BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Pakistani Hindu festival

BBC NEWS / IN PICTURES
Graphics Version BBC Sport Home

09:54 GMT, Tuesday, 14 October 2008 10:54 UK

In pictures: Pakistani Hindu festival

Hindu women on a merry-go-round at the Rama Pir festival

1 of 5
An annual Hindu festival in Pakistan, the Rama Pir, is viewed suspiciously by some Muslims who do not like seeing non-Muslim women going about without a veil.

Big wheel at the Rama Pir festival

2 of 5
It is an event where Hindus combine religious duty with fun and games. An entire amusement park - complete with mechanised merry-go-rounds and roller-coaster rides - is on hand.

Hindu man at the Rama Pir festival

3 of 5
According to Pakistan Hindu Council, there are about three million Hindus in Pakistan. Nearly 2.5 million of them live in Sindh province. Most are from the low caste Dalit community.

Hindu man at the Rama Pir festival

4 of 5
The festival falls in the Hindu solar month of Buddo - the last month of the Indian monsoon cycle when the winter crops have been sown in either September or October.

Amusement part at the Rama Pir festival

5 of 5
Many travel vast distances to get to the festival. Most come from agrarian and desert communities and inhabit eastern areas towards the Indian border.

E-mail this to a friend