epa05174813 Nepalese Hindu women pray while taking a holy bath in the Hanumante river during the final day of the month long Madhav Narayan festival, in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, 22 February 2016. The Madhav Narayan festival is a full month devoted to religious fasting, holy bathing and the study of the Swasthani book, a chapter or story of which is read each evening by priests or householders to the gathered family. Hundreds of married women and dozens of male devotees concluded their month-long fast for better life and peace in the country at various temples. Unmarried women take the fast to get a good husband and married women for their families’ prosperity. EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA
