In August there was a festival in Vashisht for the God, Shiva. The festival was centred around the Temple in the village square.
Sitting around talking - maybe village matters, spiritual matters or just having a chat. There are a few Brahmin in the photo. They are the highest caste in the Hindu religion in India and have the highest level of spiritual knowledge which is passed down orally through the generations.
The Vashisht God.
Everyone gets a free feed at the Festival, locals and tourists.
Waiting expectantly for food.
Someone has to clean those cooking pots.
No problem as near boiling hot water flows freely from the natural mountain springs.
Champa with a full belly and big smile on her face.
No festival in Vashisht is complete without Bamboo baba (Baba is the common name used for Sadhu ). He looks after the Temple and lives in a wee hut beside it. He is from Thailand and story goes that before he became a holy man he used to be in a rock band in Thailand!
After filling our bellies we retired to Meena's cafe for a wee cup of tea. From left to right there is Keran an Israeli girl, beside her is a French guy but never caught his name as we only met him that day, Dave a Scot's guy, Anil whose father in Indian and mother is from Ayrshire where he was brought up and of course, last but not least, Colin.
Great pictures, that's a lovely one of Bamboo Baba
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