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Rajasthan has a diverse collection of musician castes, including langas, sapera, bhopa, jogi and Manganiar. There are two traditional classes of musicians: the Langas, who stuck mostly exclusively to Muslim audiences and styles, and the Manganiars, who had a more liberal approach.
Johdpur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentMusiciansSingingFortPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Three women, Bundi.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Soldier rests in his tent at the security post at the Taj Mahal.
Agra, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentAgraSoldierPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Portrait of a woman in Udaipur.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Turbans in the hot desert areas are large and loose. Farmers and shepherds, who need constant protection from the elements of nature, wear some of the biggest turbans. The Rajasthani turban also has many practical functions. Exhausted travellers use it as a pillow, a blanket or a towel. It can be used to strain muddy water. An unravelled turban can also be used as a rope to draw water from a well with a bucket.
Bundi, Rajasthan, India, 2011manturbanyellowbundirajasthanindiaPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Swastika is a symbol connoting general auspiciousness. It may represent purity of soul, truth, and stability.
Taj Mahal, Agra, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentTaj MahalAgraSwastikaPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
It is permissible, rather recommended (mandub) to dye the hair of the head (and beard for men) provided the ingredients used in the hair dye are Halal.
The Messenger of Allah said:
“Change the old age (white/grey hair), and do not imitate the Jews” (Sunan Tirmidhi & Sunan Nasa’i).
He also stated:
“The best dye to change your old age is Henna (a red plant dye) and Katm (type of grass)” (Narrated by many Hadith Imams).
There is a difference of opinion between the scholars on whether the Messenger of Allah himself dyed his hair. However Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab did dye the hair of their head and beard, thus it will be classed as recommended (mandub), if not Sunnah.
Small town on the road from Bundi to Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentmandubBundiRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Young Waiter in a truck stop restaurant on the road a few kilometers outside Jaisalmer.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentJaisalmerRajasthanchild labourPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Most Indian towns still have open sewage systems. This metal worker takes a nap by his road side workshop. Raw sewage flows beneath him.
Bundi, Rajasthan, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthansewerworkerexploitPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Man and wife outside there home in a small farming village a few kilometres from the town of Bundi.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Portrait of a Muslim man.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Woman relaxes in the shade in a small farming village outside Bundi.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Man with down syndrome posses for a picture inside his home.
Bundi, Rajasthan, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthanDown SyndromePhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Young man flirting with a young lady in the small town of Bundi.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthantuk tukbicyclePhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Men bathing in lake Pichola with the lake palace in the background.
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajasthanLakeLake PicholaPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Hawa Mahal "Palace of Winds" is a palace in Jaipur. It was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, and designed by Lal Chand Usta in the form of the crown of Krishna, the Hindu god. Its unique five-storey exterior is also akin to the honeycomb of the beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas that are decorated with intricate latticework. The original intention of the lattice was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen, since they had to observe strict "purdah" (face cover).
Built of red and pink sandstone, the palace is situated on the main thoroughfare in the heart of Jaipur’s business centre. It forms part of the City Palace, and extends to the Zenana or women's chambers, the chambers of the harem.
Jaipur, Rajasthan,India, 2011indiaIndian SubcontinentJaipurRajasthanPalace of the windsPalacePhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Man drying himself after having bathed in lake picola.
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajasthanLakeLake PicholaPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Muslim hostel owner in Udaipur.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Sahdu rolls along the motorway from Agra to Delhi as a sign of devotion. The cart being pulled behind him offers refreshments to onlookers.
Motorway between Agra and Delhi.indiaIndian SubcontinentAgraDelhiSadhuPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Vegetable vendor at the street market in Udaipur.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Muslim boy and goat in Bundi.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthangoatPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
View of modern Jaipur through a hotel window.
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentJaipurRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Portrait of a holy Sadhu.
To Hindus, spiritual enlightenment has always represented the highest goal in life, the one thing that gives it meaning and purpose.
Moreover, enlightenment is a state of being that is in principle attainable by everybody.
The average individual, however, would need many incarnations to become enlightened, to see God, to become one with the Absolute, to merge one's mind with Cosmic Consciousness -- in short, to become holy.
But since time immemorial shortcuts have been available for people wanting to become enlightened in this life rather than the next.
Those who follow the fast track, mostly men, are the sadhus, the 'holy men' of India.
For thousands of years they have been around. Once they must have been more numerous, but even today there are still four to five million sadhus, constituting about half a percent of the total population.
Organised in various sects, they passed on the wisdom of old, the method of yoga, that is 'yoking' soul and Soul together.
Usually they live by themselves, on the fringes of society, and spend their days in devotion to their chosen deity.
