Rakher Upobash Festival

Thousands of Hindu worshipers gather on dozens of floors to celebrate Rakher Upobash, a fasting festival at Lokenath Brahmachari Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The festival is held on every Saturday and Tuesday during the last 15 days in the month of “Kartik” in the Bengali calendar. Lighting small lamps, also known as Prodips, and special incense, Hindu worshipers fast and pray in earnest to the gods for favors during this traditional ritual called Kartik Brati or Rakher Upobash. Lokenath Brahmachari, mostly known as Baba Lokenath, was an 18th Century Hindu saint and philosopher in Bengal.