I've posted photographs and galleries from the Kumbh Mela on TTP a few times already, but it's such an outstanding venue that I decided to add another. A new multimedia feature from Time magazine is of the Kumbh Mela, which took place in Allahabad over the past two months. The photographs are black & white, which is a welcome departure from the rest of the images I've seen of this spectacular 'not-to-be-missed' religious event. The photographer is Prashant Panjiar, who has done a great job capturing the atmosphere of the Kumbh. I noticed that nothing changed since I attended this phenomenal gathering of humanity in 2001.
Prashant also narrates the piece very well, which adds a welcome dimension to his work. On the negative side, I personally didn't care much for Rohan Panjar's music that accompanies the feature. The title of the feature chosen by Time is corny, and they should've done better. However, Prashant's photographs are superb and he obviously had excellent access to wherever he chose to photograph.
I've illustrated this post with one of my own photographs of the naked sadhus, or nagas. For those who are interested, I refer you to G.S. Ghurye’s comprehensive book, Indian Sadhus, in which the naked nagas are described as remnants of private armies that temple establishments maintained in India for centuries for protection and privacy. Naked warriors bore arms, were trained in the art of warfare and cleared the way for pandits and mandaleswars during their travels. India’s nude ascetic warriors were supposed to gain their strength and ability for battle from their of life and their long penance in the mountains. With the coming of the British, the naked ascetics warriors were outlawed and became marginalised freaks. But until today, most akharas (sadhus' ashrams) have a lance (or a trident?) planted in the ground in front of their gates that remind passerbys of their warlike ancestry.
An Indian Odyssey
