|
Nepalese Hindu devotees roll on the ground before taking a holy bath in the Hanumante River during the Madhav Narayan festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal, 23 January 2017. The Madhav Narayan festival is a full month-long event devoted to religious fasting, holy bathing and the study of the Swasthani book, which is dedicated to the God Shiva and Goddess Swastani. Priests or householders read a chapter of the story each day to the gathered family. Hundreds of married women and dozens of male devotees complete a month-long fast for a better life and peace in the country at various temples; unmarried women take the fast to attract a suitable husband and married women take the fast in hopes of improving their families' prosperity. (Photo by Hemanta Shrestha/EPA)
|
