Photos: Celebration of the dead in Mumbai and Cambodia
Mumbai and Phnom Penh might be miles away from each other but often celebrations of common belief and values bind them together. ‘Pitru Paksha’ and ‘Pchum Ben’ - both rituals invoking the ancestors or the dead, were observed in India and Cambodia respectively. The 15-day festival is considered auspicious where devotees pay homage to their ancestors. Here are the images from Mumbai and Phnom Penh.
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Pitru Paksha being observed in Banganga tank in Mumbai where Hindus pay their homage to their ancestors. Sachin Gokhale/Firstpost
Pitru Paksha sees devotees offering food to their ancestors and is considered a death rite. Sachin Gokhale/Firstpost
Seen here Hindus offering food to their ancestor in observance of Pitru Paksha. Sachin Gokhale/Firstpost
Cambodians decorate their water buffalo before a race at Preah Vihear Sour pagoda in Kandal province, northeast of Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Friday, Oct. 4, 2013. Residents of the village on Friday held the annual water buffalo race to mark the end of the traditional celebration widely known in Cambodia as Festival for the Dead. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Buddhist followers prepare dishes for Buddhist monks during Pchum Ben, or Ancestors' Day, celebrations at a Buddhist pagoda in Kien Svay village, Kandal province, near Phnom Penh Cambodia, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. The traditional 15-day festival commemorates the spirits of the dead. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Local residents throw food on the ground at a Buddhist pagoda in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, early Friday morning, Sept. 20, 2013, as part of a ritual to honor the spirits of those who died without relatives. The traditional 15-day festival, known as the Pchum Ben festival, which commemorates the spirits of the dead, began on Friday. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)