While the British colonial rule had banned nudity, it was not easy to enforce it within the arena of a religious festival ...

PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — Thousands of devotees jostle behind bamboo fences to get a glimpse of the grand procession of the naked, ash-smeared and armed Hindu holy men. The Naga Sadhus are the highlight ...

Digambar Ramesh Giri, a Naga Sadhu or Hindu holy man gestures as he sits in his tent near river Ganges, ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on December 18, 2024. Beside India's holy ...

PRAYAGRAJ, India — The man appears in a silhouette after rising from the river. His dreadlocked hair is flicked backwards, sending a stream of water in a clockwise swirl. Others surround him, with ...

The Naga Sadhus are India's most extreme ascetics. These spiritual warriors of India follow Lord Shiva completely. Their life moves between Himalayan caves and Kumbh Mela grounds. This Naga Sadhu ...

Prayagraj, India — A pre-dawn stampede at the world's largest religious gathering killed at least 30 people in India on Wednesday, with many more injured after a surging crowd spilled out of a police ...

The Kumbh Mela is rooted in Hindu mythology, a battle between deities and demons for control of a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality. The festival, which opened on January 13, ends Wednesday ...

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