Maha Kumbh Mela 2025
For approximately 2 years I wishing and planning to be there on Maha Kumbh and I did it! I was there, on the holy place in the holy time, on the biggest festival on the planet, the greatest festival of all times!!!
Sara took this shot few moments after we entered the Kumbh ground while we were passing through this tunnel with great mural. There was a huge, colorful mandala on the ceiling.
Usually, when I wanted to go somewhere like I did to Morocco, Bulgaria or India for the 1st time, I needed approximately 6 years for each of these journeys to materialize and it shrank to less than 2 years! That's because I'm more focused, confident and conscious of me and my way of life more than anything else. In Croatia we say: Be careful with what you desire cause it just might come true!
There behind us it is visible how many people there are!
Of course we did some of these selfies, more precisely, Sara did.
They invited us closer and presented themselves as naga babas.
During the 3 times I've visited India, I have encountered many so-called babas but only maybe few were real wise men who indeed lived by the rules of the sanatan dharma philosophy practicing their sadhana every day. Many were completely fake and many were just copying the real babas. Anyway, I'm not the baba judge, nor I want to say anything about the correctness of anyone's lifestyle cause everyone has it's own path to walk through life. My only real measure or judgment is of what have I learnt from those encounters.
These naga sadhus of course judged me by my dreadlocks supposing that I'm probably smoking hashish. I don't blame them but also many stoners in Europe and on many parts of the globe have same prejudice and often offer me cannabis or ask to get it from me. Same like police! 🤣 Interesting fact is that I quit smoking both tobacco and cannabis more than 2 and a half years ago, after 22 years of almost every day smoking heavily. So, in a way, I could also claim the status of a baba or a sadhu. Nevertheless, I really gained a lot of experience and wisdom from that holy God given medicine plant but there is nothing more to learn so there aren't any reasons to continue smoking. I have reached the certain level of connection with the higher self-consciousness and the goal is to continue to live under the rules of sanatan dharma and do my sadhana every day to slightly improve my life and sustain satisfaction and happiness in my heart.
The Kumbh area is huge, stretching over 40 km²
Sara made this photo and I really like it cause it looks so mystical, unreal and post-apocalyptic in the golden hour.
There were so many different constructions on the site, mostly built only for the purpose of Kumbh and will be deconstructed by the end of the festival.
Some constructions were covered by canvas displaying sacred symbols.
As the night was approaching, the Sun was lower and lower on the horizon and I focused myself to it trying to capture it as best as possible with a mobile phone camera.
I was deeply touched by these moments of time and place and the blessings I received to be there.
This special Sunset is one of the Indian trademarks which fulfills my heart with Joy and Warmth of Life.
The enormous respect and admiration is evoked through all my Being while witnessing the sight of numerous gigantic floating bridges constructed to connect both shores of Ganges to able the people to walk over and even vehicles to cross too.
For my eyes as a photographer, I was also enchanted by the patterns formed by brigdes with the in-depth perspective.
Surya namaskar till the morning ☀️
After the Sunset we were heading back to the west shore when I realized that I want to make at least few shots of the people cause festival is nothing without the people. Actually, there wouldn't be any festival if there weren't people to make it!
There was another "naga sadhu" or he looked like one that I found as an interesting motive to shoot.
In the same time in Croatia we have carnival which also has roots from ancient times but it lost the real values and got commercialized. In some strange small range the carnival and Kumbh have some similarities. On both people wear make up and celebrate for a month and both celebrations are connected to the objects in the sky - the Sun, the Moon and the planets.
Sara made an effort to look gorgeous for the occasion.
There were babies too, protected and taken care of by their mothers.
As we were crossing the bridge back to the west shore, I captured few more shots of Sara in the stream of people and the distant Hanuman temple awaiting for us on the other side...
Another fascinating thing were the thousands of street lamps lighting the area so that it seemed like it's still daytime and ableing me to do quite decent photos.
As we crossed the bridge, I noticed the preparations for pooja for Ganga Ma so we stayed for live mantra chanting and the following traditional Indian music.
We got touched by the priest leaving us those marks on our foreheads on the place where the 3rd or the inner eye is.
During our visit to the festival we were interviewed by some guys for their special YouTube channel which I forgot the name but hopefully Sara knows. We were hosted by the Indian people with such immense hospitality respected and appreciated for the effort to come all the way from Croatia for their most important festival of a lifetime. Also we were asked hundreds of times to be photographed and didn't earn any money for posing... 😅
The last view of the holy river the eternal play of Light exchanging the day into the night while Ganga Ma is firmly, steadily and eternally flowing...
This is the first time I didn't take my camera nor laptop to India and it even feels liberating. All the photos I made with Sara's phone cause it has much better camera than mine.
Thanks for stopping by, reading, viewing, upvoting, curating, reblogging and supporting in way!
Thank you India!!! 💚💛🧡
With the song that perfectly describes my gratitude:
You resemble a Naga Sadhu - good to see your faith in Sanatan Dharma and practicing it. At a particular age of life, they make more sense and are true treasures for a peaceful living.
Yes, I know. Danivad, bhai! 🙏
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It looks like on another planet. !LOLZ
Thank you for the feeling of passion and gratitude that is clearly felt in your photos and words. Fascinating.
@tipu curate
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@careassaktart, I sent you anThank you for for such a nice comment! I'm very happy you enjoyed it and that I managed to transfer how I felt. 🙂