In Pictures: Dread, bath and beyond at the 2015 Kumbh Mela
It’s been 12 years since 39 devotees were trampled and 57 injured at the Nashik Kumbh Mela. No untoward incident has surfaced thus far at the 2015 Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela (or Simhastha Kumbha Mela Nashik-Trimbakeshwar 2015), but the run-up hasn’t been sans controversy. While the Shri Panch Digambar Ani Akhada (monastic group or sect) banned three of its own sub-groups from participating in the Shahi Snaan (holy dip), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) rejected demands by sadhvis (female ascetics) for separate Shahi Snaan slots.
The day when women will get some say in male-dominated akharas is a distant one. Until then, silent wars between Vaishnavite and Shaivaite akharas are in full swing, with separate baths or kunds for followers of both sects along the banks of the Godavari.
The famed naga sadhus (naked saints) are photographers’ favourite muses during the Kumbh Melas in Nashik, Haridwar, Allahabad and Ujjain, largely for their appearances and showmanship. But as with all stories, there are several that go untold during the holiest of Hindu gatherings. This is a pick of some of those tales.
