar

A pan seller in Delhi

Sitting in front of their shops on a quiet day in Pushkar. Because of the problems in Kashmir the past summer due to a piece of land for the Amarnath pilgrims, the BJP ( Hindu Fundamentamist Party) called for a strike and suddenly Pushkar was empty, quiet and closed. One shop remained half-opened.

jrphoto.wordpress.com/spotlight-interview-photographer-cl...

A barber under the arcades of Connaught Circle in New Delhi. Every morning you can spot a lot of them working. I just love the texture of the walls in those alleys. On the left , a bicycle with a milk can...

A kid trying to cross a big avenue in Calcutta, monsoon time.

Women drying up Saris after having taken their holy bath in Prayag at the Ardh Kumbh Mela 2007, last january.

Selling bananas on the market in Mysore

For those interested, I have a print ready to buy of this image on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta 325Gr. paper size 30X40cm Image size: 24X36cm. Contact me for price.

In Tiruchendur, on the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, I met a few women who came to the temple to pray to Murugan. After the ritual bath, on the beach, in front of the majestic and beautiful temple they needed to dry up their colourful saris. I couldn't resist but to portray them the way I like.Tiruchendur, in the far south of Tamil Nadu, is renowned among Murugan devotees everywhere as one of the greatest centres of the Lord Aru Padai Veedugal’s, literally 'Six Battle Camps'. Indeed, it is here that Murugan and his deva-sena, or army of celestials, confront and vanquish the titan Surapadma and his demonic horde. This struggle is annually re-created at Tiruchendur on the sixth day of Skanda Sashti, the 'Six (days) of Skanda'.

Kids diving on the Ghats in Varanasi. The heart of the city.

A Rajasthani Woman cooking in her kitchen. I don't remember the name of the veggies but it was very good.

A hot day in Pondicherry, early afternoon, people resting after lunch

Some Rickshaw drivers smiling at me next to Movie posters.

Selling spices in a Calcutta's street.

A picture taken in Patna, the capital of the state of Bihar. Temperature was going up very fast, and this rickshaw driver was having a well earned rest. Difficult light that day.
"Thums" Up is a national drink, with a taste close to the one of Coke, a bit better for me and a lot cheaper..
Patna is a very interesting town with no tourists at all, so it's really quiet for us travelling there..

A kid on the threshold of his house outside Kumbakonam on the way to Dharasuram.

Washing the daily laundry in Varanasi, early morning.

Indian women working in a dyeing factory of Rajasthan. During a pause, they take care of their babies staying there with them.

Neeja, sitting in front of her house in the village of Neemrana. A very quiet little place 2 hours south of Delhi.

A weaver working at his loom in his house in Kanchipuram.

A pilgrim praying in front of a little shrine at night on the Ghats alongside the Sacred Ganges in Varanasi.

Soni, a little girl playing around inside the Nirvani Akhara during the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Prayag

On the occasion of the full moon in february, plenty of beggars sit on the ghats in Varanasi waiting for food or money.
Here, on Assi Ghat.

For those interested, I have a print ready to buy of this image on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta 325Gr. paper size 30X40cm Image size: 24X36cm. Contact me for price.

A family of pilgrims from the state of Andhra Pradesh, visiting Mamallapuram, 60 kms, South of Chennai.
Nestling on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, the town was once a port of the Pallava Dynasty. The Pallavas created many marvellous monuments with Sculptural Panels, Caves, Monolithic Rathas (stone chariots) and Temples. Once a thriving port trading with many distant nations, nowadays Mamallapuram is still a big sculpture centre. You can wake up in the morning to the unceasing sound of the chisels gently carving the stone.Apparently, the tradition of Pallava sculpture has never abandoned the place.

A bunch of kids having a lot of fun in the sacred tank near the temple.
It was pretty hot and were very happy.

For those interested, I have a print ready to buy of this image on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta 325Gr. paper size 30X40cm Image size: 24X36cm. Contact me for price.

A Rajasthani woman showing me newly dyied saris in a little factory, not far from Jodhpur.

A colorful street in Udaipur

A woman doing her laundry in the sacred tank in Badami.

Some pilgrims from Rajasthan coming to Rishikesh in Uttaranchal to bath in the Holy Ganges.
I liked the almost "movie sequence" here
Rishikesh represents the Gateway to the Himalayas in the splendid Tehri-Garhwal region of Uttaranchal. The spectacle of the Ganges rushing through the Himalayan foothills is an awesome sight. Several temples dot the banks of the river at Rishikesh, which represents the site where Vishnu vanquished the demon Madhu.

A Pilgrim from Karnataka in front of the Arunachaleswar Shiva temple in Tiruvanamalai 
 situated at the foot of the Arunachala hill, is one of the largest and oldest temples in all of south India. 
"

For those interested, I have a print ready to buy of this image on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta 325Gr. paper size 30X40cm Image size: 24X36cm. Contact me for price.

