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A crowded outdoor procession of devotees in orange and saffron clothing. In the centre, an ash-smeared sadhu with long grey matted hair and bare upper body holds up a trident-like staff and a red-and-gold canopy with a bird finial. Around him, men in white dhotis and orange headwraps press forward, and a white banner and garlanded poles rise above the throng. No a person appearance cues are clearly visible, so the central figure is described by role only.

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A dense crowd of sadhus and devotees at a Kumbh Mela shahi snaan procession in Ujjain. Many sadhus are smeared with white ash, some with long matted dreadlocks, and one holds a trident and wears a rudraksha mala. Several raise their arms and hands, and a few carry staffs and ceremonial swords. In the foreground a sadhu in saffron clothing and a knitted saffron cap stands with a flower garland. Behind them a red-draped figure carries a decorated trident-topped standard, and a police officer in khaki uniform stands in the crowd. A blue backdrop with a painted figure in orange and red and a printed banner with a portrait are visible above, with strings of lights overhead.2016-05-21May 09th 20162016-05-09Dense crowd of sadhus during a Kumbh-style shahi snan procession. Foreground, a bare-bodied ash-smeared sadhu with matted locks and a yellow marigold garland walks at centre. Behind him, a figure carried on a decorated trident-topped palanquin raises a fist, with a trident and drum visible. Many saffron-robed men, some in red and orange, press through the throng under hazy morning light. Pennants in orange and banners with painted deity imagery line the route; a few uniformed police appear at right.2016-05-09A dense crowd of sadhus and devotees fills a festival procession route at the Ujjain Kumbh Mela. In the centre, a naked, ash-smeared sadhu with long matted dreadlocks raises one arm high while standing on a golden-latticed platform decorated with red and yellow flags. Around him, many people hold up hands, and red saffron-coloured flags with yellow fringe rise on poles. A large trident is visible at right, and a decorated umbrella canopy with red, yellow and blue fringe appears at upper right. Yellow poles with floral garlands line the left side.2016-05-21May 09th 20162016-05-09May 09th 20162016-05-09May 09th 20162016-05-09May 09th 20162016-05-09Crowded outdoor night scene at a Kumbh-style sadhu gathering. Several ash-smeared naked or near-naked ascetics with matted hair stand among onlookers. At left, a man in white kurta with a pink-and-orange cloth and a tilak holds a long orange-wrapped staff. Behind them, a bare-chested man wears a white tank top, and an older bearded sadhu in orange robes stands near the centre. A bare-chested man with a rudraksha mala stands at right beside a black flag. Many spectators in the foreground, one photographing with a phone. No identifiable a person is visible.2016-05-09A dense crowd of ascetic sadhus in a street procession during a Kumbh-style shahi snan, many bare-chested or in saffron cloth, bodies smeared with white ash. In the left foreground a decorated ceremonial standard with marigold garlands and a red and gold canopy is carried on poles. A bearded sadhu in orange cloth with matted locks and a tilaka holds a rudraksha mala, while a man in pink and another sadhu with raised arm and a grey-white beard are in the crowd. Orange flags and banners line the road under hazy sunlight. No individual is clearly identifiable as a person.2016-05-09A crowd of ash-smeared sadhus with long matted hair and beards, wearing yellow and orange marigold garlands and flower crowns, walks through a dense crowd at a Kumbh-style snan procession. A central sadhu raises a long wooden staff overhead, with red tilak on his forehead. Around them, devotees in orange, saffron and white clothing press forward, and a cameraman in a light shirt films the scene from above. Orange flags are held near the lower left, and ornate gold-and-red decorated pillars stand at the right entrance. Several men wear white caps and orange shawls.2016-05-09May 09th 20162016-05-09