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A photograph at the Allahabad Kumbh Mela of several sadhus handling a tall white cloth-wrapped pole, marked with red and orange, standing upright on a mound of grey ash and dirt. Several bare-chested or lightly clad men in white dhotis and cloths, some with matted long hair and beards, grip the pole and push it into place. One man in a red and yellow turban and another in red clothing assist. Marigold garlands are tied at the base, small fires smoulder in the foreground, and an orange and yellow striped canopy stands behind. A yellow and white banner in Hindi reads Sri Gai Datta Ashram beside the tent. Visible people: about six.

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Outdoor photo at the Kumbh Mela under a clear blue sky. Several men crowd together gripping an orange-and-white pole or rope with marigold garlands, pulling it forward in a procession-like push. On the left, an older sadhu wears a brown turban and an orange-red tilak on his forehead, with a grey beard and white robe. Another sadhu in a grey turban with yellow tilak is behind him. In the centre, a bearded man wears a white cap and a tan cloth draped over his shoulders. On the right, a man in a white shawl and tan garment reaches in. Their faces are visible and expressive with serious focus. Nearby hands and arms from the foreground extend into the frame, and a faint circular blue-and-white logo appears at the top left.A photograph of sadhus and devotees hauling a long pole wrapped in red and yellow cloth, pulling together on ropes across a sandy, ash-strewn ground at the Kumbh Mela. Many men wear white dhotis and white shawls; several have bare chests, rudraksha-style necklaces and tilak or vibhuti marks on their foreheads. Behind them stands a striped orange, yellow and pink canopy and white tents under a hazy sky. Smouldering embers and burnt logs lie scattered on the ground in the foreground.Photograph from a Kumbh Mela procession seen from behind: several men carry a long red pole on their shoulders in front of large yellow and beige tent canvas, with an orange banner at upper right. The foremost carrier wears a grey-brown wrap with a red cloth over one shoulder and has matted dreadlocked hair wound up on his head. Beside him, a bare-chested sadhu with long dreadlocks wears a teal green loincloth, and a man in a white dhoti and cream shawl stands at left. A woman in a pink sari with a marigold garland hangs at right edge. Ground is pale concrete with a low stone border.A tall pole with a tricolour-style flag in red, yellow, white and green flies against a clear blue sky at an outdoor encampment. Several men in white dhotis and cloth wraps are raising the pole with ropes, and others stand along an orange and yellow canopied shelter with pink trim. A man bent over near a small fire works on the ground in the foreground, and sandals and scattered bricks lie on the dusty earth. Many people stand in the background among tents.Four sadhus sit on the dusty ground in smoke, surrounded by scattered dung cakes and small metal cups. The man in the foreground wears a red and white dhoti, a white sacred thread and a long pearl mala, with white markings on his bare chest. Beside him, a bearded sadhu in orange cloth sits cross-legged, and another bearded man in red cloth sits behind. At right, a sadhu draped in a white cloth over his head wears a tilak on his forehead and a red dhoti. Tents and a tarpaulin stand behind them, with a tin pot and a log nearby. The scene suggests a sacred fire ritual at the Kumbh Mela.October 06 20162016-10-06Four sadhus sit cross-legged on sandy ground amid rising smoke from a scattered ring of charred logs, a ritual fire setting. The foremost man, bare-chested with a long beard and white beaded necklace, wears a red bandhani-patterned cloth and sits with hands resting on his lap. Behind him, two men wear orange and red cloths, and a man on the right has a white shawl draped over his head and red lungi, with tilak marks on his forehead. Steel tumblers and small bowls sit near them, with cloth tents and a wooden pole in the background. The scene reads as a fire-side sadhu gathering at the Kumbh Mela.September 24 20062006-09-24February 10 20132013-02-10 +2 copiesFebruary 12 20132013-02-12A tall wooden pole wrapped in red and yellow cloth rises from the sandy ground of a Kumbh Mela camp, topped by a triangular flag in red, yellow, white and green stripes with a small figure printed at its centre. Thin guy-lines run from the pole to the ground, and a taut wire crosses the frame above it. Beneath, a crowd of men in white dhotis, saffron and red cloths and bare torsos gathers around the base, several pulling on ropes and lifting or steadying the pole. Behind them an orange and yellow canopy stretches along the camp, with white tents beyond and a clear blue sky overhead. Smoke rises near the base of the pole.A photograph of an outdoor fire ritual at a temple courtyard shaded by multicoloured striped umbrellas with tassels. A fire burns in a stone yajna pit decorated with yellow marigold petals and garlands, with a brass vessel beside it; a bare-chested priest kneels at the lower right, tending the fire. Around the pit stand a group of saffron-robed sannyasis and devotees, some with shaved heads and tripundra marks. In the centre, a man with long dark hair wears a white robe, and beside him an older man wears a white shawl and kurta. A bearded elder in white stands behind them, and a bare-chested man with a green cloth and rudraksha mala stands at the right edge. The scene suggests a homa at a festival gathering, with an ornate temple spire in the background.2007-01-30