Photo Essay: Faces of the Kumbh Mela, India
One of the worlds largest festivals, the Kumbh Mela will often have millions of participants gather together for special ‘bathing days,’ on which they will ceremoniously dip into the holy river water.
This portraiture series features not only some of the unique looking ‘holy men’ that wander the banks of the Ganges but also many of the local community that live, eat and pray alongside the holiest river in India…the Ganges.
1.Naga Baba, one of the Naked Sadhus that wander and perform rites along the Ganges during Kumbh Mela
2.(left) A woman carries a heavy load of firewood back to her camp, the wood will be used for a ceremonial Pooja. (right) Swami Yogananda just turned 102 and is active and spritely as can be, practing Yoga and breath work every day.
3.Rajendra, crippled from birth, has shifted from begging to taking computer classes.
4.(left) A baba takes rest in his forest home. (right) This friendly and wise Saddhu invited us in for a warm cup of chai.
5.(left) Along side the Ganges, an old man devotes his life to looking after dogs and puppies. (right) One of the many colorful characters to be found during the Kumbh Mela Festival.
6.A young girl hides in the fields along side the Home for Destitute Children in Rishikesh.
7.Yogi Vishwa loves his morning Yoga practice by the river.
8.(left) Whether in a temple or alongside the road…home is where the heart is. (right) A beggar with his walking stick rests against a wall in Rishikesh.
9.Basanti works as a gardener in the fields of Rishikesh.
10.(left) Mother and child. (right) A holy man holds his hand up in a mudra.
11.Yogi Vishva meditates on the radiance of the soul.
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Have you attended the Kumbh Mela festival? Share your thoughts on the comments!
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19 Comments... join the discussion!
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Indeed! Stunning work and great use of light.
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Wow wow wow wow.
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Wow! Stunning! Also, how amazing is that 102-year-old man?
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Woah. Really stylish and wonderful.
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Love it! One of the most striking set of photos I’ve ever seen. Agree with Josh about the first pics, but I think my fav is Yogi Vishwa – he looks so energised.
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Amazing! Such vivid colours, so full of hope. Especially liked no 9.
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Absolutely beautiful lighting. Care to share the gear you take on these shoots? So very, very well done. Congratulations.
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absolutely amazing photography just love the way u play with light and colour. congratualtions
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Just found this link while tweeting,.,!!
I Belong to the same place (Haridwar).,. and believe me these pics seems to be more beautiful than the place really is..!
Amazing Photography!↵ -
I love your work and I love India! Land of unbelievable beauty.
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Some nice compositions. Great light! Check out this photographer sometime — similar subject matter to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xKJ4hoFdSo↵ -
The crippled feet and the wheelchair is a brilliant photograph. But if these are images from the Kumbh
Mela, where are the great crowds of bathers? Fakirs, or sadhus posing, are not hard to take.↵ -
Thanks for the stunning pictures! You might also like to have a look at a comprehensive article that I have written on the Kumbh Mela (together with some beautiful photographs done by the very talented Enrico Fabian). You will find it here: http://blog.knowledge-must.com/archives/13-Kumbh-Mela-The-Most-Wonderful-Sight-in-India.html
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Nice subject matter, but too much post processing for my taste.
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Nice!
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Magical imagery and masterful technique. Love it!
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Wow. Really, really cool. I couldn’t think of a thousand words to express what these pictures do. Excellent job.
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India is a marvelously photogenic country and your photographs convey some of that flavor. I don’t like your use of contrast and vignette, however, which is far too strong and detracts the eye from the otherwise interesting content. Good composition but far too much photoshop.
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