Face in Powder Holi – known as the ‘festival of colours’ or the ‘festival of love’ – is a joyful occasion.
Today is Holi: the much-loved Hindu ‘festival of colours’.
In India and Nepal, Holi is celebrated for a night and a day: starting on the full-moon evening of the month of Phalguna or Phalgun on the Hindu calendar. This usually falls somewhere between the end of February and the middle of March, according to the Gregorian calendar. This year, Holi is on March 21; two years ago – when I was in Nepal as part of a photographic group with travel photographer Gavin Gough and photojournalist Jack Kurtz – it was observed on March 12.
The first written mention of Holi dates to a poem from the 4th century. Then, it was a celebration of the start of Spring, and a thanks for fertile soils and a good early harvest. Today, it also celebrates the victory of good over evil: one story is that it is a symbolic representation of a legend from Hindu mythology, with full-moon bonfires commemorating the victory of Prince Prahlada, a worshiper of Lord Vishnu, over his resentful demon-king father and demon-aunt who tried to murder him by fire.
Holi is the time to rid oneself of flaws, to end conflicts with others, and to forgive debts and grievances. But, mostly, the day is for partying and pure fun. Armed with water guns and coloured powder, people (especially – though not exclusively – young people) roam the streets in groups, covering everyone they see in colour. Many groups carry drums and other musical instruments as they sing and dance from place to place. In Nepal, Holiis a public holiday, so the streets and city squares are full of revellers.
Out doors, everyone is fair game, and it pays to wear clothing one is not attached to! The colours are meant to be water-based (traditionally, natural dyes from turmeric, neem, dhak, and kumkum; today, more commonly commercial pigments); in practice, they are messy. I had plastic covers taped over my cameras, and was wearing light-coloured clothing that I was willing to leave behind, an old scarf to protect my hair, and goggles over my glasses.
I was prepared for almost anything as we headed into the ancient Newar city-state of Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley, just a short drive from our hotel in Kathmandu.
Face-Powder in the Crowd The town square is crowded with young Nepali looking to apply colour to anyone they find, but the mood is friendly and respectful: …
Model in the Crowd … a model in traditional costume (who is in the square for a formal photo-shoot) passes through the crowd untouched. This is in stark contrast with stories I have heard out of India, of visitors being roughly handled while being covered in powder.
Into the Streets of Bhaktapur Laughing and singing, the group moves off into the old city.
Powders on the Pavers Traditional colour are made from medicinal herbs prescribed by Āyurvedic doctors, and are thought to prevent Spring fevers and colds. They are sold in the weeks before Holi – …
Colours for Sal … but there are plenty available on the day.
Boy with Colour on his Nose Most of the colour I see is cheerful, …
Old Newari Woman … but some of it is more traditional vermillion tilaka.
Wearing Colour Groups of young people are all around, …
Pasting Colour … happily plastering each other …
Young Woman with Face Powder … with cheerful Holi colours.
Smile in Powder The broad smiles are as warm as the sunny morning.
Powder Selfie Just like young people the world over, the friends in the square pose for selfies.
Group on a Lion Holi is a time for friends: they gather in groups around the earthquake-damaged relics in the city, …
‘Colour Gang’ in the Street … and roam the narrow, cobbled roads; …
Like Tevye in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ … some of them singing and dancing, accompanied by drums, flutes, and tambourines.
Friends in the Sun Everywhere, groups of friends are giggling and laughing as they fill the streets with colour.
Powdering Faces Holi gives young people the opportunity to test out relationships.
Blue Man
Water Spray from Above At an intersection, people at a window high up pour water onto the group of revellers gathered below.
Face Powder and Frivolity
Crowds in the Square
Face Powder Flying The powder goes everywhere; …
Exchanging Face Powder … some of it even lands on its target.
‘One of Us’ Visitors to Bhaktapur are having almost as much fun as the locals.
Unlike other Hindus festivals, there are no religious requirements around Holi; people can simply relax, celebrate, and have fun. This is probably part of what makes it one of the favourite local holidays.