A Sadhu inside a colorful temple in Mathura, alongside the sacred Yamuna.

Sleepy workers in a street of Chennai. A colorful setting.

A Dhobi Wallah during the monsoon in Mumbay

A big procession from the home temple to the sacred lake in Pushkar.
The women are coming back from the Holy lake, The band is still playing.
www.claude-renault.fr
Listen to it:

In the old city of Jodhpur, a man leaving his home to go to the temple down the street.

Not only Buddhist monks cirlce the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, Sadhus do to.

Life going by while I have my breakfast in Pushkar.

Savitri, a widow from West Bengal , coming out of the Sri Bhajan Ashram in Calcutta. She is a witty lady, charming and a nice sense of humor i thought.
This is one of the first images I took of her, then we would meet everyday.
www.claude-renault.com

An image shot in front of the temple in Tiurvanamalai.
A girl with her family, she actually leans on her mother's back.
Pilgrims from Bangalore ..

A woman massaging her legs and feet on the Ghats in beautiful Varanasi

A Naga Baba from the Juna Akhara during his holy bath on January 19th In Prayag during the Ardh Khumbh Mela last month.
You can spot the Trishul in his right hand. One of the most prominent Sadhu sects, the Juna Akhara, consists of the warrior-ascetics or Nagas (the naked). They smear their bodies with holy ash and sport long matted hair, symbolic of their devotion to Lord Shiva, generally known as the God of destruction, but to Sadhus better known as the Lord of Yoga.

A woman begging for food during the huge Rath Yatra. A famous festivals in Puri.
Ratha Yatra is a major Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Orissa, India during the months of June or July (Rainy Season). Most of the city's society is based around the worship of Jagannath (Krishna) with the ancient temple being the fulcrum of the area. The festival commemorates Krishna's return to his home in Vrindavan after a long period of separation from the people there.

Widows waiting in line to get their free meal, at 11 AM, inside the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram, following the morning Bhajan Kritan, a form of singing prayer.
They get a token every time they attend the prayer room to sing Bhajan Kritan, then then can get a free meal against this token.
You can see more images of this serie here:
http://widowsofvrindavan.blogspot.com

A barber and his customer on a sidewalk of Jodhpur, the Blue city.

An image of a Puja on Babu Ghat in Kolkata, along the banks of the Hooghly, a tributary of the Ganges.
It was the monsoon season, but the warm climate doesn’t prevent people from living their usual lives. It was raining as I had never seen before.
The best time to visit any river in India is in the morning, and this is the busiest ghat at this time. A flurry of typically Indian activities begins at the crack of dawn as the mist rises and the sun falters over overnight clouds, to announce yet another day. Bathing. Worship. Commerce. Ceremonies of birth and death. Then, all of a sudden, the rain falls and falls and keeps on falling heavily.

The first bath of a baby in the sacred Ganges, in Haridwar, in the State of Uttaranchal. The frightened baby must have been rather cold, as I personally verified.

Haridwar has also been called Gangadvar, meaning 'Door of the Ganges' as it is here that the sacred river Ganges leaves the mountains to flow out upon the Indian plains.

Selling food in a street of Jodhpur.

Drinking Chai in front of his shop..

A woman working in a dyeing factory in a Rajasthani village.

Rajasthani women shopping in Jodhpur

A kid diving into the sacred Ganges during the monsoon as a boat full of pilgrims is going by. Varanasi

Monsoon at its full in the little street of Panaji.

A Nagababa coming out of the sacred Ganges after having taken his Holy bath. Shot during the Ardh Kumbh Mela in January 2007.

For those interested, I have a print ready to buy of this image on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta 325Gr. paper size 30X40cm Image size: 24X36cm. Contact me for price.

A little girl playing in the street in Calcutta.
It was shot during the monsoon season between two showers.
She was in front of her father's shop, but she wasn't attached like it seems.
No cropping at all ...

A Woman inisde a cheese maker shop in Varanasi

An Aravani ( Transsexual ) during a puja to Lord Aravan, god of the Aravanis. Few temples dedicated to Lord Aravan can be seen in India.
Here during a festival in a village not far from Chidambaram.
www.claude-renault.fr

Three friends chatting in front of their house in beautiful Jodhpur

Pankash, a wrestler from Mirzapur training in a Kusti akhara in Varanasi

A baby resting in his hammock in front of his parent's house in the village of Khothattai, near Chidambaram

A few Kusti wrestlers training in a Varanasi Akhara alongside the ghats. One is training with huge Jhoris.

