Though officially abolished decades ago, the caste system still profoundly influences life in India. Those born into high castes enjoy greater privileges, while low-caste individuals, like the Doms, ...

VARANASI, India — Hindu priests stand on the banks of the Ganges, performing an evening prayer to the river. They wave fire as the sun sets, ring bells and tap on drums. Thousands watch, clap and ...

PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — Tens of thousands of naked Hindu ascetics and millions of pilgrims took dips in freezing water at the confluence of sacred rivers in northern India on Tuesday, in the first of ...

ALONG THE GANGES, India — More than 2,000 years ago, a powerful king built a fort on the banks of India’s holiest river, on the fringes of what is now a vast industrial city. Today, little of the ...

ALLAHABAD, India (AP) -- Millions of Hindus plunged into the icy waters of the Ganges River before dawn today, hoping to wash away their sins on the first day of a religious festival that occurs once ...

Tens of thousands of Hindu devotees plunged into India's Ganges river on Thursday as the country kicked off one of the world's largest religious festivals, even as officials reported the biggest spike ...

Hindu devotees pray before taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers on the first day of the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, on ...

The Ganges River in India is a final resting place for the ashes of loved ones. For those who can't make the journey, a river in Florida has become a substitute for the funeral tradition.

HYDERABAD, India — One of the largest gatherings of people in the world continues in northern India amid a sharp rise in coronavirus cases and a weakening supply of vaccines. On the banks of the ...

When Sharda Devi realized she only had a few days left to live, it didn't go down particularly well. Her son Mukesh Tiwari was preparing a ceremony involving a holy cow in their village in the ...

PRAYAGRAJ, India — Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is ...