Makar Sankranti and Pongal celebrations - in pictures
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A child dressed as Hindu deity Shiva during Makar Sankranti celebrations in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. AP -
People fly kites during Makar Sankranti festival in Hyderabad, India. AP -
Kites on display ahead of Makar Sankranti in Hyderabad. AP -
A vendor arranges kites at a shop in Hyderabad. AFP -
People shop for kites, to take part in good-natured kite-fighting competitions as part of Makar Sankranti celebrations. AP -
Cattle are decorated and paraded through villages as part of a traditional practice believed to bring good fortune to the families who own them, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti in Bangalore. AFP -
Villagers march along with their cattle through a village in Bangalore. AFP -
Hindu devotees crowd the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers to take a ritualistic bath during Makar Sankranti in Prayagraj. AP -
Ganga Sagar Fair is an annual gathering of Hindu pilgrims during Makar Sankranti on Sagar Island, to take a dip in the sacred waters of the Ganges River before it reaches the Bay of Bengal. EPA -
An Indian monk applies tilak to devotees during Makar Sankranti on Sagar Island, about 130km south of Kolkata. EPA -
Hindu priests perform rituals as pilgrims look on at the confluence of the Ganges River and the Bay of Bengal during the Ganga Sagar Mela. AFP -
Poush Sankranti celebrations in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA -
Fireworks and laser lights illuminate the sky during the Poush Sankranti celebration in Old Dhaka. EPA -
Indian devotees perform a Ganga aarti ritual at Sagar Island. EPA -
A devotee blows a conch shell at Sagar Island. EPA -
Indian men bathe a cow in Bay of Bengal on the occasion of Pongal at Marina beach in Chennai, India. EPA -
Gangireddu, a sacred decorated bull, is part of the celebrations. AP -
A blessing ritual as part of the annual celebration. AP -
Participants compete in a bout of traditional mud wrestling on Makar Sankranti, on the outskirts of Chandigarh. AFP -
A Hindu devotee cooks Pongal, a traditional rice dish, at a temple in Colombo. AFP -
Tamil women cook special food to celebrate the harvest festival of Pongal in Dharavi, Mumbai. AP -
A participant tries to control a bull during the annual bull taming event Jallikattu in Palamedu village on the outskirts of Madurai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. AFP -
A bull is released into a crowd for Jallikattu, an ancient sport held during Pongal festival. AFP
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