Chef Orlando Lardi Making Pizzoccheri Wherever you go in Europe, you find al fresco dining and unique regional cuisines. In Val Poschiavo – a valley in the Italian-speaking corner of Switzerland – buckwheat, or what the locals call ‘Saracen wheat’, is a dietary staple. Pizzoccheri, a tagliatelle made from buckwheat, wheat flour, and a range of vegetables, is a much-loved local speciality.
I loveEurope!
I love the history in the stones and buildings. I love the food and wine. I love how every place is so different from its neighbour. I love how accessible those places (generally) are by rail, and how train journeys are (usually) clean, safe and efficient.
Of course, we were travelling the easy way: we were in Switzerland, and train trips there are as clean, safe and efficient as they come. And, we had the added advantage of touring with Swiss friends who knew the region well.
The first part of this particular trip had taken us – by train – from Pfäffikon in the canton of Zürich, and through the magnificent Bernina Pass to Alp Grüm, before dropping into the Val Poschiavo (see: Railway Dreaming). Our travel companions had family working in the town of Poschiavo, so we broke our rail trip south for an overnight stop before picking the train up again the next day.
Poschiavo is a town of just over 3,500 people, situated in the southernmost corner of Switzerland. The Bernina Pass is the town’s only direct connection to the majority of the canton of Grisons or Graubünden, and the remainder of the country. The official language in the surrounding valley is Italian – although the canton as a whole recognises Swiss German and Romansh as well – and it is easier to get into Italy than back to the rest of Switzerland.
We were looking forward to being on solid ground after a morning on the train – and to taste-testing the unique local foods.
Village in a Valley Our train has transported us south through a magnificent mountainous landscape before dropping into the Val Poschiavo (see: Railway Dreaming). Our travelling companions have family in the town of Poschiavo, so we broke our rail trip south on the UNESCO-listedBernina Express to meet them for lunch. (iPhone6)
Chef Orlando Lardi The best short-cut to good dining is local knowledge. We follow our friends into town, and find Orlando Lardi, one of the general managers of Hostaria del Borgo, outside his restaurant making the local speciality: pizzoccheri. Also known as pizzoccheri alla valtellinese, this hearty alpine dish is popular throughout this valley that runs along the Swiss border and into Italy.
Pizzoccheri on the Boil Like any other pasta, the trick is fresh ingredients: combined with love and kept on the boil until al dente. The vegetables – most commonly chunks of potato, cabbage, and Swiss chard – are put in the pot first, and the pasta is added once they are partially cooked.
Ingredients In addition to the basic tagliatelle ingredients of eggs and flour (buckwheat and plain wheat), pizzoccheri rely on the extra staples of garlic, potato, cabbage, Swiss chard, butter, cheese, sage, and mountain herbs.
Plating up the Buckwheat Noodles Chef Orli dishes up an order of pizzoccheri. No one is quite sure where the name comes from: some say it is from piz, meaning a ‘little bit’ in the local dialect. Others think it comes from the Italian pinzare, ‘to pinch’; others claim it’s from the dialect word bizzo, meaning ‘a mouthful’.
Cheesing the Noodles The dish is rich enough for cold winter weather: full of sage-and-garlic infused butter, bitto (a semi-soft Alpine cheese), and freshly grated Parmesan.
Pizzoccheri Noodles Of course, the main ingredient is a love of food and cooking; we enjoyed every mouthful.
The West Portal Once we could move again after our hearty meal, we set off to explore the small town. Our first stop was at the medieval collegiate church of San Vittore il Moro, with its west door carved in Baroque style. The building is listed as a Swiss Heritage site of national significance.
Inside the Collegiate Church of San Vittore il Moro It is an elaborate church for a small town – and it isn’t the only one! The populace of Switzerland is predominantly Christian, dating back to the Roman era. According to the 2014-2016 census, members of the Catholic Church (37.2%) outnumber those in the Swiss Reformed Church (25.0%), with other Protestants adding only a small percentage (2.9%). That is especially true in this area, in the mountainous canton of Grisons or Graubünden, where the practice of Protestantism was forbidden for a time by a treaty in 1622, following battles between competing factions wanting control over the alpine passes. Here in Poschiavo, 86% of residents are Roman Catholic.
