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A festival procession at a Kumbha Mela crowd scene. A large ornate golden palanquin-style float is decorated with marigold garlands, hanging golden bells, colourful tassels and an orange canopy with teal fringe. A man with long dark hair, wearing an orange shawl and rudraksha-style beads, sits cross-legged on the golden platform, smiling with hands together. Two saffron-robed attendants stand beside him, one bald and bending near the float, the other wearing a gold-trimmed orange cloth and a beaded necklace. Dense crowds of devotees in front and around the float watch the procession, with a thatched hut and banners in the background.

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February 10 20132013-02-10Outdoor festival procession at a Kumbh Mela-style gathering. A long-haired man in orange saffron robes and a rudraksha mala sits smiling on a gilded golden palanquin decorated with marigold garlands, hanging gold bells and multicoloured tassels, under an orange and teal canopy. A bald man in orange robes kneels at the palanquin's edge, arm extended, and another bald man in orange stands beside it holding a mobile phone. A dense crowd of men and women in shawls and wraps fills the foreground, with a thatched hut and sky behind. The long-haired figure has distinctive hair and saffron clothing with a rudraksha mala, so this is a probable Swamiji candidate.2013-02-10Outdoor procession at the Kumbha Mela in Allahabad. A long-haired man in orange-saffron robes and a shawl sits cross-legged on an ornate golden palanquin decorated with marigold garlands, tassels and hanging brass bells. The seated figure has long swept-back hair, a tilak mark and rudraksha beads, which fits the Swamiji (probable) candidate. Beside him a shaved-headed attendant in orange cloth and rudraksha mala leans forward and reaches toward the crowd. A dense crowd of devotees in the foreground, many men and some women, watches from below, with a thatched hut and a banner behind.2013-02-10February 10 20132013-02-10February 10 20132013-02-10February 10 20132013-02-10A golden ceremonial chariot at the Kumbha Mela procession is decorated with marigold garlands, white flower strands, and hanging gold bells with red, pink, teal, purple and yellow tassels. Beside him a shaved-headed attendant in orange cloth leans forward and gestures toward the crowd, while another orange-clad attendant stands at right. Below, a dense crowd of devotees presses against the chariot, and a thatched hut and orange canopy frame the background.2013-02-10A photograph of a crowded outdoor procession at a Kumbh Mela-style camp. A golden palanquin with a teal fringed canopy, hanging brass bells, tassels and marigold garlands is the focal point. Standing on it, a figure with long dark hair wears orange robes and a beaded necklace, and a shaved-headed attendant in orange and a rudraksha-style mala stands beside them. A third orange-robed man stands at the right. Behind the palanquin is an orange tent wall with a printed banner. Dense crowds of men, women and children in winter clothing, many holding phones, surround the cart, with a golden lion or horse-like ornament at the front and a loudspeaker on a tripod nearby.2013-02-10February 10 20132013-02-10A large crowd of pilgrims fills the foreground at an outdoor procession. A golden ornate palanquin-style chariot, decorated with orange and yellow marigold garlands, strings of colourful tassels and hanging brass bells, carries a seated central figure wearing an orange-saffron robe with a rudraksha mala and a golden crown, flanked by attendants in saffron robes holding ceremonial staffs. A cameraman in white stands on the chariot filming, and a multicoloured fringed canopy shades the scene under a pale hazy sky. Many people in the crowd wear headscarves, turbans and shawls, and power lines run overhead.2013-02-10A decorated golden palanquin procession at a Kumbh Mela crowd scene. A central figure in orange robes and a crown sits on a gilded seat draped with marigold garlands, raising a hand in blessing, while attendants in saffron-orange robes stand beside the seat holding long ceremonial staffs topped with gold finials. The canopy is strung with marigold garlands and hanging bells and tassels, with a turquoise and red fringed parasol above. A large crowd of devotees in white, brown and red clothing, many with turbans and headwraps, surrounds the vehicle on a dusty open ground, with a photographer near the front. Printed banners appear at left.2013-02-10Photograph of a golden palanquin procession at the Kumbh Mela camp, decorated with marigold garlands, gold bells and a teal and red canopy with tassels. A long-haired man in saffron-orange robes sits on the golden seat, smiling and raising one hand in greeting, with a rudraksha mala around his neck and a shawl over his shoulder; this appearance-based candidate is a person, seated as the honoured figure of the procession. Two shaved-headed men in orange-saffron robes and beaded malas stand or crouch beside the palanquin, one touching its base. A red tent backdrop displays Hindi printed notices and a framed portrait. Spectators in the foreground are partly visible.2013-02-10