A woman wearing her traditional headgear attends celebrations to mark the Gudi Padwa festival, the beginning of the New Year for Maharashtrians, in Mumbai, April 6, 2019. Gudi Padwa is the Hindu festival that falls on the first day of Chaitra month and marks the beginning of the Lunar Calendar, which dictates the dates for all Hindu festivals, also known as Panchang. (Photo by Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters)

The legendary US photographer’s favourite shots of creatures and how they interact with humans feature in “Animals”, his latest book. Here: A boy rests against a cow, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2013. “Cows have been designated the national animal in Nepal. They roam freely, and are considered sacred by the 80% of Nepalis who are Hindu”. (Photo by Steve McCurry/The Guardian)

Hindu devotees sit for prayer with burning incense and light oil lamps during the Rakher Upobash, a religious fasting festival, at a temple in Narayanganj district on the outskirts of Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, on November 7, 2020. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Naga Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, participate in the procession for taking a dip in the Ganges river during Shahi Snan at “Kumbh Mela”, or the Pitcher Festival, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Haridwar, India, April 12, 2021. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

A devoteetakes a holy dip in the River Ganges on Ganga Dussehra festival in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Hindus across the country celebrate Ganga Dussehra by worshiping the River Ganges, which is considered as the most sacred and the holiest river. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

A Kathakali dancer in Kochi, India, performs a traditional story play on August 10, 2023. Kerala Kathakali originated in the Early 17th Century. A story acted that contains Mime, Acting Drama and music, The Stories are mainly taken from Hindu Mythology and Puranas. (Photo by Paul Quezada-Neiman/Alamy Live News)

A young girl dressed as Hindu Goddess “Durga” sits near the deity's idol during the traditional “Kumari Puja” as a part of the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata on October 11, 2024. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)

A police dog licks its face after receiving food during the dog festival, as part of celebrations of Tihar at Nepal Police Academy in Kathmandu October 22, 2014. Hindus all over Nepal are celebrating the Tihar festival, also called Diwali, during which they worship cows, which are considered a maternal figure, and other animals. Also known as the festival of lights, devotees also worship the goddess of wealth Laxmi by illuminating and decorating their homes using garlands, oil lamps, candles and colourful light bulbs. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)