Reading the sacred Texts in Clement Town, a Tibetan settlement near Dehradun

Women on their way to clean the walls of the fortified city of Jaisalmer. It started this year and it's nice.
It's now, possible to walk the walls all around the city.
www.claude-renault.fr

A tailor near the Meenakshi temple in Madurai

This man living near the river in a small hut in the Pudupet district of Chennai had a portrait of Dr Ambedkar painted on his wall. Dr Ambedkar was a well known Dalit advocate and was also one of the father of the Indian constitution.

Traffic in a little street of Jodhpur as Jaffa Reily is dyeing cloth

I met Baidehi the first time 5 years ago in Varanasi. Every time I travel there I pay her a visit. Happy to see she was well.

Baidehi is a old woman, people told me, 100 years old. She is a destitute woman from the state of Bihar. She came to Varanasi to die. She is living with other older women inside a house next to the cremation ghats.
A very nice woman, I forgot her name, has set up this place for those women to die peacefully.
she was adorable.

A little girl swinging her baby brother inside their house in the village of Khothattai, near Chidambaram

Wrestlers training in a Kusti Akhara near the Ghats in Varanasi.

I couldn't resist posting an image in memory of one of my favorite images made in India. Waiting on the Ghats in beautiful Pushkar.
I must be getting old !!

Going by in a street of Panjim during the first days of the monsoon. Goa.

A Rajasthani woman folding up Sarees in a village of Rajasthan

For those interested, I have a print ready to buy of this image on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta 325Gr. paper size 30X40cm Image size: 24X36cm. Contact me for price.

A few wrestlers training in a school in the town of Kolhapur. I'll add more infos later.

A lot of old streets in Pondicherry still bear names of French writers or explorators. Here, a rickshaw driver taking a rest Rue Dumas.

A woman praying inside the Kali temple in Kolkata.
Such a nice place.

Two working women taking a rest in a street of Chennai. In a week I'll be there

A woman giving water to a poor person in Badami. I must add that before giving him water, she gave him food,
I wasn't ready to click...What else to say.
Here it seems people give often and all the time. It's a way of life.

Women drying up saris alongside the sacred Yamuna river in Mathura.
A long line of picturesque, pink ghats - with their steps leading to the water's edge, arched gateways and a temple, of course pink, extending along the right bank of the River Yamuna, emphasise the sacred character of the town of Mathura. The birth place of Lord Krishna, "the best known, best loved and most complex of Lord Vishnu's manifestations". Mathura is today an important place of pilgrimage. An ancient city, Mathura's strategic location at the crossroads of various trade routes - that went westwards to West Asia and the Roman Empire; northwards, via Taxila, Pushkalavati and Purushapur to Central Asia and the Silk Route and eastwards to China - ensured its position as a centre of trade and a meeting point for many different cultures

On the cover of this book: www.garzantilibri.it/default.php?page=visu_libro&CPID...

Tamil women praying inside the Meenakshi temple in beautful Madurai. Another month and i'll be there..

Anushka Shetty is a beautiful indian movie star. She mostly acts in Telugu movie. A portrait taken on the set of a movie shot in Golconda, near Hyderabad.
in.rediff.com/movies/2006/jan/12jackie.htm

Enchie, a Bishnoi woman grinding millet to make chapatis, inside the hut seen in the previous image. The Bishnois are a community of nature worshippers in the state of Rajasthan. Bishnois are strong lovers of wild animals. It is because of their protection that in Bishnoi dominated areas, deer and antelope(such as blue bulls, black bucks, chinkaras and chowsinghas) are seen grazing peacefully in their fields despite the fact that the State of Rajasthan where the Bishnois mainly live, face severe shortages of water.The sect was founded by Guru Jambheshwar (b. 1451) after a drought in marwar region of India. He had laid down 29 principles to be followed by the sect. Bish means 20 and noi means 9. Thus, Bishnoi translates as Twenty-niners. Further the Guru told to worship lord Vishnu (Bishnu). Thus the sect called vishnoi or Bishnoi. Killing animals and felling trees were banned.

A pilgrim hiding beneath her drying sari on the beach in Tiruchendur. The last one of a series..

Coming from all over the country, often on foot, to the town of Haridwar, pilgrims and sadhus are overwhelmed by tiredness, and lay on the bare ground of the ghats, while others eat or attend to their children. I find these scenes as attractive as the place itself, better, the place would be inconceivable without its pulsing life, which often includes animals, as well as human beings. I feel myself completely at ease in these surroundings.

Two women doing their laundry in the sacred tank in Badami. For some reason the water was really green.
Beautiful silk sarees are drying up on the stairs..

A woman calibrating the Betel nuts in Cochin.

Dishes, Playing, Boating, a daily scene alongside the Ganges In Varanasi

On my way to the sources of the Ganges, I stopped a few days in Uttarkashi.
This woman was praying alongside the Holy river, holding a stick of incense ..
I loved the colors of her clothing. You can tell we are in the mountains so they dress up differently..