Piazza Comunale The late-summer weather is beautiful, and the restaurants spill outside into the piazza.
Sausages in the Square It is market day – or maybe every day is market day?
Bone Edelweiss The outdoor market includes tourist trinkets and carved handicrafts. Naturally, renderings of the country’s national symbol are on offer.
Budding Photographer A young visitor to the market …
“Smile!” … and I take pictures of each other.
Mountains Overhead Our sunny afternoon is framed by glorious mountains…
Another Plaza … and elegant 19th century Renaissance architecture. The market stalls line several streets in the borgo (village).
Casa Comunale la Tor (1712) Flags, geraniums and bicycles: what could be more Swiss?
Reformed Church Built in 1649, the Reformed Church of Poschiavo …
Reformed Church Interior … is much simpler inside than its Roman Catholic counterpart.
Geraniums Every where is tidy – and embellished with flowers.
Skulls in the Chapel The tiny Oratorio Sant’Anna has/is an ossuary, and has countless skulls arranged on shelves: the oratory operates as a mortuary chapel.
Oratorio Sant’Anna … especially when contrasted with the ornate altar, dating to about 1740.
Ossuary – Oratorio Sant’Anna Chalk drawings depicting the cult of the dead, surrounded by skulls, are an eerie sight, …
Between the Skulls A porthole in the ossuary looks out over a garden full of new life.
Skull Although the Oratorio Sant’Anna dates back to 1439, and the railings on the portico leading into it date to 1732, it has only been used as an ossuary since 1902-1903.
Crossing into Italy Later that evening, our hosts drove us across the border and into the Italian hills, where we ate at a wonderful little family restaurant in what used-to-be a mountain-raider’s hide out. (iPhone6)
That’s what I love about Europe: you can be in Switzerland for lunch, wander through history all afternoon, and still drive to Italy for dinner.
And of course, in both countries, the food was fresh and wonderful.
[…] to visit with friends and family and to enjoy the sights in this small Italian-speaking town (see: Switzerland for Lunch). We were up early the following morning to take the next leg of the journey: across the Italian […]ReplyCancel
[…] the Bernina circuit, travelling with Swiss friends (See: Railway Dreaming; Spirals from Poschiavo; Switzerland for Lunch; and The Crossroads of the Passes). We had arrived in Lugano on the red Bernina Express Bus […]ReplyCancel
Looking over the Mountains of Central Province It takes a lot of steps to climb to the top of Sigiriya – the 200 metre monolith in Sri Lanka’s Central Province – but even on a rainy day, the view from the top is well worth the effort.
Sometimes, it would be nice to have a tour guide.
Someone, for example, who speaks English and the local language, and who knows where the ticket-office is. Someone who can give you an idea of what to expect, and can tell you a bit about what you are seeing.
If I had been willing to pay the inflated prices quoted for visits to local attractions by the resort that I was staying at, I suppose I would have had all that and an air-conditioned car. But, when prices in Asia are listed in US dollars, you know you will be paying well-over market value!
I was travelling solo on a trip that had been originally planned for two, and had been dropped at a property in North Central Province, Sri Lanka: in the middle of rice paddies – in the middle of nowhere. And, it was raining. A lot.
To say I was feeling a bit isolated and trapped would be an understatement: especially when I read the fees for transport options in my compendium!
So, I took advantage of a break in the weather, google-mapped the route to the nearest town, and set off on a bicycle to negotiate day-trips with a local tuk-tuk driver. With a lot of sign-language and the help of half the neighbourhood, I arranged to have him take me to Sigiriya, the UNESCO-heritage listed ruins of an ancient stronghold about an hour south of me.
Sigiriya (Sinhagiri– සීගිරිය), or Lion Rock, is an ancient palace and fortress complex, built between 477 and 485 CE by King Kashyapa I (reigned 473–495), high upon the monolithic remains of a magma plug from a long-eroded volcano.
My driver was lovely – or seemed so, considering we had no language in common. I’d coordinated the final details with the help of a reception clerk, and I was confident we’d be fine. I packed an umbrella and a raincoat, and the tuk-tuk had roll-down plastic windows; we set off into the rain and hoped for better weather.
When we finally arrived in the Sigiriya parking lot, it was not clear where I needed to go to buy tickets – nothing was signposted, and naturally none of the guys hanging around smoking spoke English any better than my driver. Somehow, I managed to wend my way through the endless corridors of some sort of featureless administration building, find a counter with a person at it, and purchase an entry ticket. Clearly, most visitors have guides who do this for them.
Once I’d retraced my steps back to my tuk-tuk driver, I discovered that a “local guide” had latched himself onto us: for a price, he’d take me into the site. It wasn’t clear to me whether I had to use his services or not, so it seemed easiest to agree.
And it was still raining …
Rain in the Rice Patties The rain-flooded countryside is quite beautiful as we chug along in our three-wheeled tuk tuk. (iPhone6)
Entrance to Sigiriya The rock-fortress of Sigiriya is considered one of the most important examples of urban planning from the first millennium, and sits amid one of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. Visitor entry to the city-complex is through these gardens.
Rain over the Rock The gardens are divided into three forms: the first of which are the water gardens. Lion Rock (Sigiriya or Sinhagiri) rises up through the rain clouds in the background.
People on the Steps Umbrellas are everywhere as the rains continue and we climb from the outer water gardens towards the cave and boulder gardens.
Deraniyagala Cave This whole area is dotted with caves, many of which were occupied by Buddhist monks and ascetics from as early as the 3rd century BCE.
People on the Steps Paths and steps wind up (and down) through a combination of bricked terraces …
Boulder Arch No 1 … and natural rock. Caves either side of this boulder archway have been used since before the days of King Kashyapa I.
Monkey on the Steps Watch your belongings! Anywhere tourists gather in Sri Lanka, the endemic toque macaques (Macaca sinica) will try to take advantage.
Posing on the Lion Steps Nothing quite prepares you for this massive monolith rising up out of the plateau at the top of the terraced gardens. There was once a sculpted lion’s head over the entrance, but it has long since collapsed.
Lion Paws The massive carved feet that flank the stairway give some idea of the animal’s size. There are 1200 steps leading up the lion’s sides: through the frescos and mirror wall, and to the top of the rock.
Buddha in the Distance The rains have stopped, but clouds still hang over the surrounding jungle and mountains.
Dog on a Wall A local dog keeps an eye on me as I take in the view.
Heavenly Maidens No photos of the wall paintings decorating the western face of the rock are allowed, so I’ll share a postcard with you. These frescos date back to the 5th century CE .
Looking Down Looking back down over the lion’s paws, the people on the plateau look very small, and it is easy to imaging the jungle reclaiming the rocky outcrop.
South Palace Complex The outlines of the old fortress at the top of the rock are amazing. The palace was in use until King Kashyapa was defeated by the rightful heir to the throne, his half-brother Moggallana in 495 CE. Moggallana converted Sigiriya into a Buddhist monastery complex.
The Ruins The footings of the old citadel are extensive and – with the recent rains – full of water like swimming pools.
People at the Top of Sigiriya
Over the Mountains The views over the countryside extend in all directions.
Rice Fields of the Central Province It is easy to see why the patricidal usurper of the throne, Kashyapa I, chose this site over the less-secure capital of Anuradhapura.
The Broken Lion When I climb back down from lion, the plateau is less crowded, allowing me to get a better view of the front.
Walking Down Walking down from the plateau, we follow a different path through the layers of gardens.
Audience Hall The wooden walls and roof are long gone, but the polished “floor” on this boulder – now split in two – was the base of the Audience Hall where King Kashyapa conducted affairs of state.
