Artists dressed as Hindu gods reacts to the camera during the Bonalu festival procession in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad, on July 26, 2021. (Photo by Noah Seelam/AFP Photo)
A performer takes part in a religious procession ahead of the “Agrasen Jayanti” festival, which celebrates the birth anniversary of legendary Hindu king Agrasen Maharaj, in Ajmer on October 11, 2023. (Photo by Himanshu Sharma/AFP Photo)
Hindu devotees celebrate Diwali with oil lamps, candles, Incense and flowers at Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka on November 12, 2023. (Photo by Syed Mahabubul Kader/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)
A Tamil devotee lights an oil lamp at a religious ceremony during the Diwali or Deepavali festival at Ponnambalavaneshwaram Hindu temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka on October 24, 2022. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)
A girl dresses up as the Hindu deity Krishna to celebrate Janmashtami, his birthday in Agartala, India on August 26, 2019. (Photo by Abhisek Saha/Barcroft Media)
A Hindu woman gives money to an elephant outside the Lord Jagannath temple ahead of the annual Rath Yatra, or chariot procession, in Ahmedabad, India, July 16, 2015. The annual religious procession commemorates a journey by Hindu god Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, in specially made chariots. The annual Rath Yatra is celebrated on July 18. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)
A Naga sadhu, or naked Hindu holy man, performs a ritual inside his tent during Kumbh Mela, or Pitcher festival, at Trimbakeshwar, India, Friday, August 28, 2015. Hindus believe taking a dip in the waters of a holy river during the festival will cleanse them of their sins. The festival is held four times every 12 years. (Photo by Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo)
Young girls pose for a photo during the Kumari Puja Ritual on the 9th day of the Durga puja festival at a Pandal (Temporary place for worship) in Kolkata on October 4, 2022. Kumari Puja is an Indian Hindu Tradition mainly celebrated during the Durga Puja according to the Hindu Calendar. The philosophical basis of Kumari Puja is to establish the value of women. Devotees believe it will overcome all barriers, dangers for the young girls in the coming future and also, they will be empowered to handle any stress and obstruction in their coming life. (Photo by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/Rex Features/Shutterstock)