Prayers For Birth In Most Populous Nation India

Fertility rites at the Lolark Kund well have taken place for centuries, if not longer. Thousands of couples and devotees climb down steep steps into the dark waters to bathe (Credit: AFP)

Each year 25 million babies are born in India, the world's most populous nation, but for desperate childless couples wanting to be parents, prayers at a sacred Hindu well offer hope.

"We just hope that god blesses us," said 30-year-old Rita Vishwakarma, on pilgrimage with her husband Deepak to the ancient Lolark Kund well, in India's holy city of Varanasi.