Prostration is the gesture of placing one's body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Typically prostration is distinguished from the lesser acts of bowing or kneeling by involving a par
Buddhist pilgrims prostrating at the Jokhang.
White-clad deacon candidates prostrate before the altar of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles during their ordination liturgy
Eastern Orthodox pilgrims making prostrations at Golgotha in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.
In Islam, sajadat (prostrations) occupy a quintessential position in the five obligatory (fardh) daily ritual prayers.
A kowtow, also spelled kaotao, is the act of deep respect shown by prostration, that is, kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. It was commonly used in religious worship
Prostration
…traditions, prostrations are similarly used to show respect to rulers, civil authorities and social elders or superiors, as in the Yoruba Idobale, Chinese kowtow or Ancient Greek proskynesis. The act has often traditionally been an important part of religious, civil and traditional rituals and ceremonies, and…
Pottery figure of a kowtowing official, Song Dynasty
Staged photograph of a Kowtow being performed before a magistrate by William Saunders, c. 1865–72.
Vietnamese laureates of the triennial Confucian exam kowtow towards the shrine in Nam Định, 1897
The man was paying his respects to the deceased by kowtowing at the graveyard.