A vermilion dot on the forehead is one of India’s most widely accepted Hindu cultural insignias. But at the festival, where millions are flocking to pray and bathe at the confluence of India’s holy ...

Raksha Panchami is an important festival dedicated to ‘Batuk Bhairav’ who ... Some people also draw a painting of Nandi, Lord Shiva’s vehicle on the back door. Devotees write a small prayer to Lord ...

Hundreds of Hindu priests at the festival paint them on the foreheads of the ... a symbol of the Hindu god they prefer — from Lord Shiva, the powerful Hindu god of destruction, to Ram, one ...