A shop in Chennai called "Senoraa", behind the mirror where we can see the
reflection of the sales clerk, a woman is trying a saree.

A man praying on the ghats in Varanasi. Early Morning light.
You can see Nandi, Shiva's mount and the Lingam.

Pilgrims from Nepal staying a few days in Varanasi on Assi ghat. They were all coming back from the Ardh Khumbh Mela in Allahabad before heading back, home to Nepal

Sudents in front of the University near Marina Beach in Chennai waiting for their bus.

Canon EOS 5D ,Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM

"Horsemen" taking a rest in a Calcutta's street.

Lingapa is a farmer from Hampi, he is plowing his rice paddy in a really magical place,
set in the kingdom of Kishkinda...

A little girl in Mamallapuram.

Kids playing on the beach in Tiruchendur.
This image has been used in England to raise funds for the Tsunami that happened there in december 2004.

A woman carrying a basket in the Gulbarga market in Karnataka. A Beautiful look, like a lot of Indian women.

In a small workshop located about 15 klm away from Kanchipuram, two workers wringing out cotton.
All the people in the village seem to be working in the Dyeing industry

A woman smiling at me when I passed in front of her house
in the beautiful temple city of Tiruvanamalai.

Tapo Ratna has been a Jain Sadhvi for the past 9 years. She is 32 years old. She is part of the "Svetambara" order, a very strict one. She is holding the "Rajurharan" in her hand, the symbol of that order. I met them in Mysore and spend a day walking with them on january first from Mysore to Brindavan..
On this image, you can see all her belongings next to her. The red bowl is called a "Patra". They can't use cars, buses, electricity, light..... etc.. They dress in white cloth.

An old man sleeping in front of a closed shop in Calcutta.
I was just amazed at how white the pillow was.

A sleepy saddhu at the door of a small temple in Patna. The Sadhu tradition has a long history. It consists of renouncing
worldly ties in pursuit of higher values of life. Ideally a sadhu lives in the society but is detached from its pleasures and pains.

Sadhus typically survive on bhiksha (alms) provided by families, and on natural resources, and they spend much of
their time in meditation.

A portrait of, Nara Simha ( Man Lion ), a sadhu from Dampur shot in Sri Sailam where he spend the winter.

A boy sitting next to kali inside the Kali temple in Calcutta, an incredible place.

you can see it here, On the cover of this book "The way home"

An exhibition I had in England last fall

Two women waiting for the Perumal temple to open up, in Erode, a town in Northern Tamil Nadu, not on the tourist trail. Neither the city nor this specific temple are particularly important, the frieze with the Vishnu symbol is rather simple, if compared to the ones in most of the temples in this State, but this scene is to me of the greatest relevance, because it represents that peaceful feeling I so often had in Tamil Nadu and it has those powerful colours that I like to present flattened on the picture

Pilgrims from Nepal staying a few days in Varanasi on Assi ghat.
They were all coming back from the Ardh Khumbh Mela in Allahabad before heading back to Nepal.

May be my favorite.. I use it on my laptop screen.

A scene of the Pushkar ghats in the morning. A woman, a man and a cow. A peaceful scene that can be witnessed every day in this little jewel of a town, all around the sacred lake. And this, despite the fact that the place has become a tourist “Mecca”.
The sacred Pushkar Lake is believed to have been created by the falling of a lotus from the hand of Lord Brahma. It is therefore considered to be as old as creation itself. It is certainly one of the most worshipped spots, and it is believed that one dip in the waters of the lake is equivalent to performing yagnas for several hundred years.

The charming lake amidst the hills has fifty-two bathing ghats, built all around it. The water next to each ghat is supposed to have special powers: the Naga Kund is believed to give fertility, Roop Tirth gives beauty and charm, Kapil Vyapi Kund water helps in curing leprosy and a dip in the Mrikand Muni Kund grants the boon of wisdom.

For those interested, I have a print ready to buy of this image on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta 325Gr. paper size 30X40cm Image size: 24X36cm. Contact me for price.

Flower sellers under the protection of Ganesh, on the wall, in the Devaraja market in Mysore.

Remambi, a moslem woman invited me in her house to have a Chai..
She was making Chapatis. When I left she insisted that I accept some.
People are so nice in India.

At the end of the day in Pushkar during the camel fair.
A cropped image for once.. It 'll open in a few days this yar.

