ARDH KUMBH MELA ALLAHABAD 2019
“An Eternal Life Free from Sins”
January 15 to March 4, 2019.
Presentation. A different kind of photographic journey.
Traveling to India during the Ardh Kumbh Mela Allahabad, one of the largest religious celebrations in the world, is a pleasure for the senses and an enriching experience for the soul. I was able to see it in 2015 when I attended the Kumbh Mela in Nasik for a few days, where I took some of the best photographs I have taken in India, while being captivated by the festive atmosphere that permeated everything.
An incomparable experience, undoubtedly a different photographic journey, one of those journeys that will leave a mark both on a photographic level and on a purely human level.
Most of you who share this photographic adventure with us already know India and have been delighted with its magic. But to visit the kumbh Mela is to climb a ladder in the knowledge of India and its traditions. It is to come face to face with the concentrated essence of Hinduism. There is no time for sensory rest, the explosion of stimuli is incessant.
It is also a different photographic journey in the organization and logistics, more than a year of preparation has taken us. The very layout of the place of the trip and its objective mark the peculiarities of the trip. We will stay inside the Kumbh Mela camp, in one of its sectors. Millions of pilgrims congregate there. Yes, millions!, which will make it very difficult to walk in a group. It is impossible to take photos and expect the rest of the group to wait for you. Therefore, the most practical thing to do is to divide ourselves into small groups of two or three people and concentrate at lunch and dinner time.
For this photographic trip, PhotoTravel will organize all the transport and administration issues, and will take you to the places where you can take the photographs, but there your work as a photographer will begin, you will have to take your own initiatives. However, at the Allahabad camp we have hired three local guides to guide us and solve possible unforeseen events.
To always be in communication with the rest of the group, as soon as we arrive in India we will each buy a phone SIM card with an Indian number. This will make it easier to have access to the Internet and phone calls at all times. Don’t forget to bring a passport-size photo to buy your card. It is also convenient that you download a GPS location application on your mobile phone, so you will always know where you are and you will know the way back to our accommodation.
A little History. The Kumbh Mela.
What is Kumbh Mela?
Recognized by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”, it is a religious manifestation that brings together millions of people in the hope of being freed from the vicious circle of earthly life, guided by the promise of “An eternal life free of sins”
Kumbh Mela is the largest religious congregation in the world and in India, attended by millions of people (estimates speak of up to 100 million people). The festival, which lasts more than a month, is marked by the construction of the largest and most ephemeral city in the world, built on the basis of tents, huts, huts, platforms, bridges, civic facilities, administrative and security measures… Thousands of hectares around the area of the Sangam (sacred place of bathing and confluence of sacred rivers) that hosts millions of pilgrims.
The Kumbh Mela is especially famous for the presence of an extraordinary variety of religious ascetics, sadhus and mahants, who usually inhabit remote places of forests, mountains and caves.
Legend has it that in mythological times, during a war between demigods and demons for possession of the elixir of eternal life, drops fell on four places that were endowed with mystical powers: Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik. Kumbh Mela has been celebrated in each of the four places for as long as anyone can remember, with the faith of being blessed with those powers.
This celebration takes place every three years in one of the four cities. Every six years the Ardh (middle) Kumbh Mela is celebrated, while the Purna (full) Kumbh mela is celebrated every twelve years. The largest version is Maha Kumbh Mela, every 12 years in Prayag (Allahabad). The succession of cities is determined by the positions of the sun and moon and by the different periods of the zodiac signs. Following these indications, the city of Allahabad (Prayag) is the venue for the celebration of the Ardh Kumbh Mela 2019.
The Kumbh Mela of Allahabad (Prayag) have a special significance, according to Hindu scriptures this is the confluence site of three of India’s holiest rivers: Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati in the Triveni Sangam (holy place of bathing), making it the holiest core of all Kumbh Mela celebrations.
The high points of the festival for a month and a half are marked by the sacred baths (Shahi Snan), among which the three main ones stand out:
- On January 15, the First Sacred Bath -Shahi Snan- (Makar Sankranti) is signed, ritual bath and total immersion in the Sangam.
- On January 21, Paush Purnima is celebrated.
- February 4, the Second Holy Bath -Shahi Snan- royal bath (Mauni Amavasya).
- February 10, Third Holy Bath -Shahi Snan-
- February 19 is the date of Maghi Poornima.
- March 4 is Maha Shrivratri.
The sacred bath is marked by a ritual hierarchy. The party begins with a sumptuous parade that marks its beginning, where the different groups compete in fervor and beauty. The first to reach the water are the legions of Naga Sadhus or Naga Babas, who cover their naked bodies with ash – Vibhuti – and adorn their hair with long dreadlocks. The sadhus, who see themselves as guardians of the faith, then bathe in all the pomp and energy of a charging army. Pilgrims must wait until the various leaders of each sect dive into the water in the established order. This immersion makes it possible, according to beliefs, to ensure that pilgrims and their descendants are forgiven of all their sins.
Some types of Sadhus can be found in these ceremonies are:
- Naga Sadhus; nudes who smear their bodies with sacred ash – Vibhuti – and have long, matted hair. Their eyes are red from constantly smoking charas (marijuana), which they believe helps with enlightenment.
- Urdhwavahurs; They sacrifice their bodies with rigid spiritual practices.
- Parivajakas; Those who do not speak. They have taken a vow of silence.
- Shirshasinse; They always stand, sleep with their heads resting on a vertical pole and meditate on their heads.
- Kalpvasis; They stay on the banks of the river and spend their time meditating, performing rituals and bathing numerous times a day.
