23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
The Sixth Goddess

On the sea shore at Chhath Puja, an older devotee clutches her offerings of coconut and cloth against the wind-whipped waves. Vermilion blazes down her forehead, and for a split second she turns toward the camera with a fierce, questioning gaze—caught between the intimacy of her prayer and the vast, darkening sea.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Mumbai, India
Camera: NIKON D7000
Copyright: © rajeev anand