A man sitting quietly in his shop waiting for a client

A White Widow of Vrindavan going home after the prayers. I do understand this is one image, but I shot it thinking about the other one. This is part of a set...
more images:
widowsofvrindavan.blogspot.com/

A woman drying up a sari at the confluence of the Narmada and Kavery rivers in Omkareshwar.
Omkareshwar is an island, shaped like the holy Hindu symbol of ‘OM'. Thousands of pilgrims gather at this holy city to offer prayers to the Jyotirlingam (one of the twelve throughout India), at the Shiva temple of Shri Omkar Mandhata. The jyotirlingam and the shape of the island combine to increase the religious importance of the island for devout Hindus.
The Shri Omkar Mandhata, a temple dedicated to Shiva, is constructed from local soft sandstone. Sandstone being easy to work with, the masons and artisans were able to achieve a very high degree of intricate carving, particularly on the upper parts.

Deep Blue is the color of Jodhpur, my favorite city in Rajasthan.

Baidehi is an old woman, people told me, 100 years old. She is a destitute woman from the state of Bihar.
She came to Varanasi to die. She is living with other older women inside a house next to the cremation ghats. You can see all her belongings next to the clay oven where she cooks her meals.

One of the reason I love India. Everybody is accepted the way he is. I met this young boy everyday when in Sri Sailam, his daily smile was making my day worth it.

A young girl sitting in the shade inside the Golden temple in Amritsar.

A real nice man, Neelkanth Mahadev, a sadhu, his name meaning "blue throat", one of Shiva's name.
This image was taken on the banks of the river Ganga in Haridwar.

Haridwar located in the foothills of the Himalayas, represents the point where the Ganga reaches the plains. Haridwar is an ancient pilgrimage site, held in reverence for centuries. Several temples and ashrams dot this town and a visit to Haridwar is like stepping into a totally different world.

Some passengers waiting to go.
Aboard the little train climbing up the blue mountains to reach Ooty.

An ambassador going to the New Delhi train station.

A cremation alongside the Sacred gange near the little towwn of Bijnor..

Women on the market in Jaisalmer. Apart from the colors, i also like the posture of Indian women, like this one on the right. There is something very elegant and sensual about it..

A Sikh reading his sacred book alongside the tank of the Golden Temple. A minimalist shot, showing the reflection of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, literally, pool of nectar.

This piece of architecture draws on both Hindu and Moslem artistic styles, yet represents a unique co-evolution of the two. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), Hari Mandir was richly ornamented with marble sculptures, golden gilding, and large quantities of precious stones. Within the sanctuary, on a jewel-studded platform, lies the Adi Grantha, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs. This scripture is a collection of devotional poems, prayers, and hymns composed by the ten Sikh gurus and various Moslem and Hindu saints. The image was shot the day before the 400th anniversary of when the Holy Book was first taken to its holy site. Beginning early in the morning and lasting until long past sunset, hymns were chanted to the accompaniment of flutes, drums, and stringed instruments.

A Nagababa sadhu praying in the Sacred Gange during the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Alahabad

Indians praying inside a temple in Jaipur

Those pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh were coming to Sri sailam to pray, on their way to Sabarimala . They are devotees of Lord Ayappa. They go through a 41 day penance abstaining from sex, meat and intoxicationg drinks before undertaking the trek up the forested mountain chanting the celebrated three words "Samiye, Saranam Ayappa ( Oh lord Ayappa, I come to thee for refuge.)

A woman praying to the monkey god Hanuman inside the magnificent Meenakshi temple in Madurai.
The enormous temple complex is dedicated to Shiva, known here as Sundareshvara and his consort Parvati, or Meenakshi. The original temple was built by Kulasekara Pandya, but the entire credit for making it as splendid as it is today goes to the Nayaks. The Nayaks ruled Madurai from the 16th to the 18th century and left a majestic imprint of their rule in the Meenakshi - Sundareswarar Temple.

Rajasthani Pilgrims on the banks of the sacred Ganges in Rishikesh

Gaurab playing with the rain near the Ghats in Vrindavan. Hies bigger brother made me a coffee in their little Chai shop while the rain lasted.

Students training in Baratha Nathyam. Founded in 1936, by Rukmini Devi Arundale and her husband Dr George Arundale, Kalakshetra has played a significant part in the revival of Indian art and crafts, especially the dance form of Bharatnatyam.

Kalakshetra (which means 'holy place of art'), is situated on a sprawling 100 acre campus at Adyar. Students enjoy that hard-to-get proximity with greenery and the sea. Today, some of the most respected exponents in the performing arts are products of Kalakshetra.

A woman doing her laundry in the courtyard inside her house in Jodhpur. I just love the colors and textures of the walls in Jodhpur. No doubts about it, my favorite city in Rajasthan

Pilgrims drying their dhotis on the ghats in Pushkar

An older man buying mangoes on the market in Jodhpur

Brahmins praying inside the temple in Mathura, alongside the sacred Yamuna river

At the entrance of the Kumbeshwara temple in Kanchipuram, waiting to open up. One of my favorite images. The brahmin sleeping, the woman in pink begging.