- Dandis; Dressed in orange and carrying a large flag of the same color.
- Aghoris; Dressed in black. They seek the impure life.
- Sadhvi; Sadhus women.
Our journey. Makar Sankranti at the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Prayag (Allahabad)
Based on what we have related, technically we will travel to the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Prayag (Allahabad), to the celebration that takes place every six years in the holiest city to commemorate this event. The bath we have chosen to visit is Makar Sankranti, the first of the three sacred baths held there. Being the first, it has a special charisma, as well as a great photographic appeal, not to mention the greater ease of action, since the brutal overcrowding that is foreseen for the second bath will not have yet hatched.
Makkar Sankranti is the first major bathing day according to the Hindu religious calendar. This day is dedicated to Surya, the sun god in the Hindu pantheon. This day marks the end of the winter solstice, which is also known as the darkest night of the year. From now on the days will begin to be longer. Spring will soon begin in India.
One of the most special aspects of this celebration is that it is one of the few ancient festivals that Hindus celebrate according to the solar cycle, and not guided by the lunar calendar.
Makar Sankranti is celebrated all over India and goes by different names in different regions. For that matter, as is usual in India, everything that is at hand is decorated in a colorful way.
During this event pilgrims say a prayer that is dedicated to the god Surya and then bathe in the Sangam, thus achieving purification from their sins.
What can you do at the Kumbh Mela? In addition to thousands of photos, which is why you have come here, at the Kumbh Mela you will be able to:
- To see in its maximum splendor the spirituality that spreads every morning along the banks of the Ganges.
- Attend talks held by spiritual teachers and gurus.
- Participate in yoga and meditation workshops.
- Participate in the Yajnas or fire ceremonies.
The Days of Varanasi
Our starting point to go to the kumbh Mela will be the sacred city of Varanasi. We will stay in a hotel within the sacred area of Varanasi, next to the gath. There we will spend a day and a half on the way there and the same on the way back. We will take advantage of the stay to get to know the city and photograph its incomparable corners, unparalleled in the world.
During those days we will have the company of three local guides, two of whom are already veteran collaborators of PhotoTravel, Manu, who speaks English, and Udai, who speaks perfect Spanish. Between the three of them they will show us the purest essence of their city, showing us its nooks and crannies and discovering the locations where we can take the best photographs.
When traveling in winter we will find the best photographic version of Varanasi. A city blurred by fog, with an incomparable light, full of small bonfires among which the Indians swarm masked in their blankets. Pure magic for photography.
In Allahabad
The city of Allahabad is our destination. A city of 5 million inhabitants that will be transformed to welcome almost 100 million visitors in the days that the Kumbh Mela lasts. A challenge that involves a portentous infrastructure of housing, bridges, roads, transport… which will disappear again when the festival concludes.
Also in this city we will have three guides/assistants who will attend and advise us on the days we stay here.
On January 13, for those who wish, we offer you a free excursion to get to know the city of Allahabad. We will leave after breakfast to visit places such as Anand Bhawan, the Khusrugab museum, the Bada Hanuman temple, the Chandrashekhar park… We will return to the camp at dinner time.
Accommodation. Where to sleep
Both in Varanasi and in Allahabad we will stay in strategic areas, so that we can walk to any of the emblematic places that we choose as a frame to take our photographs.
In Varanasi we will stay in the old city, in the sacred area, a few meters from the gath, a small hotel in the streets of the old city, a classic in PhotoTravel trips to India. Breakfast is included.
In Allahabad we will stay in the city-camp, prefabricated modules with beds and showers, with occupancy for three people, includes full board. We have hired a cook who will make our food every day. We also have a security guard to watch over our housing modules when we are not there.
It is a sector enabled for foreigners, which will allow us to walk both to the Sangam, which is only 1.5km away, and to the sector where the sadhus are staying.
Displacement
The arrival and departure from Varanasi to Delhi is done by plane. The round-trip trips to the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad will be made by bus.
Although the distance between these two cities is 120 km, due to the large influx of traffic at this time, we estimate that the journey can take up to seven or eight hours.
Within the cities we will not need transport. We can do it by walking.
What photographic material do I carry?
The winter light on the banks of the Ganges is pure magic, the ideal frame for any photography lover.
Winter in India transforms the aesthetic configuration of cities. As it passes through Varanasi, the Ganges loses the enormous flow of water received in the monsoons and leaves the gath exposed, showing all the splendor of their palaces and the incessant tingling of pilgrims. On its shores, the mist shrouds the devotees in mystery in their purifying baths. Meanwhile, the Indians protect themselves from the cold by wrapping themselves in their brown blankets, with which they cover their heads and bodies, or they squat around the small bonfires that bloom everywhere. A spectacle to immortalize with the camera.
As for the photographic equipment to bring, that is a very personal decision, it depends on the type of photography you like to do and what you plan to achieve there.
As a guideline I will tell you that I will take two reflex camera bodies (FF) a 24-70mm f2.8, 16-35mm f2.8, a 70-200mm f2.8 and a 35mm f1.4. and a small flash, which you may not use.
Obviously I never go loaded with all this, I go with only one body, with the 24-70mm f2.8 and 35mm f1.4, the rest I leave in the camps in case I need it.
I would recommend that you do not carry large photo backpacks for the Kumbh Mela days, there will be too many people and it can become a nuisance. A small-sized crossbody bag may be a better option and…
DON’T FORGET THE SWIMSUIT THAT WE HAVE TO BATHE TOD@S!!
Photographic Trip to the Kumbh Mela of Allahabad 2019 with Gonzalo Sáenz from Santa María Poullet.
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