Building and boats. Veraval

Fish market. Gohghla

In front of the Diu island, a small fishermen village, and at 18h begins the fish selling, lightened by petrol lamps.

Waiting for the "ferry". Mandvi

The "ferry" is this small canot to cross the river during the high tide. You can see one of these all wooden boat builded here, mainly for Dubai .

Woman. Dwarka

She is a character, you know, I guess you can see it in her eyes...

ghat scenery. Dwarka

Some are praying, other, tired to sweep all the time the neverending offerings, afford themselves to take a pause. time seems to be suspended;

Portrait. Dwarka

Three. varanasi

More safety to hold the arm of somebody else before immersion...

Profile. Dwarka

In the vegetables market area...no money in the bank , instead golden jewels weared by the women, and men too (earrings).

Black. Dwarka

On the Dwarka ghats, some indian photographers make a business taking shots of the pilgrims coming for krishna.
We are not in Sicilia! The traditionnal women clothes of the area is about black and red. The women are listening the photographer , before posing, always in a very conventionnal way.

Meat. Junagadh

In the muslim area, a covered meat market.

Milk. Dwarka

Early morning puja on the Dwarka ghat.

Laundry. Bhuj

Laundry in the Bhuj tank; women have to share the place with pelicans, the neighbourhood is not always peaceful...
Bhuj have been very dammaged by the 2001 earthquake.

Selling flowers. Jamnagar

No puja without flowers, I always ask myself what would happen of all these people who live with this small business if one day the hinduist practice stopped suddenly, the economic consequences would be terrific, I think!

Mischevious. Dwarka

As you can see, coming back from school, each one her personnal way of being in front of a camera...

The new painted entrance. Mandvi

Mandvi is one of the main harbour where all wooden boats are builded.

Hands and feet. Dwarka

The pilgrims groups bring with them in the bus all what they need for cooking; here a man helps a woman to wash her hands after . Not so usual.

Trunks. Palitana

Palitana is a great jain temples complex. on top of a hill. Somewhere in a backyard these women were carrying trunks from down to top by neverending steps, I must say that it was²almost incredible to see...

Pilgrims. Dwarka

Usual contrast between men and women looking; taken on the dwarka ghat, near the seashore. dwarka is a very famous Krishna pilgrimage place.

Girlie. Dwarka

Red and black are definitively the colors for women in this area of Gujarat.

The beach. Dwarka

In Dwarka, an important place for Krishna pilgrimage, pilgrims use to take a holy bath in three places; the last one is the beach. As usual, after this they use to dry the saris in the wind.

The baby. Jamnagar

Api. Bhuj

Ancient egyptianscalled him Api, in India it is a nandi, the bull god, horse for Shiva, here it is a living one. Taken in Bhuj, the 2001 earthquake destroyed city, on the banks of the tank, evening time.
PS: no, it's not a remake of The famous Hitchkok movie, indian version!

Coming back from school.Diu

Good news? Patan

House. Diu

Lusitanian influences are evident here...

Warm eyes. Bhuj

met her close to the lake, evening time.

Yellow. Veraval

Wooden boats in renewing in Veraval harbour. These boats are all wood builded. Some poor people like this woman come here to get some pieces of wood for cooking.

Singing. Dwarka

Women after the holy bath, I asked them for some photos, except one they agreed, I did some shots, we were speaking and, surprise they began singing, with very espressive gestures; great moment! Unfortunely no time to use my recorder...

Supersonic pilgrim. Palitana

Incredible to see the vivacity of this old lady, in the same time something of a "conte de Grimm" character.
The irruption of her in the steps surprised me totally, and I could have missed the shot...
We are on top of a hill where 863 jain temples have been builded!

Portrait. Dwarka

Portrait of a very kind and beautiful woman, coming from a village of Dwarka surroundings. The earrings are full gold, and you can trust me, I tried them, very heavy.

Bathing the feet. Dwarka

Not a cool image for feminists! As very often in india you can see how colored is the women dressing comparated to the men one.
Here is sea water,gives really a diiferent looking comparated to the Varanasi shots, according to the veru polluted Ganga water.

Drying the saris. Dwarka

Women drying their sari in the wind after the holy bath in the salt water, looking like cormorants drying their wings on the rocks after the fishing diving.

Jewelled pilgrims. Dwarka

Some pilgrims from the country side come to Dwarka with their traditionnal clothes and their golden jewels.

Waiting. Diu

Diu have been portuguese until the 60th years, one of the two only places in Gujarat where you can buy alcool.

The lion. Bhuj

Bhuj have been half destroyed by the 2001 earthquake, as well as the maharajah's palaces? Actually we can come in the Durbar hall of the most recent palace, where birds and bats live.however the dusty lion keeps a part of his fascination power.
I have to say that rajahs and english have almost exterminated the lion, just for the pleasure...

Thirsty pilgrim girl. Dwarka

We are at the Krishna temple, on the Dwarka beach; very hot weather. This place is one of the most famous for Krishna pilgrimage

A kind man . Junagadh

He is now retired, but still coming every morning to the wholesellers area to give some help.
"You have to be there on 23 th of this month, he said to me, we have the great festival for Shiva!"

Women. Dwarka

Mischevious. Dwarka

In the Dwarka bazaar...again you can see an heavy golden earring.

Quiet. Diu

We are not really in Diu, but on the beach of the fishermen village on the coast in font of Diu island; we can see the portuguese fort.

Building in progress. Bhuj

Bhuj have been in the epicenter of an earthquake in 2001, and the old temple have been deeply dammaged.
It's why the rich sect Swaminarayam is building another one , all in full marble. The building you can see here is only for the offices and the saddhus rooms, all in full marble too!!!
Someones will think that all this money could have been used in a better way...

The happy porter. Diu

Are your fishes fresh? Diu

Diu was a portuguese colony. Even now, the lusitanian influence is really deep; for exemple half of the people are still speaking portuguese and have a portuguese passport.
I saw this kind of scene during my trips in Portugal, it was the Salazar period...
Diu is well know as one of the two areas where alcohol can be selled in Gujarat (alcohol prohibition in this state, according to the gandhi ideas).
It"s also the place where I have seen foreigners, who seemed to be concentrated here; Gujarat is really not the favorite destination of tourists.

Beach pleasure; dwarka

The pilgrimage to Dwarka is an opportunity for the villages people to discover the sea. Really interesting to see how it can be a pleasure for them!

Playing with the lens. Dwarka

She was a particularly luminous woman; I made shots of her one day, in the market, without asking permission, in this area all the women refused before. She saw me, and she was not confortable, i think, sometimes holding the veil, sometimes not.
I came back the next day, and after a while I saw her, did not speak to her, but I felt that she was ready , and sure, she was playing with the lens, enjoying the moment.
The jewels are made of gold; it's a way to invest money and show to others.

Sand o my skin. Dwarka

Just coming back from the beach, the pleasure after the puja and bath on the Dwarka ghats, an important Krishna place in Gujarat.
No words to add, i guess her beauty speaks by herself..

Jain temples roofs. Junagadh

In the early morning clouds, these wonderful temples are in the midway, going to the Shiva temple.
You have to wake up early: 10 000 steps are waiting for you and as they tell me after, the tourist usually stop here. The jain temples are the most beautiful, the hindous ones on the real top are ordinary ones, but the way to go to and the pilgrims are enough to justify the entire go and back.
Photos inside are forbidden.