Life in the dead princes city. Orchha

Here are the chaatri, old princes cenotaphs and women come to dry the saris after the bath in the Beta river.

Thirsty. Mandu

The third eye. Omkareshwar

The whole family, I mean the female members, was selling flowers on the Narmada river(one of the holy ones in India) ghat for pujas. A team of sisters mre beautiful and adorables the ones than the others

Tirthankaras. Gwalior

Carved in the cliff during the XV th century, and mutilated by the Babur muslims soldiers. They are gods for jains.

Drying. Orchha

The times they are changing...Orchha

...seems to think this old woman, according to the Bob Dylan's song.

Sleepy pilgrims II. Orchha

It's very late and the celebration in and around the ram Rama temple is over... people have to spend the night outside now...

Hair combing. Orchha

Hair combing among the Chaatri, king's cenotaphs, after the bath in the Betwa river.

The priest. Ujjain

After the morning ceremony inside the temple, the priest walks outside to the river's ghat and washes the hot tools.

Sweeping. Fatehpur Sikkri

In the old mosque.

Drying. Ujjain

Weaver. Fatehpur Sikkri

Doing mats with pieces of material, sorry, I don't remember the indian name...

Triangle. Mandu

Something about farmers in Madhya Pradesh.

Ghat scenery. Ujjain

A family of pilgrims, after the bath; they do the pilgrimage by feet. the old lady on left is handicaped, she walks as the others...

Making sweets. Orchha

Making sweets for the pilgrims; I don't like very much, almost only sugar...

Night devotion. Orchha

Turning all around the temple, stopping to apply the hands of the wall, or to lie on the ground before keeping on walking; are the commun ways used by people to pray Rama;
It's the full moon night.

Incense sticks. Ujjain

Young girls do incense sticks i Ujjain too...I have been drived I this backyard by an old man who was sitting in the street, understanding that I was interested by the daily life .
Here, the recent Claude Renault's photo on the same subject:

www.flickr.com/photos/clodreno/3952047827/

narmada river pilgrims. mandu

taking a pause after a long walking day...

Like a wayang kulit. Ujjain

Wayang kulit is the javanese puppet theater, using only silhouettes of characters, made in animals skin; They are manipulated behind a sheet, a petrol lamp lighting It.
You can see that here, more easy to understand in an image:

www.flickr.com/photos/25641154@N00/261263560/in/set-72157...

In reality, a woman drying her sari in the evening after a bath in the holy river; Ujjain is not very touristic, but very famous for the temples.

Colors. Ujjain

On the Ujjain ghats, after the bath in the holy river. ujjain is a very important holy place. Few tourists go there , Ujjain is not on a main touristic itinerary, but it would deserve a visit, despite of the bad hotels qualities. As in every place of that kind, you have to be on the ghat very early in the morning; all along the day, nothing special.

Potery. Ujjain

Ujjain is a great pilgrimage city, with many big temples, shops,etc.
But, far from this area, are the poor people houses; I found some of them very welcoming...

Sisters. Ujjain

You are in a back area of Ujjain; here women build and decorate the houses . Poverty is here suited with amazing colors and drawings.

Sweeties. Orchha

Retour prématuré en france suite à un problème technique....
Vendeurs de confiseries lors de la nuit de pleine lune, devant le Ram Rama temple.
Premature return in France due to a technical problem....
Salesmen of candy during the night of full moon, in front of the Ram Rana temple

Blnd. Mandu

During a walk in the countryside around mandu, i spent a moment with some farmers , working in the fields . I was leaving when a man came to me with this man; he was his father and he wanted me to take a shot of him. Very touching moment...

Package. Mandu

Finally, I have time to post two images before leaving France;
first, this one, emblematic of trip. This woman,one of these narmada river pilgrims, after a pause on the road for taking some lunch is doing her package to keep on walking.

Narmada river pilgrims couple. Mandu

Uneasy exit. Khajuraho

Elle sort d'un des temples jain de Khajuraho, célèbre dans le monde entier pour ses fresques sculptées érotiques.
She is going out of one of the khajuraho jain temples, famous in the wide world because of the erotic carvings.

Braids. Mandu

http://gopetition.com/petitions/stop-female-genocide-in-india.html

Narmada river pilgrims. Mandu

After walking, ccoking time to dinner.
J'ai eu beaucoup de plaisir à photographier ces pélerins, gens simples, sans aucune habitude des touristes et des appareils photos.
Photos prises sur le vif mais aussi photos osées comme celle-ci parce que le rapport à l'objectif de ces gens était vraiment intéressant. Un grans souvenir pour moi.
I had a lot of pleasure to photograph these pélerins, simple people, without any custom of the tourists and the cameras. Photos taken on the deep but also posed photos as this one ,because these people relation with the lens was really interesting. A great remember for me.

Arriving. Mandu

After a walking day, arrival of the first pilgrims, they will have the best place to cook eat and sleep!

The intrusive bull. Mandu

These pilgrims found one of the best places , just one problem: the bull, attracted by some food is really insisting. The pilgrims sticks will be used for something else than a help for walking!

Cooking on the road. Mandu

Time for lunch on the pilgrim's road.

