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A dense crowd photographed at a riverside ghat during a shahi snan procession. In the centre, a man in an orange turban and orange shawl raises a golden trident-shaped staff overhead, with a bare-chested devotee and a man in a dark navy shirt beside him. Behind them, several naked, ash-smeared sadhus with long matted hair and beards stand in the crowd. Police in khaki and olive uniforms stand along a yellow metal barrier at the upper right, while devotees in orange, yellow and white clothing fill the foreground.

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May 09th 20162016-05-09Photograph of a dense crowd of sadhus at a riverside shahi snan procession. Many men are bare-chested with ash-smeared bodies, long grey beards and matted hair, some in orange or red cloths. Several raise hands in prayer or wave, and a few hold up mobile phones. Police in khaki uniforms with peaked caps stand in the foreground beside a yellow metal barrier. One man wears an orange turban and marigold garlands, and another wears a white cloth and yellow sash. A few people wear orange lanyard passes.2016-05-09A dense crowd procession at a Hindu religious event. Central focus is a small palanquin-style shrine with a domed canopy decorated with yellow and orange marigold garlands, carried on wooden poles by bare-chested men in orange and yellow dhotis and saffron cloths. Around it, sadhus and devotees in saffron and orange robes, some with bare upper bodies smeared with ash, and one bearded man in white turban and orange garment walking near the front. Uniformed police officers with caps and khaki uniforms line the crowd, and photographers with cameras are visible at the right edge. Women in pink and green saris and a young boy in a white shirt watch from behind.2016-05-09A dense crowd of Kumbh-style sadhus during a shahi snan procession. Many naked or near-naked ascetics have their bodies and faces smeared with white ash, some with long matted hair and beards, several raising fists and arms and shouting. One bald ascetic in the centre raises his arm. A tall grey staff or trident pole rises at centre, and some men wear orange or saffron cloths. Ordinary devotees in white shirts and orange shawls press in around them, and a few hold up phones.2016-05-09May 09th 20162016-05-09A dense crowd of men fills a street at night during a festival procession. In the foreground, several bare-chested sadhus smeared with white ash dance with raised arms, some with grey-white bodies and white-painted faces. A man in an orange turban holds a long wooden staff with an orange cloth tied to it, and wears beads around his neck. On the right, a sadhu in orange robes and a red rudraksha mala raises his hand. Spectators in shirts, kurtas and a pink-and-white checked scarf press around them, and a yellow banner on a pole rises above the crowd.2016-05-21A dense crowd of sadhus and devotees at a river bathing ghat during a Kumbh-style shahi snan. Many sadhus have their bodies and faces smeared with white ash, some with long matted hair and grey beards; one shaved-headed sadhu in the centre raises a hand and wears an orange cloth and a white armband. Others in orange and saffron cloths, a man in a blue striped shirt, and a bearded man in white stand among them, with a yellow barrier in the foreground. A water bottle is held up at the upper right. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person, and the visible people are mostly unnamed sadhus and devotees.2016-05-09A crowded outdoor scene at a Kumbh Mela gathering, with a bearded sadhu in saffron-orange robes and an orange turban at centre, a light beige shawl over his shoulders, and a bag strap across his chest. Behind him a shirtless man with grey hair and a beard stands among the crowd, and a man in a grey polo shirt with a red lanyard and ID badge raises a wooden staff on the right. Around them are people in yellow-and-orange safety vests, a woman in a red-and-white striped headscarf at left, and a figure in a red head covering at lower left. Bamboo poles and staffs are visible.2016-05-21A dense crowd of ascetic sadhus in a street procession during a Kumbh-style shahi snan, many bare-chested or in saffron cloth, bodies smeared with white ash. In the left foreground a decorated ceremonial standard with marigold garlands and a red and gold canopy is carried on poles. A bearded sadhu in orange cloth with matted locks and a tilaka holds a rudraksha mala, while a man in pink and another sadhu with raised arm and a grey-white beard are in the crowd. Orange flags and banners line the road under hazy sunlight. No individual is clearly identifiable as a person.2016-05-09A crowded procession of ascetics at a Kumbh-style shahi snan, with a central figure covered in white ash, wearing a marigold garland and an orange cloth, raising both arms in a salute. Around him, sadhus with white-smeared bodies and long matted hair walk among police in khaki uniforms and caps, a man in a lanyard holding a camera, and devotees in orange clothing and a white turban. A bearded elderly man in an orange shirt and a rudraksha mala stands at right. Marigold garlands are visible on several ascetics, and a sign-free crowd surrounds them.2016-05-09A dense crowd of devotees fills a riverside ghat during a Kumbh-style shahi snan procession. Many sadhus stand bare-chested with ash-smeared faces and long matted hair, wearing marigold garlands and necklaces. Orange and red flags on tall poles rise above the crowd, and numerous people wear orange or saffron clothing and hold up raised hands and phones. A man in a saffron turban and gold beaded necklace raises a staff near the centre right. The scene is packed with people pressing forward, making the crowd numerous.2016-05-09May 09th 20162016-05-09