Asana Guhawa Cave Another cave, showing giant traces of the paintings that once decorated it, sits under …
Cobra Hood Rock … the strange outcrop known as Cobra Hood Rock. Personally, I think it looks more like an elephant trunk.
As soon as my “local guide” received his payment at the bottom of the hill, he disappeared. I’m still not sure if I was required to have one; nor am I sure that he actually added any value, as it turns out, the site is much better marked than the ticket office!
Still, I enjoyed exploring –
and I knew that the tuk tuk driver I had organised myself would get me home in time for dinner.
[…] After making it back to the resort safely, my driver and I were both enboldened, and with the help of a translator, we agreed arrangements for a trip further afield the next day (see: Sigiriya). […]ReplyCancel
Sunrise on the Ramshead Range It was cold – bitterly cold and windy – as we waited for the sun to rise over the Australian Alps in Thredbo, Kosciuszko National Park. Cold – but worth the wait.
Mountains are the home of my soul.
Wherever I have lived, aside from a brief stint in the flat, endless oasis that is the CanadianPrairies, my eyes have been pulled to the nearby hills and mountains. Whenever I need healing time, or the space to just “be”, those mountains have attracted me.
Any regular visitor to these pages knows that I often visit the Snowy Mountains of Australia for some quiet contemplation, especially as one year slips into the next. I find these sojourns in nature restorative.
After an intensely difficult year last year, I needed more time-out than usual. So it was fortuitous that an ad for the first-ever Yoga & Wellness Mountain Retreat at the Thredbo Alpine Village in Kosciuszko National Park crossed my path. I didn’t have to think about it for long: it seemed to be exactly what I required. I had been wanting to expand my yoga practice for some time, and I was going to be in the mountains anyway for my usual New Year’s break. I had been planning to stay through for the annual Thredbo Blues Festival: the timing couldn’t have been more perfect!
And perfect it was.
I spent three weeks tucked into my Jindabyne nest, with regular visits to Thredbo for walks, yoga, and music.
Join me for a few of the highlights.
Walking on the Ramshead Naturally, our Yoga & Wellness Mountain Retreat included regular yoga sessions. But, it also included a couple of lovely guided walks. The first was following the Dead Horse Gap track, down the Ramshead.
Silver Snow Daisies I’m always cheered up by the sight of silver snow daisies …
Billy Buttons … and sunny yellow billy buttons, both of which are only found in Australia’s southeastern mountains.
Talking about Wim Hof As part of the retreat, we learned a little about Wim Hof breathing and ice baths from instructor Leah Scott. I’ll spare you the pictures of me turning blue in a mountain stream!
Caterpillars in the Kosciuszko Rose All around us, there are reminders of life’s possibilities.
Yoga Mats Ready Very, very, early the next morning – before the sun was up – we were once again on the Ramshead, ready to practice our Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation.
Sunrise on the Ramshead The cold and wind defeated us, however, and we satisfied ourselves with just watching the sun rise over the ranges.
Mount Kosciuszko Walkway Following a boxed breakfast (out of the wind), we set off on another “guided” walk: …
People on the Walkway … this time, up the hill via the metal walkway that leads to mainland-Australia’s highest “peak”, the top of Mount Kosciuszko.
The New South Trio A week later, I was back at the Alpine Hotel in Thredbo: this time for the annual Thredbo Blues Festival.The highly-regarded New South Trio opened the weekend at The Pub.
Harry (and Aidan) – The New South These accomplished blues, jazz, soul, and funk musicians have wowed audiences at the festival before, but this is the first year that guitarists Harry and Aidan have been old enough to play inside the licensed venues!
Empty Stage I love the delicious anticipation of an empty stage!
Anna Scionti Of course, it is SO much better when the performers take their rightful place. Anna Scionti has a passion for guitars – and for story-telling songs.
Hussy Hicks I didn’t wander around as much this year as I usually do, but I couldn’t resist sneaking upstairs to the Schuss Bar to catch one of my festival-favourites: the folk-roots-rockers, Hussy Hicks.
