23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
The Sacred Offering
Devotees gather on the banks of the Ganges at twilight to offer prayers. A woman holds a lit 'diya' (earthen lamp) before releasing it into the water. In Varanasi, the river is worshipped as a divine mother, and this ritual symbolizes the offering of one's inner light to the divine.
Photo Detail
| Date Taken: | 10.2025 |
| Date Uploaded: | 12.2025 |
| Photo Location: | VARANASI, India |
| Camera: | NIKON Z5_2 |
| Copyright: | © Shubhodeep Roy |