Uttar Pradesh: Makar Sankranti at Allahabad
Allahabad (or “City of God”) sits at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and a third mystical (and invisible) river, the Saraswati. It is the second-oldest city in India, and its original name, Prayag (meaning place of sacrifice) derives from the Vedic texts, which indicate that Brahma, the Creator, performed a sacrificial ritual at this sacred place.
Allahabad is perhaps most famous for hosting the Kumbh Mela, a mass Hindu pilgrimage which occurs every 12 years and is reportedly the largest gathering of human beings on earth, with around 70 million people attending.
However, given its auspicious location, Allahabad is also host to the Magh Mela on the day of Makar Sankranti. This is a Hindu harvest festival held every year on the 14th of January marking the movement of the sun from one sign of the zodiac to another. It thus represents a time of re-birth and is celebrated as a harvest festival when India’s short (but cold) winter draws to a close.
From well before dawn pilgrims brave the freezing temperatures and all-enveloping fog to bath in the sacred waters. As the sun rises prayers are offered, and pilgrims span out along a ‘bridge of boats’ allowing them to immerse themselves in the water as close as possible to the actual point of confluence. Bearded sadhus, middle class families, business men and politicians, continue to bathe side by side until sunset.
These photographs were taken on the three days surrounding Makar Sankranti in January 2011.
Read MoreAllahabad is perhaps most famous for hosting the Kumbh Mela, a mass Hindu pilgrimage which occurs every 12 years and is reportedly the largest gathering of human beings on earth, with around 70 million people attending.
However, given its auspicious location, Allahabad is also host to the Magh Mela on the day of Makar Sankranti. This is a Hindu harvest festival held every year on the 14th of January marking the movement of the sun from one sign of the zodiac to another. It thus represents a time of re-birth and is celebrated as a harvest festival when India’s short (but cold) winter draws to a close.
From well before dawn pilgrims brave the freezing temperatures and all-enveloping fog to bath in the sacred waters. As the sun rises prayers are offered, and pilgrims span out along a ‘bridge of boats’ allowing them to immerse themselves in the water as close as possible to the actual point of confluence. Bearded sadhus, middle class families, business men and politicians, continue to bathe side by side until sunset.
These photographs were taken on the three days surrounding Makar Sankranti in January 2011.