Leesa Gentz and Julz Parker The soaring vocals of Leesa Gentz, and Julz Parker’s virtuoso guitar, are at once powerful and intimate, drawing the audience into their world of original songs..
Ivor SK By complete contrast, back in the Lounge Bar, gravel-voiced Ivor Simpson Kennedy sings early Mississippi-Delta blues classics.
Fiona Boyes Billed as a blues musician, I think singer-songwriter-guitarist Fiona Boyes absolutely rocks!
Julz Parker and Kane Dennelly One of the high-points of festivals is the collaboration that happens: Hussy Hicks join 19Twenty during their crowded and crowd-pleasing performance in the Keller Bar.
Cameron Fallaw The other beauty of festivals is the breadth of music on offer. Playing country honky-tonk, …
James Cisco … The Excellent Smithers fill The Lounge Bar with sound.
Jordan Thomas Trio On the Saturday morning, I stopped Poolside briefly before heading up the chairlift …
Shane Pacey … to the Eagle’s Nest Restaurant for lunch, and the Shane Pacey Trio, …
The Top of Merritt’s Nature Track Lunch at the Eagle’s Nest gives me the opportunity to walk Merritt’s Nature Track back down to Thredbo Village below.
Mal Eastick with the Cyril B Bunter Band … and guest Mal Eastick. These are stalwarts of the Australian blues scene, …
Dancing Feet … and not music you can sit still to!
Nick Charles & Pete Fidler I love the laid-back atmosphere of the Thredbo Blues, but the tiny, back-lit venues are not always conducive to clear views or good photos.
Pete Fidler on LapSteel Guitar The music, however, is always wonderful!
Hussy Hicks I booked myself into the Burger Bar for dinner and Hussy Hicks; …
Julz and her Shadow … Julz’ passion is unmistakable, …
Leesa Gentz … and Leesa’s joyfulness is infectious.
Russell Morris I finished my night in the Kosciuszko Room: if Russell Morris is playing, I’ll be there!
Dom Turner and the Backsliders The festival organisers made my Sunday easy, …
Backsliders … putting several of my old favourites on at the same place.
Peter Robinson’s Guitar
That Look! Peter Robinson
Jordan Thomas Trio I rounded out my mountain-time with a bitter-sweet dinner-for-one and the lively, youthful accompaniment of the Jordan Thomas Trio.
It was restorative.
I drove off the mountain – still sad, but in command. Mountains, yoga and music make anything manageable.
Men in White One of the many beauties of India is the willingness of people on the street to engage with you, and to be photographed.
Kumbh Melas are among the largest religious gatherings in the world.
According to the BBC News, which published pictures of the 2001 Allahabad Kumbh Mela taken from space, that particular mela was “probably the largest human gathering in history”. The more recent mela in Allahabad (Prayagraj) in 2013 attracted an estimated 120 million devotees over a two month period, with over 30 million bathing on the most auspicious day of the Mauni Amawasya (10 February 2013).
A Kumbh Mela – literally a festival of the kumbh – is a mass pilgrimage during which Hindu faithful gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. Based on the primary concepts of pilgrimage, religious practice, and sacred sites, the Kumbh Melas were inscribed into UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017.
A kumbh (or kumbha) is a special pot or pitcher used to collect holy water. It is the also the Hindi name for the astrological sign Aquarius (कुम्भ). In Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist mythology, the kumbha symbolises fertility and the womb. According to Hindu legend, gods and demons fought over a kumbh of nectar that would give them immortality. Today, bathing in India’s sacred rivers during the festival is believed to cleanse a person of all their sins, and free them from the cycle of death and rebirth. Most pilgrims carry kumbh – or other containers, including plastic water bottles – with them, so that they can take holy waters home to loved ones who are unable to make the journey.
