A photograph of a shirtless man bowing low in shallow river water, his head pressed toward a mound of wet grey earth or mud wreathed with red and orange marigold and rose garlands. A trident-like iron staff stands upright in the water to the left, and a few loose red flowers float nearby. The man's back and arms are bare and glistening. - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

A photograph of a shirtless man bowing low in shallow river water, his head pressed toward a mound of wet grey earth or mud wreathed with red and orange marigold and rose garlands. A trident-like iron staff stands upright in the water to the left, and a few loose red flowers float nearby. The man's back and arms are bare and glistening.

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A bare-chested man bends forward in river water, placing his hands on a grey stone shivalinga-style object heaped with red roses and orange marigolds. A black trident leans upright in the water to the left, and a small folded leaf offering floats nearby. The water is calm and grey-green, with scattered loose petals drifting around the stone.

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.

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 photo of a bare-chested older man with grey hair and a short grey beard standing waist-deep in a calm river at dusk, cupping water in his hands and letting it spill from his fingers. He wears a wet white dhoti-like cloth and a reddish-brown cloth hangs from his waist into the water. A small wooden boat with a canopy sits on the left, with two distant figures near it, and a lit diya floats on the water. The pale sky and still water suggest a ghat ritual, possibly a river offering at dawn or dusk.

A photograph of a ritual immersion at water's edge. A shaved-headed man in a white dhoti and shawl with maroon borders kneels on stone steps, leaning forward and cupping his hands over a small brass or gold vessel that he is lowering into murky water. Red flower petals, a red garland and scattered offerings float on the surface, with white paper or cloth pieces in the water. Beside him, a standing person in saffron-orange robes and a gold-coloured necklace stands in the water, and another saffron-robed person is visible at the lower right. The setting appears to be a temple tank or pond with a stone embankment.

October 11 2015

A photograph of a river at dusk with hazy grey sky and calm water. In the foreground a bare-shouldered man with wet, slicked-back grey hair is submerged to the neck, head bowed toward the water, apparently bathing or offering. A small lit oil lamp floats on the river to the centre left. At the far left edge a partial arm is visible, and in the background a flat-roofed boat with a canopy carries a few small figures. The scene evokes a Varanasi ghat bathing ritual. No identity cues beyond the bare-chested bather's appearance are clear enough to name him.

A bare-chested older man with grey hair and a grey beard stands waist-deep in a calm river at dawn, cupping water in both hands as an offering. A red cloth hangs from his waist into the water. A small lit oil lamp floats on the water to his left. Wooden boats are moored and a few more drift in the hazy background under a pale sky.

February 13 2013

October 11 2015

February 05 2013

An elderly man with grey hair and a grey beard stands waist-deep in the Ganga river at dawn, hands pressed together in anjali mudra and face tilted upward in prayer. Bare-chested, he appears to be performing morning river prayer. Small boats are moored at the bank in the misty background, and a few distant figures stand near the water's edge on the left. The calm, pale grey water reflects the early light.