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Every year in April, a little known folk dance dating back to the 8th century takes place in Southern Odisha at Ganjam where devotees undergo penance after obtaining permission from Lord Shiva. They begin to go through the physical torture – ‘Danda’ (Penance) along with rituals stretching for a number of days before Goddess Kali. The devotees also perform dance and narrate the sufferings in order to wash away their sins by pleasing the goddess. (Arabinda Mahapatra / HT Photo)
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The Danduas or the devotees go through three types of penance; Dhuli (Sand) Danda , Pani (Water) Danda and Agni (Fire) Danda. (Arabinda Mahapatra / HT Photo)
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The Danduas have to sleep on sand during day in scorching heat and after sunset, remain inside pond for more than one hour (Pani Danda). (Arabinda Mahapatra / HT Photo)
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The ‘Danduas’ generally stay near a temple or some sacred place and stay away from their near and dear ones to concentrate on worshipping. (Arabinda Mahapatra / HT Photo)
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Dressed in red, yellow and saffron devotees move out in the morning amidst beating of drums and blowing of conch shells and trumpet. (Arabinda Mahapatra / HT Photo)
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During the festival, ‘Danduas’ take food only once in a day and do not take water till Pani Danda in the evening. (Arabinda Mahapatra / HT Photo)
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Devotees form a human pyramid during Danda Nacha. (Arabinda Mahapatra / HT Photo)
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A winter journey into lands end at Spiti valley
Apr 26, 2017 08:42 IST


A traveller in a jeep finds his way into one the remotest corners of Himachal and explores the stunning cold desert of the Trans-Himalaya highlands where winter is yet to retreat. The road from Kibber to Tashigang cuts across the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary which is famous for its apex predator, the Snow Leopard and the Tibetan wolf. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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An azure blue sky forms a near perfect backdrop against the Nako Lake. As one reaches the corner of Kinnaur District on the old Hindustan-Tibet highway, the landscape begins to change dramatically and one is able to access a valley that remains obscured by extremely harsh winters for more than four months of the year. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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A bird’s eye view of Kaza town (centre below) as seen from the road to Komic village. The Spiti river flows through the valley till it enters Kinnaur where it merges with the Satluj river. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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A passerby smiles at the camera on the road to Losar. Outsiders in the winter are infrequent if not rare as night time temperatures can dip to -30 degrees. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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The flat plains of Kaza covered in snow as seen from the road to Key monastery. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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The Himalayan Blue sheep (Bharal) seen near Komic Gompa. The sheep is a staple diet of the Snow Leopard. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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Womenfolk at Mudh village, the last outpost in the Pin Valley in Spiti. With an average elevation of 4000 metres, Spiti has one of the lowest population density in India of just two people per square kilometre. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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Children sun themselves on the roof of a house in Mudh village in Pin valley. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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A road less travelled, quite literally in the winter on the road to Losar. The road connects the valley with Manali and is totally cutoff in the winters due to heavy snowfall. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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An isolated hutment near Komic Gompa. This area is famous with geologists with a massive fossil park located nearby starting at an elevation of 4600 metres above sea level. (Amandeep Singh Kalra)
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The simulator, which offers three-dimensional images with three separate screens, gives the person a real road experience .

The simulator, which offers three-dimensional images with three separate screens, gives the person a real road experience. The operator keeps changing the settings from pot-holed roads to steep inclines and curves and rain-hit roads and much more to make the task challenging for anyone using the device. Originally, the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) had plans to make available the equipment to all potential candidates seeking driving licence, on payment of a nominal fee. But the fee was never fixed, and even the limited service offered to heavy vehicle licence candidates is for free, which is a drain on government funds.
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