honorable mention
Shantanu Saha united states
title
The Naked Monks of Ardh Kumbh Mela 2019
The holy bath is traditionally initiated by the akhada members. Akhadas can be loosely interpreted to be monastic orders under the Hindu religious umbrella. Among these holy men are the "Naga Sadhus", the ash-smeared and dreadlocked Hindu ascetics, naked except for rosary beads and garlands. The Nagas are quite reclusive, and Kumbh Mela is one of the few pilgrimages where thousands turnout and walk in a procession to take the holy bath.
Most of the Nagas get initiated at the orders in their early teens, leaving their friends and families to immerse themselves in meditation, penitence, yoga, and religious rituals, under the guidance of a guru.
He recently covered the world's largest human congregation called the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj for The Times of India. His works has been featured by National Geographic, Discovery Digital Network, Religion News Service, South China Morning Post, The Telegraph etc.
He lives to tell the human story.
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entry description
Kumbh mela is one of the highest-attended, peaceful religious congregations of the world and have been taking place since the 8th century according to some scholars. It finds a place in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Monastics and the common people attend the festival to take a holy dip in the Ganges with the belief that doing so will absolve them from their sins and help them in achieving moksha –freedom from the continuous cycle of rebirth.The holy bath is traditionally initiated by the akhada members. Akhadas can be loosely interpreted to be monastic orders under the Hindu religious umbrella. Among these holy men are the "Naga Sadhus", the ash-smeared and dreadlocked Hindu ascetics, naked except for rosary beads and garlands. The Nagas are quite reclusive, and Kumbh Mela is one of the few pilgrimages where thousands turnout and walk in a procession to take the holy bath.
Most of the Nagas get initiated at the orders in their early teens, leaving their friends and families to immerse themselves in meditation, penitence, yoga, and religious rituals, under the guidance of a guru.
about the photographer
Shantanu Saha is a freelance photojournalist curently based in Philadelphia, USA. Originally from the City of Joy, Kolkata, Shantanu nurtured his photography skills in the vibrant and chaotic streets of Kolkata and Varanasi. He started off with street photography and gradually developed an interest in visual storytelling. He pivoted to travel documentary photography but ultimately fell in love with photojournalism. Over the course of the last decade, photography has taken him to ancient Hindu priest schools and the traditional wrestling gyms of Varanasi, Buddhist monasteries in the Himalayas, the tango milongas of Buenos Aires, ancient colonial interiors of Mexico, the Rohingya refugee camps of Bangladesh, the headhunting insurgent tribal villages of Nagaland, the colorful lanes of Barsana and Nandgaon during Lathmaar Holi, the Super Bowl celebrations in the streets of Philly, the Times Square on New Year's Eve.He recently covered the world's largest human congregation called the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj for The Times of India. His works has been featured by National Geographic, Discovery Digital Network, Religion News Service, South China Morning Post, The Telegraph etc.
He lives to tell the human story.
back to gallery