The prayer in the light.

This photo captures a significant Hindu festival known as Rakher Upobash. During this sacred occasion, thousands of Hindu devotees gather at the Barodi Temple, lighting oil lamps and offering fruits as they pray in unison. The devotees, including men, women, and children, begin arriving in the afternoon to secure their places, where they sit side by side in devotion.Rakher Upobash is observed in remembrance of Baba Loknath, an 18th-century Hindu saint of Bengal. On this day, the devotees fast from morning till night, praying fervently for divine blessings. As part of the ritual, dry coconut husks are burned to create cleansing smoke believed to purify the environment by eliminating germs, filling the temple grounds with a dense, spiritual atmosphere.