This is the first picture I took when I got to Varanasi, I took it near Assi Ghat.
Those are the steps going up to the temple. If you go to Varanasi, there is a very nice guesthouse where to stay : Sahi river guest house ( devanandmishra@hotmail.com ), it's a delightfully peaceful place overlooking the Ganges.

Assi Ghat an important ghat of Varanasi traditionally constitutes the southern end of the city.

Morning Prayer in the temple near the Yamuna river in Beautiful Mathura.

A cremation scene at night on the ghats in Varanasi

Two man elegantly resting at the foot of a tree, near the entrance of the Sujita temple, outside Bodhgaya in the fields.
Bodhgaya is the place where the Buddha attained enlightment..

Five saddhus I met in Gaumukh. They are coming down from the sources of the Ganges.
You can see the double summit of the Baghirathi in the background. It's part of a national park, well preserved, beautiful.

3 sadhus doing their rituals at the sources of the Ganges. I went up with them .
I already posted an image of them coming down the mountain.
In Gaumukh, tents have been installed for the pilgrims there where everybody can sleep ....
A marvellous place

Danuko, 95 year's old and her husband, Shamlu Naik, 96 year's old posing for me.
They are sitting on the charpoi under the porch of their house in a little village not far from Nagarjuna Sagar

Pilgrims on the banks of the Holy Ganga in Varanasi.

A young girl in front of her house.
A Play of light in a beautiful place.

A kid with his mother and family in Haridwar. Those Rajasthani people were coming to Haridwar in pilgrimage, on their way to Gangotri and the sources of the Ganges

A woman coming to pray inside the Krishna temple in Amber.This temple is down in the village. You can get there from the back of the beautiful fortress. Although you will not find this temple in popular guidebooks, it's a beautiful one.
It's decorated with incredible marble sculptures.

The painter of signs.. one of my favorite book from R.K. Narayan..I shot this on a big street in Kolkata. I love those sign painters.
I had focus on the painter with a good DOF and was waiting for somebody to come into my frame..
Indeed it came.. And he had such a sweet face, sad at the same time..

A Nagababa alone in his faith during last Ardh Kumbh Mela in Allahabad


You can see a report from January 13th from France 24, in English:
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A portrait of Enchie, a Bishnoi woman, shot in a little village near Jodhpur.
She is a charming and lovely lady

A Rajasthani woman coming inside her kitchen to cook lunch. You can see how beautiful and clean the floor is, as always.
And the food was also excellent

The condition of widows can be very difficul in India as elsewhere. This old woman was trying to cross a street even though she couldn't walk.

On the way to the impressive Airavateswara Siva Temple, you cross the Arasalar River in Dharasuram, 7km Southwest of Kumbakonam, which I covered quite a few times on foot under the hot sun, something I really enjoy when I am in India. Almost three months after taking this picture, I went back there, to the same spot, and there was no more water.At Dharasuram there is one of the finest and most important temples amongst those belonging to the Chola period.Built by Raja Raja II (1146-63) in the 12th century,
this temple has impressive sculptures. The rivers Kaveri (Cauvery) and Arasalar flow on the two sides of Kumbakonam.

A woman at the entrance of a temple in the little town of Tiruvariyaru in Tamil Nadu.
A special place.

The Chitrai Festival in April/May is the most important one of the year. It celebrates the marriage of Meenakshi (Parvati) with Sundareswar (Lord Shiva). The two deities, riding on a golden bull and wearing pearl crowns, are brought on a spectacular procession around the town. Lord Alagar’s (Vishnu) procession to the bank of the Vaigai River on the full moon day is one of the most interesting events of the festival.
This picture was taken right in the middle of the street, going down to the river.

A group of Sadhus I met while I was going to have my breakfast in Ram Jhula. I invited them to come with me..

An old woman begging at the entrance of the Kali Temple in Kolkata

A Jain priest inside the main Jain temple in Jaisalmer. These are a group of Jain temples dating back 12th and 15th centuries and are dedicated to various Jain Tirthankars (Hermits). On the walls of the temples, you can find animal & human figures, carved in famous Dilwara style.
These temples are built in the Dilwara style that is famous all over the world for its architecture. The style got its name from the famous 'Dilwara Temples' situated on Mount Abu, a famous Hill station and pilgrimage destination in Rajasthan. The Jain temples in the Jaisalmer Fort are dedicated to Rikhabdevji and Shambhavdev Ji, the famous Jain hermits known as 'Tirthankars'. Like all other structures in Jaisalmer, these temples are craved of yellow sandstones.

A couple of Weavers working on the warp in a workshop of Ayampattai, a little village a few kilometers away from Kanchipuram.
You can spot all the tools and the Jacquard cards.

