Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A photograph at a crowded outdoor Kumbh Mela camp, showing a nearly nude ascetic performing a headstand on a patterned brown and red mat on bare ground scattered with dark charred embers and ash. His legs rise straight up, with a rope cinched around his waist. Behind him, a dense crowd of onlookers in white dhotis, saffron and yellow shawls, a green salwar kameez and a rust-coloured head wrap stands near a pink and yellow canopy and yellow banners. The scene has a hazy, smoky atmosphere.

More like this

Open the gallery
A photograph at a crowded outdoor Kumbh Mela camp of an ascetic performing a headstand on a leopard-print mat. His body is held upright with a rope tied around his waist, and his bare legs point straight up. Scattered dark ash and charcoal lumps lie on the sandy ground. Behind him, people in white dhotis and kurtas, a woman in a red-bordered white sari, and a woman in a brown dress move among tents with pink and yellow canopies and small flags.A photograph of an ascetic performing a headstand, a yoga posture, on a rust-red patterned mat on dusty ground at the Kumbh Mela. His body is grey-ash coated and bare, with a rope tied around his upper thigh and hip, and his head rests on the mat with one hand touching the ground. Scattered dark charred cow-dung cakes and wisps of smoke lie around him. In the background, a crowd of standing people in white dhotis and saffron cloth, and a bamboo pole, are visible.A photograph of a nearly nude sadhu performing an inverted yoga posture, headstand with legs raised straight up, on a leopard-print mat on a dusty ground littered with dark charred cow-dung cakes and embers. A golden rope is wound around his waist and hips, and his hands grip the mat beside his head. Behind him, a crowd of pilgrims in white dhotis and saffron and orange clothing stands watching, with a wooden pole and a folded cloth at the left edge. A thin smoke rises from the ground. No identifiable a person appearance is visible.A photograph at a crowded outdoor Kumbh Mela camp of a nude sadhu performing a headstand on a brown leopard-print mat, his legs raised straight up and a yellow rope tied around his waist. Ash and charred wood pieces are scattered across the dusty ground. Behind him, many devotees and pilgrims walk past white tents and yellow canopies; a woman in an orange sari and an older man in a white dhoti stand nearby, and a man in a blue-and-white striped shirt stands at left. The sadhu's face is hidden by the mat.A photograph of a naked ascetic performing a yoga posture, head down on a leopard-print cloth and one leg raised high in the air. A thin yellow rope is tied around his waist and hips, and the body is covered in grey ash. Around him are scattered smouldering dung cakes and small flames on the bare ground, with a metal cup and tongs nearby. No other people are visible.A photograph of an ascetic performing an inverted yoga posture (sirsasana-style headstand variant) in front of a large yellow canvas tent. The man is bare-bodied and smeared with grey ash, his legs raised straight up and tied to a horizontal bamboo pole above, his body wrapped with a rope around the waist and a white cloth tied at the groin. He rests his head on a leopard-print mat on sandy ground. Around him are smouldering dark embers arranged in circular ash rings, a small steel vessel, and a pair of tongs lying on the ground. Ropes are strung horizontally across the frame. A purple logo appears in the upper left corner.A photograph of a nude ascetic performing an inverted yoga posture on a reddish-brown patterned mat on sandy ground scattered with dark charred clumps. The figure's body is folded upside down with head down and one leg raised high, a thin tan rope tied around the waist and hips. A small white cloth lies nearby, and wisps of smoke drift across the frame. A small purple emblem with a white bird appears at the upper left.A photograph of a nude ascetic performing an inverted yoga posture, standing on his head on a leopard-print cloth with his legs raised vertically. Ropes bind his waist and arms, one rope secured to a bamboo frame. Around him lie circular dark ash rings on the ground, smoking embers, a small metal cup, a folded white cloth and a bag. Behind is a yellow tarpaulin tent on bamboo poles at an open camp site.A photograph of an unclothed sadhu performing a headstand inverted yoga posture on a patterned leopard-print mat outdoors at a Kumbh Mela camp. His legs are raised and crossed in the air, held by a rope tied around his waist and a white cloth tucked at his hip. Yellow tarpaulin shelters and bamboo poles stand behind him, and a smouldering fire pit with ash-rimmed circles sits nearby. A steel tumbler, a small brass cup, a metal tool and a bundle of cloth lie on the ground beside him.A photograph of a nude sadhu performing an inverted headstand (sirsasana-like posture) on an orange and brown leopard-print mat at a Kumbh Mela camp. His legs point straight up, one leg bent, and a rope is tied around his waist and tied to a horizontal line. Yellow tarpaulin tents and bamboo poles form the backdrop, and circular ash-ringed fire pits smoulder on the ground around him. A metal cup, a bundled white cloth and a bag sit nearby. Only one person is visible; no portrait or other figure of a person appears in the scene.A photograph of a naked sadhu performing a headstand on a leopard-print mat beside a smoking ring of blackened embers on bare ground. His legs are raised straight up, crossed at the ankles, and a cloth is tied around his waist with a rope. Behind him stands a yellow tarpaulin tent on bamboo poles, with a white cloth hanging from a crossbar. Nearby lie a green bag, a white cloth, a small steel cup and a metal tong. A taut rope runs horizontally across the scene.A photograph of a nearly naked ascetic with a body smeared in ash, bent forward in a full prostration with his forehead touching a striped woven mat on sandy ground. A yellow rope is wrapped around his waist and a white cloth covers his lower body. Scattered smoldering embers and charcoal pieces lie on the ground, and a steel tumbler and tongs rest at lower right. A bamboo pole stands at the left edge. No one is identifiable as a person from visible cues.