Photo Of The Day: Varanasi Ritual


There are many common motifs in travel photography: sunsets, markets, funny signs that might include unique and amazing images, but are found all over the world. It’s the rare photograph that shows us something unusual, perhaps something completely new. Today’s Photo of the Day is by Gadling favorite and Flickr user arunchs is from Varanasi, India, capturing the evening ritual of Ganga Aarti. The Hindu religious rite involves an offering of lighted wicks, flowers, and other items to represent the elements, and is performed here on the banks of the river Ganges. It’s also interesting to see people in the photo wearing scarves and long sleeves for the chilly nights in Northern India, a country typically associated with scorching temperatures.

Share your unusual travel photos in the Gadling Flickr pool for a future Photo of the Day.

[Photo credit: Flickr user arunchs]

Photo of the Day (2.23.10)

Today’s Photo of the Day is a dramatic shot from Flickr user driftingfocus. Beyond the lighting, stark contrast, and simplicity of the image, I find that the emotion captured on this performer’s face is very moving; the mark of a well timed shot. The photo’s caption explains the setting:
“A woman performs a traditional funeral rite dance on Jindo Island, South Korea. This dance, native to the island, is a national treasure in Korea.”

South Korean funeral dances are performed to both comfort the mourner and pray for the soul of the deceased. Certainly a shot that tells a story, and piques my curiosity for South Korean culture.

If you have photos to share, submit them to our Gadling Flickr Pool, we might just pick it as our Photo of the Day!