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Saturday, March 9.
Near Mysore, a colossal statue of Nandi the bull,
the god Shiva's holy mount.
Highly revered, Nandi acts as intermediary between Shiva and men.
All day long, a steady stream of peasant families visits the statue.
They perform a puja:
Prayer, offering and ritual ceremony, all rolled into one.
The children's heads are shaved according to ritual.
They're taught their religious duty from infancy.
The sanctuary priests distribute holy water
and receive offerings.
Even the poorest give money.
I'm always struck by the fanaticism of the believers, especially the women.