India - womens prayer at river Ganges - Varanasi (12 images)

Chath maataa - women gather at the Ganges October 31st for a special annual puja (prayer), praying for sons and good luck for their family. In traditional belief, a woman without a son ends up in hell and a widow is cursed and can be expelled by the family (also when you marry the wrong cast)- So many reasons to pray for a bit relief here. Surya, god of the sun is asked for help in Dala chhath. Surya is one of the most ancient gods in India, already known in Vedic times, where Shiva and...
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Chath maataa - women gather at the Ganges October 31st for a special annual puja (prayer), praying for sons and good luck for their family. In traditional belief, a woman without a son ends up in hell and a widow is cursed and can be expelled by the family (also when you marry the wrong cast)- So many reasons to pray for a bit relief here. Surya, god of the sun is asked for help in Dala chhath. Surya is one of the most ancient gods in India, already known in Vedic times, where Shiva and Brahma were still unknown. Chath maataa is also called Dala chath or chat mata.
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