21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Fasting festival

Devotees attend prayer with burning incense and light oil lamps before break fasting during a religious festival called Rakher Upobash or Kartik Brati in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bengali people of the Hindu faith in Bangladesh sit in prayer celebrating the 18th century Hindu Saint Baba Lokenath with a 'Rakher Upobas' prayer and fast day Every year thousands of Hindu devotees gather in front of Shri Shri Lokenath Brahmachari Ashram temple for the Kartik Brati or Rakher Upobash religious festival in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Faithful sit in front of candles (named locally as Prodip) and absorb in prayer. Lokenath Brahmachari who is called Baba Lokenath was an 18th Century Hindu saint and philosopher in Bengal. Hindu worshipers fast and pray in earnest to the gods for their favors during the traditional ritual called Kartik Brati or Rakher Upobash. Lokenath Brahmachari devotees pray with light to save their family and dear ones from cholera and pox disease.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 11.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Copyright: © Azim Khan Ronnie