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

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

Indian Hindu couple 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 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 Ranamahal Ghat and Chousatti 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 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

White marble religious icon carvings at The Ranakpur Jain Temple at Desuri Tehsil in Pali District of Rajasthan, 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

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

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

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

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

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

Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, UK attracts crowds on the longest day.

Ashura processions, Bijar, Iran, Western Asia

Sanctuary of St. Michael the Archangel, Monte Sant'Angelo, UNESCO, Foggia, Apulia, Italy

Puja ceremony, Hindu Brahmin priests, Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Hindu Temple, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Asia

Woman in trance, Voodoo cult on a beach in Cotonou, Benin, West Africa, Africa

Voodoo cult on a beach in Cotonou, Benin, West Africa, Africa

Druids at Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Men carrying a palaquin with the portrait of one of India's most celebrated 18th century female rulers, Ahilya Bai Holkar, during a Hindu ceremony, Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh state, India, Asia

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

A group of Franciscan pilgrims wearing ceremonial shawls near the Jaffa Gate during Easter celebrations, Old City, Jerusalem, Israel, Middle East

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Hola Mohalla, martial arts during the Sikh new year, in Bobigny, France, Europe

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

Ritual washing in the Tirta Empul temple, Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Jewish Bar Mitzvah ceremony at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), Jerusalem, Israel, Middle East

Tibetans dressed for religious shaman's ceremony, Tongren, Qinghai Province, China, Asia

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

Cremation at funeral ceremony, island of Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Men carrying a palaquin with the portrait of one of India's most celebrated 18th century female rulers, Ahilya Bai Holkar, during a Hindu ceremony, Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh state, India, Asia

Hawan (offering to fire god) at Karbi Anglong District Brahma Dharma Jyoti Mondir, Langhin Manikpur, Assam, India, Asia

Tibetans dressed for religious shaman's ceremony, Tongren, Qinghai Province, China, Asia

Close-up of priests' hands taking the host during Mass in Easter week celebrated by Monseigneur Fouad Boutros Tawal, Coadjutor of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Old City, Jerusalem, Israel, Middle East

Hawan (offering to fire god) at Karbi Anglong District Brahma Dharma Jyoti Mondir, Langhin Manikpur, Assam, India, Asia

Sikh temple ritual, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Middle East

Saint-Gervais traditional mountain guides festival, alphorn players, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Haute Savoie, France, Europe

Christian men at prayer during Mass in the church at Woolisso, Gourague country, Shoa province, Ethiopia, Africa

Woman pouring water over flowers on an altar as a religious ritual, Kedar Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Asia

Priest blessing ice picks and ropes, Saint-Gervais traditional mountain guides festival, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Haute Savoie, France, Europe

Ritual washing in the Tirta Empul temple, Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Sikh priest and holy book at Sikh wedding, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Batara Turum Kabeh ceremony, Hindu temple of Besakih, island of Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Stall selling coloured powder for rituals at entrance to Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Novice monk ceremony, Wat Xieng Jai, Maung Sing, Laos, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Diwali Puja, Jalaram Prathna Hindu temple, Leicester, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Diwali Puja, Jalaram Prathna Hindu temple, Leicester, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Sikh temple ritual, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Middle East

Novice monk ceremony, Maung Sing, Laos, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Ceremony at Hindu Temple, Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh state, India, Asia

Ceremony at Hindu Temple, Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh state, India, Asia

Woman participating in voodoo ceremony, Abomey, Benin (Dahomey), Africa

O-mikuji, fortune telling papers, Sapporo Shrine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, Asia

Sang sang rimpoche uses the dorje, a sacred ritual object to make the first decisive cut into the sand mandala on the last day of the mani rimdu festival. chiwang monastery, solu khumbu, nepal. solu khumbu, nepal

Ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes, founded in Konya by Mevalana Celaleddin Rumi, Istanbul, Turkey, Europe

Man in trance during voodoo ceremony, Abomey, Benin (Dahomey), Africa

Woman participating in voodoo ceremony, Abomey, Benin (Dahomey), Africa

Fire ritual at chiwang monastery during the mani rimdu festival. these monks circumambulate the pyre after its ignition. one holds a long book wrapped in a felicitous scarf. the purifying fire takes the offering and raises them towards the sky in smoke. the circumambulatory ritual also recalls the way disciples showed respect for the buddhas body. solu khumbu, nepal

Nepal. Sonam & boom praying at charnel grounds. Humla. Vajrayana is tantric mahasiddha, lives fearlessly in terrifying places like remote jungles charnel grounds. nyingma lamas perform ritual at cremation grounds. lama rattles damaru, a small ritual drum to have origins in - shamanism. damaru, used as a tantric device to summon gods ward evil spirits, once made from human skull bones dried human skin as a reminder of impermanence of body. other lama, boom blows a kangling, a human thigh-bone horn. kangling is used in exorcism is capable of gods demons. Traditionally, best bones a kangling come from brahmans, particularly sixteen-year- brahman girls-or from tigers

Yoruba women dance in trance at a sacred water festival to honor their animistic spirits. nigeria, africa

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

Boy about to become a monk, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar, Asia

N month of november 7 days before full moon a sacred ceremony is held in various monasteries throughout himalayas by traditional healers known as amchis. They bring their precious herbs, minerals special animal glands to be blessed. A selected amount of herbs is placed in a copper vessel placed on monastery alter. 7 days amchis go through an elaborate potenization of these medicines through prayer other practices. Seen here is of amchis holding a dorje (sacred object used cutting through obscurations) which is lined from a vessel containing various herbs sitting on monastery alter to heart chakra. Chang tang nyee, ladakh, indi

In month of november before full moon a sacred ceremony is held in various monasteries throughout himalayas by traditional healers known as amchis. They call down spiritual deities to bless medicine. Amchis making torma, a ritual food offering. India

In month of november before full moon a sacred ceremony is held in various monasteries throughout himalayas by traditional healers known as amchis. They call down spiritual deities to bless medicine. Amchis making torma, a ritual food offering. India

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