Holy waters

Holy waters

Advertisement

Every 12 years the Hindu celebration of the Kumbh Mela or ‘Pitcher Festival’ comes to the northern Indian city of Allahabad. With it come tens of millions of devotees.

The crowds of pilgrims who flock to what is the world’s largest religious festival are here for a special purpose: to cleanse themselves of sin in the sacred river Ganges where it meets other holy waters.

. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Upwards of a million elated Hindu holy men and pilgrims took a bracing plunge in the Ganges on Jan. 14, and officials say that as many as 100 million people could come to take part in the festival over the next two months - making this celebration even larger than previous years.

Audio Track: Ambient sounds of pilgrims praying and washing in the Ganges.

. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

The Kumbh Mela is rooted in the Hindu belief that the God Vishnu fought with demons for a golden pot containing the nectar of immortality, and four drops fell to earth in the cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujain and Nasik. Now every three years a Kumbh Mela celebration is held in one of the four cities - and Allahabad is thought to be the most holy.

. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Devotees of all ages travel from far and wide to take the plunge in the chilly waters. Authorities in the state are said to have installed 35,000 toilets, 550 km (340 miles) of water pipes and 155 km (95 miles) of temporary roads in order to cope with the crowds.

1 / 15

Slideshow

A Hindu priest holds an oil lamp as he performs evening prayers near the banks of the river Ganges ahead of the festival.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

A Hindu priest holds an oil lamp as he performs evening prayers near the banks of the river Ganges ahead of the festival.

A policeman mounted on his horse works to maintain order during the first 'Grand Bath' at the Kumbh Mela.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

A policeman mounted on his horse works to maintain order during the first 'Grand Bath' at the Kumbh Mela.

Crowds of devotees arrive to attend the bath.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Crowds of devotees arrive to attend the bath.

A Sadhu or Hindu holy man brandishes a sword as water is sent flying during the first 'Grand Bath'.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

A Sadhu or Hindu holy man brandishes a sword as water is sent flying during the first 'Grand Bath'.

A devotee pours water from a vessel as he stands submerged in the holy river.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash

A devotee pours water from a vessel as he stands submerged in the holy river.

A holy man smears ashes on his body after taking a dip.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash

A holy man smears ashes on his body after taking a dip.

Another man looks on after having bathed in the water.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Another man looks on after having bathed in the water.

One holy man receives help from some others in tying his hair on the banks of the Ganges.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

One holy man receives help from some others in tying his hair on the banks of the Ganges.

A holy man with his beard and hair tied back sits in a tent by the riverbank.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

A holy man with his beard and hair tied back sits in a tent by the riverbank.

A devotee sprays water from his long hair as he stands in the river.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash

A devotee sprays water from his long hair as he stands in the river.

A man rests after his bathe.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

A man rests after his bathe.

A husband helps his wife take a dip during the first grand bath.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash

A husband helps his wife take a dip during the first grand bath.

A believer washes in the water of the Ganges before the festival begins.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

A believer washes in the water of the Ganges before the festival begins.

A devotee gets dressed again after having taken his wash.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

A devotee gets dressed again after having taken his wash.

A holy man draped in orange clothes stands on the bank of the river during the festival.
. ALLAHABAD, India. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

A holy man draped in orange clothes stands on the bank of the river during the festival.

“A small but important problem arises when editing Kumbh Mela pictures: you get lots of naked men’s genitals standing out in most of your best shots.”
Ahmad Masood, Reuters Photographer

The Kumbh Mela, or ‘Pitcher Festival’, is one of the biggest gatherings of people on earth.

It goes on for 55 days and takes place every 12 years in each of four cities in India: Allahabad, Ujjain, Haridwar and Nashik. During the festival, devotees come from all over India by plane, train and bus to take a dip in the waters that they believe will wash away their sins.

I moved to India from Afghanistan last year and the Mela, as it is called, was one of the assignments I wanted to cover. The challenge for me was to make a clear picture of the masses of people assembled for the holy bath.

A few days before the festival officially started, in temperatures of about zero degrees, I would head out to the riverside every morning at 6 a.m. to illustrate the scene, taking pictures of devotees who arrived from all around.

One of the highlights of the Mela is the Shahi Snan or royal bath, during which thousands of Naga Sadhus or holy men with long hair and beards march naked, smeared in ashes, to the river to take a bath.

Other activities include religious processions by holy men and devotees. Some ride in chariots but most are on foot. Religious music plays as performances take place, sometimes with the accompaniment of elephants

On Monday, at around 5 a.m., the first group of naked holy men marched towards the riverside. Some held axes and swords, some wore flowers around their necks, some wore nothing, but all cheered and roared as they jumped in the waters. Police had cleared the area of ordinary devotees, and journalists were pushed aside.

Taking photographs was pretty easy; you just needed to get in the cold water and make sure you didn’t get knocked down by the excited pilgrims or by overexcited members of the media.

One thing I learnt: protect yourself and protect your equipment even more.

There was an abundance of opportunities to take pictures, but the aim was to get the very best and nothing less. This meant scanning through hundreds of people, splashing water and changing light among singing and running pilgrims – both men and women, young and old.

A small but important problem arises when editing Kumbh Mela pictures: you get lots of naked men’s genitals standing out in most of your best shots. But if you were lucky, a splash of water or a flower bed would have covered the private parts.

The experience was very intense, and left my brain struggling sometimes with the tens of thousands of images, but the experience was certainly worth it.

All said and done, I found it was one big competition of “who gets in the water first”: pilgrims running to get the first dip, journalists running to get the first picture and police running to stop them.

(Writing by Ahmad Masood; Editing by Hannah Vinter)