solar_eclipse_03

Hindu worshipers gather at the Bagmati River for a holy bath after a solar eclipse in Kathmandu July 22, 2009. Hindus believe that washing, worshiping and chanting religious hymns during an eclipse will bring forth blessings and ward off evil. The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century began its flight on Wednesday across a narrow swathe of Asia, where hundreds of millions of people watched the skies darken despite thick summer clouds.