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A long row of saffron-robed sadhus and sannyasis sits cross-legged on mats, eating from silver thalis set on a long low silver-decorated table. A server in white dhoti and red shawl pours from a metal vessel, while another man in a red shawl and gold necklaces ladles food onto plates. Behind them a large hall holds a seated audience and ornate gilded altar decorations. Sadhus with long hair and beards are prominent in the foreground, with orange robes and rudraksha beads visible.

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September 12 20152015-09-12September 11 20152015-09-11 +1 copiesA bhandara feast line in which seated sadhus in saffron and orange robes are served from long rows of polished silver thalis and bowls. Volunteers wearing white dhotis with gold-bordered cloth and white hair-nets lean forward with metal ladles and pots, serving food, and a bearded sadhu in orange on the left holds his hands together in greeting. Marigold garlands hang on the serving pots and along the table edge. A long silver-topped serving table runs across the frame, and a bald sadhu in the lower left leans in. Several other volunteers and sadhus are partly visible at the top and right edges.2016-05-05A long row of seated priests and sadhus performs a ritual at a decorated table with silver plates and marigold garlands. Men in saffron and orange robes with grey beards and bare heads sit on the right, offering flowers and lit lamps. Several men in white dhotis with red sacred threads and rudraksha-style necklaces, one with white sandalwood paste on his arms, hold silver trays on the left. In the background, a standing figure in white holds a lamp, and a gilded ornate throne with a golden canopy sits in the upper right, with a tall brass kalasha beside it. A red turban is visible among the saffron-clad men. Marigold garlands line the table.2015-09-11 +1 copiesPhotograph of sadhus seated cross-legged at silver-edged low tables during a meal at the Kumbh camp. In the foreground right, a bearded sadhu with long grey hair wears an orange-saffron robe with a gold-embroidered orange shawl, orange tilak on his forehead, and a rudraksha mala; he holds a spoon over a silver thali. Beside him, another bearded sadhu in saffron robes eats from a metal plate. To the left, a woman in a deep red turban and gold necklace sits among saffron-robed men, and a bald man in orange sits at the far left. Behind them, a standing attendant in white with a medal-like pendant and a golden ornate canopy frame the scene, with water bottles on the tables.2015-09-11September 11 20152015-09-11September 14 20152015-09-14 +1 copiesA photograph of a row of seated senior sadhus and mahants eating a feast at ornate silver-toned low tables, with water bottles and food-laden plates in front of each. Foreground: a white-bearded man in a bright orange silk kurta with glasses and a rudraksha mala eats from a plate. Next to him, a bearded elder in peach-coloured robes with glasses eats with his right hand. Further along, a bald-headed man in orange and a turbaned man in red-orange sit at the table, and more saffron-robed sadhus with long white beards continue down the line. A standing attendant in white with a red-and-white cloth and a brass bowl stands in the background, with a deity murti and red drapes behind. This is a bandara-style annadan meal. No person in this image has been identified as a person by appearance.2015-09-11 +1 copiesPhotograph of a long seated row of sadhus at a ritual feast in an ornate hall. Robed sadhus in saffron and pink, many wearing orange and marigold garlands, sit cross-legged behind silver thali trays on a low table. In the foreground a man in a white dhoti with an orange shawl and sandalwood tilak on his forehead holds a steel plate and serves food. Further along, a bearded sadhus in pink robes and a pink turban and an older white-bearded sadhus in pink with marigold garlands sit with palms pressed together. Many more devotees and attendants stand or sit along the row, some with bare shoulders and some in orange and white clothing.2015-09-14A long row of seated men at a ceremonial banquet or ritual meal, holding lit oil lamps in silver plates along a silver-covered table. In the foreground, men in white and cream clothes with sandalwood-paste and vibhuti on their foreheads hold brass lamps with flames. Along the right, several elder sadhus in saffron-orange robes wear marigold garlands, with one bearded elder in dark-rimmed glasses and yellow tilak. A figure in a red turban sits near the back. Behind them, an ornate gilded shrine arch glows with warm light. Orange marigold garlands lie on the table.2015-09-11 +2 copiesSeptember 14 20152015-09-14A row of saffron-robed sadhus with flower garlands sits along a long silver-covered table while attendants in red and white ritual dress hold brass plates with lit oil lamps toward them in an aarti-style offering. The seated men have white and grey beards and shaved or swept-back hair, and wear orange and saffron cloth with marigold garlands. Behind them an ornate gold-toned arch and decorated shrine structure glow with warm lights. The attendants wear red shawls, sacred threads and tilak marks on their foreheads. The scene resembles a formal bandara or honouring ceremony for Mahanirvani akhada leaders. No single figure is clearly identifiable as a person from appearance, so no candidate is marked.2015-09-11