Couple of pilgrims. Mandu

They found the best place, maybe arrived the first...or maybe they gave some contribution ...Anyway, very proud people!

Girls and dog doing laundry. Mandu

hot weather...the dog found the best place!

Outdoor cooking. Mandu

Préparation du repas, très simple, chapatis. Dans les couples, collaboration entre l'homme et la femme pour les taches, comme si les conditions très dures du pélerinage provoquaient une redistribution des roles. Difficile à expliquer, mais c'est comme si cette petite communauté provisoire avait créé une société avec de nouveaux modes de relation.

Time for dinner. Mandu

Chacun se trouve son coin pour cuisiner,manger et dormir; demain il faudra repartir...
Everybody choose his place to cook, eat and sleep. Tomorrow, they will have to leave and walk...

Ces pélerins remontent la Narmada, une des rivières sacrées, jusqu'au Gujarat pour ceux qui font l'intégrale. Le soir, ils s'arretent, comme ici à Mandu, pour dormir et cuisiner, utilisant le moindre abri disponible.
Ces gens sont d'origine très modeste, ça m'a été très difficile de comprendre qui ils étaient et ce qu'ils faisaient, pas un mot d'anglais...

Kid and elections. Omkareshwar

Elections period here, the walls are used for all kinds of politic communication.

My beloved goat. Mandu

Je sais, ça fait un peu beaucoup "calendrier des postes", mais elle tenait absolument à ce que je la photographie avec sa chèvre, alors...
I know, that makes a little a lot " calendar of the post offices", but she did want absolutely me to photograph her with her goat, then...

Prince's cenotaphs. Orchha

The Chhatri, , on the Betwa river banks are the Orchha prince's cenotaphs.

Cooking II. Mandu

Préparation du repas du soir après la journée de marche. Deux saddus, homme et femme, lui, vous l'avez déjà vu et deux Voeuves.
Ces deux saddhus, diffusaient autour d'eux un aura de sérénité et de gentillesse.

Preparation of the supper after the day of walking. Two saddus, man and woman, him, you have already seen him and two widows.
These saddhus both, spread around them one aura of serenity and kindness.

Pilgrim face II. Mandu

Ces pélerins remontent la Narmada, une des rivières sacrées, jusqu'au Gujarat pour ceux qui font l'intégrale. Le soir, ils s'arretent, comme ici à Mandu, pour dormir et cuisiner, utilisant le moindre abri disponible.
Ces gens sont d'origine très modeste, ça m'a été très difficile de comprendre qui ils étaient et ce qu'ils faisaient, pas un mot d'anglais...

The old man. Mandu

Met him on a trial ,in the mandu surroundings; a very hard sun this day; he was going to the village.

Saddhu. Mandu

Accompagnant ces pélerins deux saddhus homme et femme, tous deux très beaux et d'une présentation impeccable; étonnant vu les conditions très dures du pélerinage.
le regard de cet homme était d'une profondeur sans égal.
Accompanying these saddhus pilgrims two man and woman, both very beautiful and of an impeccable presentation; surprising according to the very hard conditions of the pélerinage.
The glance of this man was of a matchless depth.

A place to sleep. Mandu

Après la journée de marche, il faut trouver un endroit pour préparer le repas et dormir.Ici, à Mandu, existe un hébergement dans ce très vieux batiment.
Mais, n'ayant pas l'argent nécessaire pour se payer un dortoir, chacun s'installe ou il peut, le moindre abri étant exploité, avec l'accord du responsable du lieu .

After the day of walking(march), it is necessary to find a place to prepare the meal and sleep. Here, to Mandu, exists an accommodation in this very old. batiment .
But, having no necessary money to buy itself a dormitory, each settles down where he can, the slightest shelter being exploited, with the agreement of the person in charge of the place.

Pilgrim face. Mandu

Cooking. Mandu

Première image d'un nouveau set: "Pélerins de la Narmada river".
Ces pélerins remontent la Narmada, une des rivières sacrées, jusqu'au Gujarat pour ceux qui font l'intégrale. Le soir, ils s'arretent, comme ici à Mandu, pour dormir et cuisiner, utilisant le moindre abri disponible.
Ces gens sont d'origine très modeste, ça m'a été très difficile de comprendre qui ils étaient et ce qu'ils faisaient, pas un mot d'anglais...
Plus d'infos ici, dans un mémoire rédigé sur ce sujet par Emilie Cremin en français:

emilie.cremin.free.fr/DOC/Omkareshwar.EmilieCremin.2005.pdf

First image of a new set: " Pélerins de la Narmada to rivet ".
This pélerins goes back up(raises) Narmada, one of the sacred rivers, until Gujarat for those who make the complete. In the evening, they arretent, as here to Mandu, to sleep and cook, using the slightest available shelter.
More information here, in a report drafted on this subject by Emilie Cremin

Guru. Orchha

Predicating postures...

Music for full moon. Orchha

During the full moon night, pilgrims join to play and sing, a kind of music very near of qwali. great moment, full of fervour!

Thirsty worker. Mandu

The pink turban. Mandu

A farmer somewhere in the Mandu surroundings.