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajasthanSadhuPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Kids from more affluent families on there way to school in a rickshaw.
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajasthanrickshawPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Man playing the flute at the Mehrangarh Fort in Johdpur.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentfluteMehrangarh FortJohdpurRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
India is home to the world’s largest population of street children, estimated at 18 million. The Republic of India is the seventh largest and second most populous country in the world. With acceleration in economic growth, India has become one of the fastest growing developing countries. This has created a rift between poor and rich; 22 percent of the population lives below the income poverty line. Owing to unemployment, increasing rural-urban migration, attraction of city life and a lack of political will, India now has one of the largest number of child laborers in the world.
Street children are subject to malnutrition, hunger, health problems, substance abuse, theft, commercial sexual exploitation, harassment by the city police and railway authorities, as well as physical and sexual abuse, although the Government of India has taken some corrective measures and declared child labor illegal.
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Man jumps into Lake Pichola in udaipur.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentLake PicholaudaipurRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Lake Pichola at night.
Lake Pichola, situated in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is an artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362 AD, named after the nearby Picholi village. It is one of the several contiguous lakes, and developed over the last few centuries in and around the famous Udaipur city. The lakes around Udaipur were primarily created by building dams to meet the drinking water and irrigation needs of the city and its neighborhood. Two islands, Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir are located within Pichola Lake, and have been developed with several palaces to provide views of the lake.
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajasthanLake PicholaPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Woman looks out into Lake Pichola in Udaipur.
Rajasthan India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentRajasthanLake PicholaUdaipurPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Woman sitting outside her home at dusk in the town of Bundi.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.streetsceenbudiindiamindiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Jewellery sales women outside the fort in the desert town of Jaisalmer.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentJaisalmerRajasthanJewelleryPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Boy baything in Lake Pichola.
Udaipur,Rajasthan, India, 2011.boybaythinglakepicholarajasthanindiaPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Public buses in India as seen in this image can sometimes be a little overcrowded. This coupled with poor maintenance and lawless roads, full of unpredictable drivers can make any bus ride an adventure not for the faint hearted.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentRajasthanPublic busPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Girl riding on an auto rickshaw with her father.
Old Delhi, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentOld DelhiPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Young Muslim girl in a small village in the Thar desert west of Jaisalmer.
India 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentJaisalmerPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Worker sleeps at his place of work. Jaipur.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentJaipurRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Portrait of a woman in the desert town of Jaisalmer.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentJaisalmerRajasthanJewelleryPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Nearly 2 centuries back, Maharajah Abhay Singh of Jodhpur required some woods for the construction of his new palace. So the king sent his soldiers to cut trees in the nearby region of Khejarli, where the village is filled with the large number of trees. But when Amrita Devi and local villagers come to know about it, they opposed the king's men. The malevolent feudal party told her that if she wanted the trees to be spared, she would have to give them money as bribe. She refused to acknowledge this demand and told them that she would consider it as an act of insult to her religious faith and would rather give away her life to save the green trees. This is still remembered as the great Khejarli sacrifice. Some Bishnois who were killed protecting the trees were buried in Khejerli village near Jodhpur, where a simple grave with four pillars had been erected. Every year,in September, the Bishnois assemble there to commemorate the extreme sacrifice made by their people to preserve their faith and religion.
Bishnoi wedding in the village of Khejarli, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiandian SubcontinentBishnoiBishnoi weddingKhejarliRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Portrait of a Rajashtani woman taken in a small village outside Udaipur.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajashtanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Sikh is a monotheistic religion founded in 15th century Punjab, India, on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and ten successive Sikh Gurus (the last teaching being the sacred text Guru Granth Sahib Ji). It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing. This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally 'of the gurus'). Punjab of India is the only region in world with a majority Sikh population.
Sikh father and son waiting for a bus in Old Delhi, india, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentOld DelhiSikhturbanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Village girl and her rabbit.
Small village outside Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentUdaipurRajasthanrabbitPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Bishnoi women in the small village of Khejerli.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentKhejerliRajasthanJewelleryBishnoiPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Cricket is the most popular sport in India; it is played by many people in open spaces throughout the country though it is not the nation's official national sport (a distinction held by field hockey). The India national cricket team won the 1983 Cricket World Cup, the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, and the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
indiaIndian SubcontinentJaisalmerRajasthanCricketPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Curious children in a small village near Jaisalmer.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentJaisalmerRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Small girl on her way to school.
Bundi, Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthanPhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
Holy Cow in a street in Bundi.
Rajasthan, India, 2011.indiaIndian SubcontinentBundiRajasthanBicyclePhotito travelphotitotraveltravel photographydocumentary photographyspencerphotographyculturewww.photito.comasia
