As first light broke over the Hooghly on Sunday, devotees at Kolkata’s ghats gave offerings and water in solemn prayer, their silhouettes reflecting generations of Mahalaya tradition embraced by river, ritual and remembrance
Photos: Soumyajit Dey and Amit DattaEvery year, devotees stand in knee-deep waters, lips murmuring chants, seeking peace for ancestors
A man performs the ritual
Devotees at Baje Kadamtala Ghat
Babughat came alive as thousands offered Tarpan
Elders leading the ritual, youth learning, each one offering prayers on Mahalaya morning
As Pitripaksha ends and Devipaksha begins, Kolkata’s ghats become a living tapestry of faith, tying present to past through the ritual of Tarpan