A young girl playing with the Ocean during a festive day in Mamallapuram

On january 1st, 2006, I walked the 22 klm from Mysore to Brindavan, Karnataka with a group of 8 Jain Sadhvis.

On the way to Brindavan the Jain Sadhvis, women sadhus, and I at times had to rest.
The sadhu on the left was tired, also because at the same time she had been fasting for a week.

Charminar is one of the most important landmarks of Hyderabad. The monument was built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the eradication of plague, shortly after he had shifted his capital from Golconda to what now is known as Hyderabad[1]. Legends has it that the emperor Quli Qutb Shah prayed for the end of plague and took the vow to build a masjid on that very place. He ordered the construction of the masjid which became popular as Charminar because of its four characteristic minarets (possibly depicting the first four khalifs of Islam). The top floor of the four-storeyed structure has a masjid which has 45 covered prayer spaces and some open space to accommodate more people in Friday prayers

A landscape for a change, the only time when I used my 70/200mm is to shoot flat landscapes.
I think images become more graphic like that.
Some women working under the supervision of a man, picking up tea in the blue mountains
of Tamil Nadu. This image was shot in a small village at 20km of Conoor. It's beautiful there..

Rajuri on the left, Rampal her uncle in the middle and Sita his wife going to their campment outside of Pushkar. They are musician from Pushkar and live on the outskirts of the city, where the camel fair takes place, in tents.

A Rajasthani walking by an old Haveli in Nawalgargh.

Street vendors in Jodhpur.

A woman preparing the basin to do her laundry, in front of her house.

This is another picture I took in the beautiful Meenaskhee temple in Madurai. This man was praying Hanuman, the monkey god. I stayed a few days in Madurai to get pictures. I could get this light inside the temple usually in the afternoon, between 4:15 pm and 5 pm.
I have been to Madurai 4 times, and will go back for sure. A city I am definitely in love with.

Behind a loaded cart in street of Kolkata

Enchie, a Bishnoi woman near the mill where she grinds Millet.

The Bishnois are a community of nature worshippers in the state of Rajasthan. Bishnois are strong lovers of wild animals. It is because of their protection that in Bishnoi dominated areas, deer and antelope(such as blue bulls, black bucks, chinkaras and chowsinghas) are seen grazing peacefully in their fields despite the fact that the State of Rajasthan where the Bishnois mainly live, face severe shortages of water.

Enchie, a Bishnoi woman coming out of the hut where she stocks grain.
In a village near Jodhpur

A young girl doing her laundry in Moti Bagh, a district of New Delhi.

A widow distributing the token to the other widows to prove they attend the singing and prayers, a way for them to get a few roupies and a free meal.
Shot inside the main room of the Sri Bagwan Bhajan Ashram in Vrindavan

Papu from the Bopa caste, Rajasthan, India. Bopa Gypsy, is a Nomadic People of the Rajasthan Desert. In Rajasthan it is not uncommon to see people with green eyes.
I met her the first time in 2001. Now she owns a little shop near the Ghats in Pushkar.

A woman applying a tika on her forehead on the Ghats in Vrindavan.
Monsoon time and the storm came just after..

Savitri going to place herselve in line to get free food : a bit of vegetable, Dal and Chapatis. By coming singing and praying everyday, twice a day she can get the free food and some roupies.

Meena and her child on a charpoi where they live, near the Iskcon temple. A lot of Hare Krishna devotees visit town and those poor people wait for some help. I would meet her every morning during my stay there. She and her family live under a tent on the side of the street. Still wondering how they managed wjth the amount of water falling during the Monsoon.

A Rajasthani waiting at one entrance of the old city of Jaisalmer.

A woman sweeping the floor inside the Pokharan's palace. The Maharaja and Maharani still live there, they transformed their palace into an upscale hotel for tourists. You can visit a little museum inside.

Two women coming out a small alley on Jaisalmer's walls. I was there in 1984 for the first time and I feel bad about what Jaisalmer has become. I wish it could be included on the Unesco World Heritage Site, to prevent people to destroy the whole city.

A Nice colored wall in Pushkar..

At the entrance of the Maharaja's palace in Bikaner. A beautiful place.
Some handprints reminding some Sati on the wall.

Some students in a Lingaïte school in Sri sailam. This is shot inside the temple where they were studying.
This place is just so wonderful, not a single tourist in sight...

While in Bundi I saw this house , the only think that came to my mind was Mondrian.
A nice quitet town, even though I was there during the monsoon.

The Kalakshetra school of dance in Madras, now known as Chennai. That school is commited to the revival of classicaldance and music.
It offers complete courses under the tutorship of a guru in the Indian tradition of Gurukulam, where education is inseparable from other life experiences.
It's a magical place set apart in a huge park outside of Madras. A very quiet place..

