Skip to content
Nithyanandapedia
A bhandara-style feast at a tented camp during the Kumbh Mela in Ujjain. A bald man in a maroon dhoti with a gold-beaded rudraksha mala leans forward to serve food from a silver plate onto a silver thali on a red carpet. Seated along the row, several sadhus in saffron-orange robes with rudraksha malas wait with silver plates and tumblers before them. A man in an orange kurta stands nearby, and a bearded sadhu in orange at right sits beside a silver tray. Behind them, rows of seated devotees in orange and white fill the tent under hanging lights. The gathering shows a ritual meal for holy men.

More like this

Open the gallery
May 05 20162016-05-05May 05 20162016-05-05A photograph of a seated feast (bhandara) at a camp tent, with several sadhus in orange and saffron robes sitting in a row along a long table of silver plates and steel tumblers. A young man in white dhoti and shawl with a marigold garland and beaded armbands stands at left, pouring from a steel vessel onto a plate held by a seated sadhu in orange who has a long white beard and a rudraksha-style bead necklace. Another bearded sadhu with grey hair and a white beard sits nearby in orange, and a bald sadhu in orange sits in the middle. Several other people are seated in orange behind them, and a screen glows at the back of the tent.2016-05-05May 05 20162016-05-05A photograph of a ritual feeding or honouring scene in a tent-like hall with a gold-trimmed shrine and brass lamp stands at left. Several people in orange and saffron robes stand and bow along a mat-covered floor lined with silver plates heaped with marigold garlands and offerings. At far left, a seated figure in orange-brown robes wears a heavy gold-beaded necklace, beside a seated woman in an orange sari with a dark beaded mala. In the centre, a bearded man in orange robes and a rudraksha mala stands with hands joined, while a man in orange stands facing away. At right, an elderly white-bearded sadhu in orange wears a white turban-like head covering and gestures. Other attendants in orange and pink stand in the background near the shrine.2015-09-14September 14 20152015-09-14 +2 copiesPhotograph of a seated group of saffron and orange robed sadhus at a bhandara feast. In the foreground a man with long grey hair and a full white beard wears a red robe and a beaded mala with large crystal beads. Beside him an older man with grey hair and glasses wears an orange robe. Behind them a bald man in orange is being served from a steel pot by a person whose arm reaches in from the left, and steel plates and tumblers sit on a cloth before them. A sign reads Kumbh Mela context per page. Several other saffron-clad men sit in rows in the background.2016-05-05May 16 20162016-05-16May 10th 20162016-05-10A photo of a ritual reception at a Kumbh Mela camp, with seated sadhus and priests in saffron and orange robes. Several sadhus wear marigold garlands; one in a red turban sits with hands joined in namaste. Men in white dhotis with orange shawls stand at the right holding silver trays with petals and an oil lamp, while a silver-decorated platform holds rose petals. A bearded man in orange at the left wears a marigold garland. Behind them, an ornate gold throne and brass lamp stands, with a woman in orange-red robes and a red-and-gold headpiece seated near it. Strips of bright striped cloth lie on the floor at right.2015-09-17Seated row of sadhus in saffron and orange robes at a feast, facing forward behind silver-plated thalis and steel tumblers on low ornate silver stands. The foreground man at right has a full grey-white beard, long hair, a saffron shawl and a gold-and-bead garland. Next to him, a man with a thick black beard wears a pale peach robe and a heavy gold necklace. Others in orange and saffron sit along the row, some with rudraksha malas, and a standing attendant in pink appears at the upper right beside a brass lamp stand. Gleaming brass lamps and a large kalasha-style vessel stand in the background.2015-09-14September 14 20152015-09-14