These are all my photos, primarily focus on Indian temples and a few on wildlife. There are a few photos of the town of Varanasi or Kashi. Kashi has a legendary place in India's history. It is the city of Lord Shiva, the Destroyer. Here, one can find a temple in every street-corner. Grand temples, minuscule temples, ancient temples, new temples, family temples, temples for the public. Every kind of god and goddess is worshiped here. Above all these deities of course, is Shiva. The chants of Om Namah Shivaya reverberate loud and clear across the whole city.

Photos of many other temples are also here. Mostly I stuck to the well-worn road so to speak and visited places mentioned in hallowed terms in many Indian scriptures like the Shiv Puran (pdf download) and the Vishnu Puran (pdf download).

The spiritual sciences are still very strongly rooted in India - especially the practice of yoga and meditation. One can find hermits, ascetics and common people alike, practicing their yoga every morning. The most popular practice is probably Gayatri Mantra, a hymn to the Sun chanted with a rudraksha in hand, and Surya Namaskar, a physical practice of worshiping the sun.

Even festivals in India are spiritually oriented. One of the more popular festivals is Mahashivratri, an all-night festival in honor of Shiva, and Guru Purnima, a festival in honoring of one's Guru or spiritual preceptor.

Hope you enjoy the photos.