Difficult pilgrimage to the Himalayas

• The difficult pilgrimage to the Himalayas

Nanda Devi Raj Yatra - it is the longest and most difficult pilgrimage in the world, which takes place in the Himalayas every 12 years. The path that pilgrims go to the Holy Land, a complex and long - for three weeks, they have to overcome 290 kilometers, of which 230 - barefoot. At this time the pilgrims are accompanied by photographs Martushka Fromeast (March Kotlyarskii), which documented their difficult journey in the Himalayas. Her photos have been awarded prestigious Indian awards Abhivyakti Gaurav Samman.

The pilgrims en route to the Holy Mountain.

This pilgrimage is dedicated to the worship of the Nanda Devi, the mother goddess - the holy mountain, the highest mountain, which is located in the Indian part of the Himalayas.

The pilgrims during the ritual bathing.

The pilgrimage Nanda Devi Raj Yatra pilgrims take part not only from India but also from other parts of the world.

A participant of the pilgrimage in a trance.

Nanda Devi Raj Yatra was just last year, but due to heavy rains in Uttarakhand, which led to numerous casualties and destruction, a pilgrimage was postponed for 2014.

The Pilgrims are chetyrehrogogo ram. According to the beliefs of pilgrims, released on holy mountain sheep go to Kailas - the sacred mountain to the faithful four religions - Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and followers of Bon - for which this mountain is the "heart of the world and the earth axis."

On the way to the Holy Mountain tradition pilgrims perform many different rituals, one of which is captured in this photo.

This is probably the longest way to a place of pilgrimage, which must go to the place of worship and prayer worshipers. And the most difficult - three weeks in the mountains barefoot.

Photographer Martushka Fromeast (March Kotlyarskii) is a graduate of Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan and Central Saint Martin's College of Arts and Design in London. She founded the organization Click Academy, which makes a variety of photo projects in cooperation with other organizations.

March Kotlyarskii is the initiator of the project "Stories from the Himalayas", the first of which - about shamans in Nepal - has been shown in India, Georgia, China, Nepal, Poland, Austria and the UK.