A priest stands with folded hands praying toward the rising sun on the banks of the Saryu River in Ayodhya in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Nearby, a group of women take a dip in the river dressed in their saris while a barber trims the mustache of a shirtless man on the bank.
Similar scenes have played out at this spot for hundreds of years. Ayodhya is an ancient city that Hindus believe was the birthplace of their beloved deity Lord Rama.
