A river scene at the Kumbh Mela with mounds of red roses and yellow marigolds heaped on sand banks in shallow water. Small flags on bamboo poles stand behind them, and a flower-decked floating offering sits to the right. In the distance, boats and people gather along the riverbank under a pale hazy sky. No identifiable person is clearly visible in the foreground. - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

A river scene at the Kumbh Mela with mounds of red roses and yellow marigolds heaped on sand banks in shallow water. Small flags on bamboo poles stand behind them, and a flower-decked floating offering sits to the right. In the distance, boats and people gather along the riverbank under a pale hazy sky. No identifiable person is clearly visible in the foreground.

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A river scene at a sandbank where red roses and orange marigolds are heaped on a mound of wet sand, with a few rose petals floating on the water in front. Several bamboo sticks stand upright in the mound. Two shirtless men stand waist-deep in the shallow river in the middle distance, and a line of other bathers and boats stretches across the water beneath a pale hazy sky. At the left, a small leaf boat holds a lit oil lamp on the water, and a few red and orange flags are visible on the far bank.

A river scene at a Kumbh Mela bathing ghat. In the foreground, a mound of wet sand is covered in red roses, orange and yellow marigolds, and incense sticks stuck upright into the top, with scattered rose petals floating on the shallow water. A small leaf-and-flower offering boat drifts on the left. Behind, a shirtless elderly man with white hair and beard stands in the water beside a red-and-yellow flag. Several other bathers wade in the river, and a crowd of people with boats and tents lines the far bank under a hazy sky.

Photograph of shallow, muddy river water with small mounds of wet sand or clay partly submerged, each heaped with red roses, pink petals, orange and yellow marigolds, and thin incense sticks. A trail of loose flower petals and marigold blossoms drifts across the water toward the top of the frame, with a few green leaves and a small shell visible. No people are visible. The water is pale grey-green and rippled.

A photograph of small mud mounds rising from shallow, rippled river water, each decorated with red rose petals, orange marigold petals and thin incense sticks. Scattered petals and flower strands drift across the water toward the upper right, with a small leaf and a shell among them. No people are visible; the scene shows river offerings of flowers and mud piles, suggestive of riverside ritual worship.

A photograph of shallow sandy riverbed water with small mounds of wet sand, each heaped with red roses, pink petals and orange marigold garlands. Incense sticks stand upright in some mounds, and a trail of scattered flower petals runs across the water toward the top. A small conch-like shell lies at lower right. No people are visible in the scene.

Photograph of a shallow river at a Kumbh Mela bathing ghat on a hazy day. Clay mounds on the sandy riverbed are heaped with red and yellow marigold and rose petals, with flower trails and small leaf offerings running along the bank. A woman in a yellow and blue sari stands waist-deep in the water holding offerings, while two shirtless men in shorts wade nearby and another man stands further along the bank. A distant pontoon bridge and crowded shoreline fill the background. Four people are visible.

A wide river scene at the Allahabad Kumbh Mela under a hazy pale sky. Many small wooden boats with colourful canopies, flags and awnings line up along the brownish-green water toward a distant shoreline crowded with people and tents. Red and orange flags fly from poles on the boats, and a few white birds glide over the water in the right foreground. The camera is low over the water, looking across the river at the far bank.

Riverbank at the Triveni Sangam confluence in Allahabad, with a hazy sky and tree-covered bank behind. Several devotees stand on a sandy ghat near the water: a man in a red jacket and fur-trimmed hat, a woman in a long orange sari, a woman in a blue striped shawl, a man in a grey hoodie and a bearded man in white with a white cap. Marigold petals and coconuts lie on the wet sand, and a man in a red top leans over a boat at left. Red and yellow flags on poles and moored wooden boats line the shore. No figure is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance; the scene shows pilgrims at the sacred confluence.

Outdoor photograph at the Triveni Sangam riverbank in Allahabad under a pale sky. A man in a long-sleeved orange top and orange dhoti stands barefoot on the stone ghat, pouring orange flower petals from his cupped hands into the water. Petals scatter over the river, and a man wading in the shallows, wearing a grey top and blue trousers, also tosses petals. Behind them, a few onlookers in white dhotis and a woman in a blue headscarf stand near an orange-and-white boat. At right, a man in white kneels on the ghat beside brass vessels and bowls, apparently performing a river ritual. Visible people are the central figure, the wading man, the kneeling men, and about a dozen onlookers. Whether the orange-robed man is a person cannot be determined from appearance alone, so the identity is not asserted.

A wide river scene at Triveni Sangam, Allahabad, with many wooden boats crowded together on grey-green water under a pale blue sky. Passengers sit and stand in the boats, some in saffron, red and white clothes, and several boatmen work long oars. Red, green and white flags on bamboo poles rise from the boats. Distant trees and a low shoreline with buildings lie across the river.

Photograph of a river crossing on the Ganges at Varanasi, showing several wooden country boats moored side by side along the water. Many people stand on the boats and wade in the shallow water; a few bathe in the river. Several boats carry flags on tall bamboo poles, including red, yellow, green and white pennants, and one boat has a thatched canopy. A sandy riverbank with temporary shelters and a few distant people lies behind the boats under a hazy sky. Some figures wear saffron and red clothing. No one is clearly identifiable as a person.

January 24 2007