Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/05/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I had been to the Kumbh Mela this year in February, to what is generally accepted to be the largest congregation of human beings on the face of the earth, and which occurs once every 12 years in the confluence of three rivers, the Ganges, the Yamuna and a mythological underground river called the Saraswathi - the spot is called the Sangam - in the city of Allahabad in North India. It was an amazing experience, even though it was raining pretty heavily throughout the trip, which meant that photographically it was a bit of a washout. Only on the last day before leaving Allahabad did some decent weather break through, and I got some photography done. I have just started processing the photographs, and I am starting with a couple of shots of the branch of Sadhus called the Naga, who are worshipers of the god Shiva. They are amongst the most revered amongst the sadhus, because they have forsaken everything of the real world, and go around stark naked with long locks of hair coiled on their head. They are seldom seen except for these major religious occasions, when they come down from the remote aeries where they normally stay. They were conceived centuries ago (8th-9th Century AD) as the warriors of Hinduism, and many still carry some sort of symbolic weapon with them even today - swords, tridents, spears, etc. They are also categorized, even today, into "akharas" or regiments. They rub ash on their bodies, and smoke a good amount of cannabis to keep out the cold. They are amongst the most photographed of all Sadhus, because they have the right to be the first to lead all the pilgrims into the water as day breaks. I was not present for that occasion, but did meet a couple of them relaxing - they were very cool about being photographed, and also talked to me for a while, before blessing me and sending me on my way: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/kumbh/Kumbh_2013-20130217-626.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/India/kumbh/Kumbh_2013-20130217-642.jpg.html Please see LARGE. Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome. Cheers Jayanand