From the heart of Trimbakeshwar, home to one of India’s holiest Shiva temples, to nearby Nashik, lensman Hemant Padalkar captures snippets of the everyday and the extraordinary at the 2015 Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela.
It’s been 12 years since 39 devotees were trampled and 57 injured at the Nashik Kumbh Mela. No untoward incident has surfaced thus far at the 2015 Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela (or Simhastha Kumbha Mela Nashik-Trimbakeshwar 2015), but the run-up hasn’t been sans controversy. While the Shri Panch Digambar Ani Akhada (monastic group or sect) banned three of its own sub-groups from participating in the Shahi Snaan (holy dip), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) rejected demands by sadhvis (female ascetics) for separate Shahi Snaan slots.
The day when women will get some say in male-dominated akharas is a distant one. Until then, silent wars between Vaishnavite and Shaivaite akharas are in full swing, with separate baths or kunds for followers of both sects along the banks of the Godavari.
The famed naga sadhus (naked saints) are photographers’ favourite muses during the Kumbh Melas in Nashik, Haridwar, Allahabad and Ujjain, largely for their appearances and showmanship. But as with all stories, there are several that go untold during the holiest of Hindu gatherings. This is a pick of some of those tales.
1. Dread, bath and beyond at the 2015 Kumbh Mela
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Shell of a time: A Vaishnavaite ascetic plays the conch on day two of the Kumbh Mela. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
2. Dread, bath and beyond at the 2015 Kumbh Mela
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Getting on a high horse: The arrival of sadhus at any Kumbh is marked by the Peshwai procession. Seen here are two handlers attempting to bring a horse under control as passersby look on. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
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A sanyasi from the Juna Akhara dressed up as Shiva in Nashik. Juna Akhara has the largest number of naga sadhus, followed by the Niranjani and Mahanirvani akharas. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
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Cop shop: Two policemen and a naga sadhu share a light moment during the Simhastha Kumbha Mela Nashik-Trimbakeshwar 2015. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
5. Dread, bath and beyond at the 2015 Kumbh Mela
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Renunciation is a pivotal part of a sadhu or sanyasin’s life and requires the adherent to shun all forms of ‘material upkeep’. Seen here is a Shaivaite saint from the Mahanirvani sect displaying his long fingernails. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
6. Dread, bath and beyond at the 2015 Kumbh Mela
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(Early) morning glory: Naga sadhus from the Shree Shambhu Panch Darshan Juna Akhara – or Juna Akhara (‘Ancient Circle’) – arrive for the first Shahi Snaan on August 29. While most Vaishnavaite sadhus take the holy dip at sunrise, Shaivaite saints prefer lining up at 3:00-3:30am or before Brahma muhurta (4:24-5:11am). Juna Akhara is always the first to step into the holy waters on account of being the oldest sect. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
7. Dread, bath and beyond at the 2015 Kumbh Mela
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Before the big leap: A group of sadhus at the second Shahi Snaan await their turns to be anointed as naga sadhus after undergoing mass head tonsuring and several initiation rites. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
8. Dread, bath and beyond at the 2015 Kumbh Mela
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A naga sadhu at the second Shahi Snaan (September 13) takes a video of his fellow akhara saints immersed in prayer. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
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Worth his weight in gold: One of the star attractions of the 2015 Nashik Kumbh Mela is ‘Golden Baba’, bedecked in a whopping 11.5kg of solid gold jewellery. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
10. Dread, bath and beyond at the 2015 Kumbh Mela
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A sadhvi takes a dip in the Godavari with her sastra (weapon). Sastras such as swords, central to akhara culture, are worshipped and even purified in the holy rivers of the Kumbh Melas: Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati and Shipra. Image Credit: Hemant Padalkar
