[Leica] Kumbh Mela

[j2m46 at hotmail.fr (Jean-Michel Mertz)]

Ah the colours, the setting ... very interesting pictures, I am looking 
forward to admiring the ones you will post next!
JM 


Jean-Michel Mertz
Strasbourg

 
> Date: Wed, 29 May 2013 17:25:44 +0530
> From: jayanand at gmail.com
> To: lug at leica-users.org; psm1857 at googlegroups.com
> Subject: [Leica] Kumbh Mela
> 
> 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
> 
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