There are four main sites in Northern India where Kumbh Melas take place: Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayagraj), Trimbak-Nashik, and Ujjain. The precise date of each mela is carefully calculated based on the the placement of Jupiter (Bṛhaspati), the Sun (Surya) and the Moon (Chandra) in Hindu astrology. Each of these four sites hosts a Kumbh Mela, which lasts six to eight weeks, once every twelve years – and some venues host an Ardh Kumbh Mela (semi kumbh fair) in between.
My news feed has been full of shots from the Ardh Kumbh Mela currently underway in in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. This prompted me to return to my archives to pull out pictures I took when I attended the 2010 Kumbh Mela in Haridwar with photographers Gavin Gough and Matt Brandon.
Such a long time ago!
That wasn’t my first trip to India, but it was my first time dealing crowds of that magnitude: on our third day there, the Mauni Amawasya, approximately 10 million people bathed in the Ganges. Most of my small group watched the Peshwai Procession, where the different akhara – or sects – of sadhus take their turns to bathe, from the relative comfort of our hotel lobby rather from the over-crowded ghats. Lucky, really, as seven people were killed in a stampede on the bridges that afternoon – “an unfortunate day in what was almost an incident-free [four-month] megafest for over five crore [50,000,000] devotees from across India.”
What I remember of my days at the culmination of that year’s fair in Haridwar, was the positive vibe across the city. Everyone I met – from local residents and shopkeepers, to pilgrims and sadhus – was full of positive energy and good humour. Even the air – with highs of 38°C most days – was buzzing with heat and energy.
Returning to old photos, taken on an old camera, is always risky. But, I miss India – and dipping into old pictures is the best I can do! These are from my first day in Haridwar – I’m sure I’ll return to the others at some stage.
Come and meet some of the faces in the crowd at the mela.
Pilgrims on the Road When we arrived in Haridwar, the streets were already full of vehicles and pilgrims on foot.
Woman in Yellow There is colour all around: the saris of the women contrast with the walls behind them – …
Women in Pink … as do the patterned pink kurtis.
Three Men in White People are seated all along the roadway, just taking a break or watching the incoming parade.
Doorway One of the things I love about India is the richness of colour and texture where ever you look.
Japamala Prayer Beads Religious paraphernalia is for sale everywhere.
Rickshaw All forms of transport are in use on the road.
Pilgrims on the Road Family groups are keen to be photographed as they travel into town together.
Mother and Child on the Road
Matriarch
Baby in the Crowd
Pilgrims on the Road
Men in Orange
Group Resting I shared more than one cup of masala chai with groups of pilgrims as they made their way into the city for the mela from all around the country.
Kumbh Couple Attending the mela was the dream of a lifetime for many of them.
Inside a Tuk Tuk Our group piles into a local tuk tuk …
Almost Abstract: Inside a Tuk Tuk … for the bumpy ride up the hill …
Overlooking Haridwar … to take advantage of views over the city.
Tuk Tuk Driver Our driver stays close to his vehicle …
Bridges over the Ganges … as we admire the city below.
Uttarakhand Police Officer Even the police officers are friendly as they keep watch at the check-point.
Woman Carrying a Bag People keep walking past the check point, …
Bathing in the Ganges … while those who arrived earlier are already bathing in the holy waters below.
Hindu Offerings Shops selling religious paraphernalia line the road into the city.
Young Aladdin in the Crowd Back down the hill, closer to the river, the streets are getting fuller.
Women on the Road
Man in Saffron
Men on a Balcony Overhead, locals or those already installed in hotels and guesthouses watch on.
Mounted Police Police on horse back keep the crowds in order.
Street Selfie I couldn’t resist taking a photo of myself in the crowd!
Women in the Street And the pilgrims keep coming.
Everyone was so happy!
I was thrilled to be a part of it; such a pity we can’t be like that every day.
[…] is not the first time I’ve returned to this old set of photo-files (see: Faces in the Crowd), but digging through the archives and dusting off some of the pictures I made of the exuberantly […]ReplyCancel
[…] written about the Kumbh Mela before (see: Faces in the Crowd; Crowds on the Move; and Colours in the Crowd). Considered the world’s largest […]ReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
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