A woman drying up her saree in front of her house in the small town of Badami..A lovely place.

Morning. A woman praying to gods alongside the Sacred Yamuna river, one of the seven sacred riversin the country, during the "Ganga" festival in Agra.

Agra came to its own when Shah Jahan ascended to the throne of the Mughal Empire. He marked the zenith of Mughal architecture, when he built the Taj in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
The monument is magnificent, and is usually photographed from the front. I thought that changing the perspective and including the people in the river in the morning light (6.50a.m.), might give it a more real, lively look.

This shot was taken inside the Theosophical Society in Chennai. It’s located in the middle ofa huge park full of Banyans, a beautiful tree. One get a sense of peace there

Pilgrims from Rajasthan taking their holy bath in the Ganges. Gangotri. Whatever the temperature of the water pilgrims are flocking to Gangotri to bath in the Ganges. This image was shot in May, and the water was at the time very cold.

A tired pilgrim, trying to hide from the scorching sun, is waiting for the opening of the temple in Tiruchendur.
Tiruchendur is one of the six Aarupadai veedu shrines of Murugan. It has been venerated by the Tamil Sangam literature and is one of the most visited shrines in Tamil Nadu. It is located on the seashore in the southern part of the state between Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.

A little girl having fun in the train from Madurai to Tanjore..
I waited quite a while to get it.

Pilgrims having their visit recorded in Haridwar.
"Most of the Hindu people of North India visit The Ganga river at Haridwar at important times of their lives, like a marriage, a birth or a death, to bath in the river and cleanse themselves for a new beginning. Now the photo shows the office of a Panda, so each family has a chosen Panda, you can say a family accountant. Whenever anyone from the family goes to Haridwar they go to their family Panda and get their visit registered in his record books along with details like name and number of people visiting, occasion, date etc. So these records are kept across generations with the same auditor's family. The volume of books look intimidating but they have a neat system of maintaining records and classifying them into house, street, locality and city levels".

In a little village of Southern Tamil Nadu.
Village life.

A beautiful girl sitting in front of her house in Kanchipuram. I love the architecture of those houses, where the shape of the beautifully curved porch is almost like a sculpture, inviting !

The goddess and the woman next to a shrine on the ghats not far from the Kali temple in Kolkata.

A sheperd and his wife, a Lambadi woman, near Nagarjuna Sagar.

An Indian woman drinking at a fountain in Mamallapuram. Water shouldn't be misused the way we do it in the west with long showers, car cleaning, swimming pools, etc.

Taking care of his Grand-Son alongside the Ganges, near Assi Ghat in Varanasi

A woman in the Sri Ekambaranathar temple in Kanchipuram. This woman, after doing her laundry was waiting for it to dry and spitting betel.. A common scene all over India.
Kanchipuram is one of the 7 sacred cities of India. One of my favorite.. The other cities sacred are Ayodhya, Haridwar, Varanasi, Mathura, Ujjain and Dwarka.
In the Indian sub-continent, the leaves of the betel (piper betle) are used as wrappers for ‘pan’, a roll of raw spices that are chewed slowly as a digestive and stimulant—a chewing gum substitute

Pilgrims in marvellous Omkareshwar. Almost an abstract painting.
Just love colors

A woman working, another enjoying life in Badami. A beautiful place.
The type of composition I particurlarly like to do..

14th of August. A group of women performing the puja in the river Narmada, in Omkareshwar. The brown colour of the river, almost overflowing, is due to the Monsoon season. Omkareshwar, located in Madhya Pradesh, on the Mandhata hill on the banks of the Narmada, is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. The river Narmada branches into two and forms the island Mandhata or Shivapuri in its center. The shape of the island resembles that of the visual representation of the Omkara sound, Om. There are two temples there, one to Omkareshwar and one to Amareshwar. The Omkareshwar temple built in the Nagara style is characterized by a lofty shikhara. There are also shrines to Annapurna and Ganesh.

The eyes of a young nomad, shot under a tent during a wedding ceremony near the lake Tso Kar in Ladakh.

EOS 1 n . Fuji Velvia. Canon EF L 28/70mm f:/2,8

In a Chai shop in Kanchipuram.. The daughter of the owner was almost awake. So cute

A kid diving into the sacred tank in Amber. The ancient Hindu village extends behind the imposing fortress, and is surprisingly rich in unvisited marvels, like the Krishna temple, all carved in white marble. Beautiful, welcoming and peaceful. The water tank tradition is of the utmost importance in the arid and semi- desert Indian state of Rajasthan, The tank needs to be very deep, so a lot of stairs are geometrically built, a graphic delight.

On the sacred Ganges in Varanasi

A beggar in front of the temple in Bubaneshwar counting her day's earning.