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A large crowd of naked and near-naked ascetics, many with ash-smeared bodies and matted or long hair, presses together on a riverside ghat, many raising their hands and holding long wooden staffs. Several men in orange or saffron cloth and red headwear stand among them, and a man in a white shirt gestures in the front-left. Uniformed police or security personnel in khaki caps and high-visibility yellow vests stand near a yellow metal barrier in the foreground, and a camera operator with a long lens is visible at the bottom. Marigold garlands hang on some of the ascetics. Behind the crowd a green tarpaulin backdrop and a red banner with a printed portrait and text are partly visible.

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A dense crowd of naked, ash-smeared sadhus at a Kumbh Mela shahi snaan, many with long matted hair and beards, raising their arms and holding long staffs and tridents amid marigold garlands. Several wear saffron and orange cloth at the edges. Yellow barricades and a red placard bearing a portrait and a printed name line the scene, while staff in yellow safety vests and a man in camouflage cap stand among them. Bright white ash covers most bodies in a crowded procession.2016-05-21A dense crowd of ascetic sadhus at a Kumbh Mela bathing area, many with bodies smeared in white ash and raising their arms. Several bare-bodied men with long matted hair and beards stand among saffron-robed devotees and orange flags. A man at right stands nude on a yellow metal barrier, arms raised. Security volunteers in yellow safety vests and a uniformed officer in camouflage cap are visible. Marigold garlands hang on some figures, and walking staffs and tridents rise above the crowd.2016-05-21May 09th 20162016-05-09May 21 20162016-05-21May 09 20162016-05-09 +1 copiesPhoto 11702344Photo 11702346May 21 20162016-05-21Photo 11702345 +1 copiesMay 09th 20162016-05-09A dense crowd of ash-smeared sadhus at a Kumbh Mela shahi snan procession, many with long matted dreadlocks and grey-white ash covering their skin, raising arms and hands. In the upper left, a decorated palanquin or ratha with marigold garlands and a red cloth. Several sadhus wear orange and red cloth, and a man in an orange turban stands near the centre. A police officer in a dark cap and uniform stands at left among the crowd, with yellow metal barricades along the right. A large red flag at lower right bears a portrait of a woman in yellow. Watermarked archive photo.2016-04-22May 09th 20162016-05-09