Buddhist visitors applying gold leaf as traditional offering at Dhamakh Stupa at Sarnath ruins near Varanasi, Benares, Northern India

Hindu priests at sundown Aarti Ritual Ceremony of Light during Shivrati Festival in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Hindu man pilgrim with beads and turban at Dashashwamedh Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Ranamahal Ghat and Chousatti Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, India

Tourists watch body bathed in River Ganges and traditional Hindu cremation on funeral pyre at Manikarnika Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Hindu temple guard in holy city of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Hindu priests at sundown Aarti Ritual Ceremony of Light during Shivrati Festival in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Hindu priests at sundown Aarti Ritual Ceremony of Light during Shivrati Festival in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Buddhist monks visiting Dharmarajika Stupa at Sarnath ruins near Varanasi, Benares, Northern India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Tourists in boats at Ranamahal Ghat and Chousatti Ghat watch traditional bathing in Varanasi, India

Hindu man pilgrim with long hair in turban at Dashashwamedh Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu man bathing and cleaning his teeth in the River Ganges by Kshameshwar Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Body bathed in River Ganges and traditional Hindu cremation on funeral pyre at Manikarnika Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Buddhist monk at Sri Lankan Buddhist Temple, Mulagandhakuti Vihara, near Varanasi, Benares, Northern India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu men and women bathing and praying in the River Ganges by Kshameshwar Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, India

Indian Hindu pilgrim bathing and washing his clothes in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi, India

Hindu sadhu pilgrim with beads and turban in holy city of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrim bathing and praying in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims washing clothes and bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, India

Body burning on funeral pyre at Hindu cremation at Manikarnika crematorium Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims men and boys bathing in The Ganges River by steps of the Ghats in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu men and women bathing and praying in the River Ganges by Kshameshwar Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, India

Hindu priests at sundown Aarti Ritual Ceremony of Light during Shivrati Festival in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu man bathing and praying in the River Ganges by Kshameshwar Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrim bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrim woman bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing and praying in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing and with prayer candles in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian Hindu men and women bathing and praying in the River Ganges by Kshameshwar Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, India

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Priest and devotee performing aarti, Haridwar,Uttarakhand, India, Asia

Devotees chanting kirtans in the Sarcelles ISKCON temple, Sarcelles, Val d'Oise, France, Europe

Buddhist bell and devotee, Bagan (Pagan), Myanmar (Burma), Asia

Devotee impersonating the Hindu god Hanuman, Diwali festival at the Sarcelles ISKCON temple, Sarcelles, Val d'Oise, France, Europe

Hindu devotee prostrating at Krishna-Balaram temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Incense sticks, Taoist temple, Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Buddhist worshipper burning incense sticks, Chua On Lang Taoist Temple, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Tibetan monks and the Tibetan Buddhist temple of Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, Asia

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

A line of women at a ceremony for the ordination of Buddhist monks, Bagan (Pagan), Myanmar (Burma), Asia

Entranced devotee embodying Orixa (Orisha) Oxosse during Lemnaja festival on Rio Vermelho beach, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, South America

Hindu pilgrim with turban at Dashashwamedh Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, Benares, India

Lighted candles offering Buddhist prayers at Dharmarajika Stupa at Sarnath near Varanasi, Northern India

Hindu pilgrim with turban at Dashashwamedh Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, Benares, India

Incense sticks, Taoist temple, Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Buddhist worshipper burning incense sticks, Chua On Lang Taoist Temple, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Indian man at Holi Festival, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Hindu pilgrim with turban at Dashashwamedh Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, Benares, India

Devotee, Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Buddhist worshipper with incense sticks, Khanh Van Nam Vien Taoist pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Devotee singing and playing cymbals, Chariot Festival, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Entranced Hindu devotee restrained, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Priest and devotee performing aarti, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India, Asia

Buddhist monk passes prayer flags at Mulagandhakuti Vihara Temple at Sarnath near Varanasi, Benares, Northern India

Devotees making garlands at Krishna-Balaram Hindu temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Khmer woman praying in a temple, Cambodia, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Man praying in copy of the Grotto of Massabielle, St. Philip Church (Huyen Sy Church), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Devotee with Buddha statue, Paris, France, Europe

Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims prostrating at the Jokhang temple, Barkhor, Lhasa, Tibet, China, Asia

A solitary mask dancer appears wearing a frightening mask and silk brocade. they circle the courtyard with sprightly leaps. called protectors of faith, or dharmapdla, the origins of figures like these can be traced back to the pre-aryan peoples of india. originally known as yaksas (literally, a wondrous thing), they were tree spirits, who were accepted by the buddhists as defenders of the faith. in nepal and tibet, as in india, local deities were converted into protectors. a devotee of an alien sect devised a means to humiliate the buddha and his disciples. the buddha discovered it and succeeded in converting him to his teaching. due to lack of wisdom, the buddha remarked, some could not realize the goodness of his disciples and he compared the ignorant to the blind and the wise to those who have eyes.nobody is condemned in buddhism, for greatness is latent even in the seemingly lowliest just as lotuses spring from muddy ponds. -the dhammapada. solu khumbu, nepal

Thailand devotees praying and lighting incense. Ancient buddhist temple and stupa of phra pathom chedi, nakhon pathom

Devotee woman praying at the ghat ( river bank ) at dawn. Varanasi , India

Volunteers cooking for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Pilgrims making a ritual offering, and praying, ghats in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Praying, in Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi, India

pilgrim bathing in the sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Volunteers preparing onions for cooking to do meals for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day, they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Making chai. Volunteers cooking for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Sadhus sleeping, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Barber shaving the head and beard of a pilgrim, Dashashwamedh ghat (main ghat), in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Pilgrims praying and bathing, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Person who recovers wood used in cremation, which has not burned completely, in Manikarnika Ghat, the burning ghat, on the banks of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

pilgrim bathing in the sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

pilgrim and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Interior of golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Pilgrims praying, golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Interior of golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

pilgrims and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Sadhu meditating, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Pilgrims praying and bathing, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

pilgrim and sacred pool Amrit Sarovar, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Pilgrims making a ritual offering, and praying, ghats in Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Pilgrims praying and bathing, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Maiking chai. Volunteer cooking for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Cremation of bodies, in Manikarnika Ghat, the burning ghat, on the banks of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Sadhu meditating, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Every night, Nightly puja on Dashaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India