Simhastha Kumbh Mela Photo

Photographer’s Note

Naga Sadhus gathered at the banks of Shipra river in Ujjain for the Shahi Snan (holy bath) during the Simhastha Kumbh Mela.
The Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is an event, which the devout Hindus wait for 12 years. The month-long congregation brings together millions of people from across India and abroad. Driven by faith and the quest for inner peace, they converge on this holy city to be a part of a unique bathing festival.
Braving the scorching sun of April-May the devotees enjoy the company of seers and saints, listen to religious discourses, witness the Ramlilas and Raslilas, visit the various 'akharas', watch the grand processions of sadhus and take holy dips in the Sipra river. They imbibe the spirit of the devotion-filled ambience where Lord Shiva is omnipresent. The sea of humanity gets harmonized into a single entity, overcoming all divisive thoughts.
To them this is a lifetime experience.
Ujjain is located on the Tropic of Cancer, the prime meridian of India. The Vikram Samvatsar originated in this ancient city. According to Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen, there is something very striking about the consistency of Ujjain’s dominance in Indian time accounting. The city was an important centre of astronomy in the Gupta period. Varahmihir, the renowned astronomer, had worked in Ujjain. In the 18th century, Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur constructed the famous observatory at Ujjain to encourage astronomical studies and to popularize astronomy amongst the people.

Cuba-Junky, jijok76, oochappan, nethrafotos, s10001in, giannispap, overflow_l, postvikram, goodwill, babri, noir, Liekje, arjun_das, ramesh_lalwani, Wanda1, prumod, noborders has marked this note useful

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giannispap (263) 2006-05-10 9:44 [Comment]

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s10001in (1487) 2006-05-10 9:46 [Comment]

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saharafree (0) 2006-05-10 9:48

Impressive and fantastic picture . It remembers me Baraka (or a Tunick Indian version ), cultural and ethnical impact with all the ingredients , colours , maybe lacks a bit of sharpness but the effect is astonishing and original . Interesting note , too . Best regards !!

oochappan (22036) 2006-05-10 10:06

Great subject, great note and excellent POV perpsective.
I really read the whole note first, a unique 12-year happening showing how vivant religious is still present in India.
OK , the lesser quality is forgiven, is it a scan ? I see no camera ....

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overflow_l (24) 2006-05-12 7:10

hi sunil,
this is so impressive photo!
i like it because of this moment of tradition reality in india,
ciao
lila

postvikram (1199) 2006-05-12 7:25

Hey Sunil,
Greetings from Chennai.This is a nice capture. Its amazing to learn about this and also see the amount of faith and devotion.
Very well done -TFS - Vikram

goodwill (4035) 2006-05-13 13:54

Shukla ji, this photograph may lead you to Immortality.

nika (0) 2006-05-17 17:02

Hello Sunil!!
it's a very interesting photo of this ceremony! Very unusula and special! I like the composition of your photo!
Thanks!
my best regards,
Anette

sujith2karthik (1) 2006-06-15 3:53 [Comment]

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sebinho342 (18808) 2006-07-07 4:50

Hi Sunil, what an original picture !!!!! Waowww that's very stunning !! You show us you country in a beautiful way, the picture is reeally amazing ... all my congratulations and keep on posting !!
:)

sarju (5308) 2006-07-21 9:35

Hello Sir ji
you definitely had an excellent pov for taking this photo .... very impressed by what you captured. I am not really bothered by the quality of the photo as what you have captured is xcellent
tfs .. regards ... sarju
PS: this one is going straight to one of my themes about india

joerumilus (258) 2006-09-04 0:40

Wow . It is realy great photo man. Good POV. also you given very good information. I really surpurised how u taken this picture. The yoehi are allowed to take pictures?

Rumilus

Wanda1 (11195) 2006-09-10 8:07

Hi Sunil,
A nice shot of this interesting event, nice angle that you have used.
Regards
Wanda

eversmile (6975) 2007-02-27 5:33

An incredible shot! The composition is excellent, the scene impressive. I like that you captured also all this electrical stuff, which creates a duality with the sannyasin's nudity. I have experienced a yatra many years ago (From Pahalgam to Amarnath, in Kashmir) but it was not that crowded. I just can imagine how strange and exciting it can be in Kumbha Mela. Certainly a bit frightening, specially for westerners, as much as surrealistic.
Thanks for this rare photo from a very unusual moment.
Greetings,
Marine

prumod (8264) 2007-04-22 10:33

hi sunil...
it's informative... it's also part of indian culture...
how could you capture this... they allowed camera?
greetings...

noborders (14201) 2007-05-30 14:23

Fascinating story and photo ! I learned a lot here, and the photo has a rather funny aspect to me (maybe lost to you) : I used to be in a swimming team and those naga sadhus make me think of us, ready to dive into the water...

Apart from that stupid idea of mine, I wish I could one day see such an event, but with my fear of noise...

Great photo, TFS, and this too, I'll add to my theme !
Cath.