Haridwar

Uttarakhand·temple

The Ganga idol is bathed in the Ganges by devotees and pandas / temple hands, even as the palanquin is twisted and turned in the air, and put through ablutions and ceremonies, to ensure its cleanliness (see the packet of detergent that has…

Uttarakhand·river

Proof of the tens of thousands taken away by Covid19 in just the town of Haridwar. The river can barely be seen - there are so many remains in it and on its banks. The banks of the river have been turned into MASS cremation grounds.

Uttarakhand·festival · river

This is indeed quite a sight considering we are in the middle of a global pandemic with a swift moving virus.

Uttarakhand·festival

This sounds absurd! These personnel are sanitizing Haridwar during the Maha Kumbh 2021 : does not need to spray an entire city to cure Covid or SHOULD ONE JUST BAN THE KUMBH MELA and not allow large religious gatherings which was the earlie…

Uttarakhand·ceremony

Hindu seers read chants and prayers during the massive super spreader event - the Haridwar Maha Kumbh 2021, planned and coordinate by the government of India in total res-regard to the dangers of the Covid19 virus, thus infecting tens of mi…

Uttarakhand·river · ceremony

A havan is held on the banks of the Ganga canal at Haridwar, to the chants of 'Ganga Maa ki jai'.

Uttarakhand

Super spreader event of 2021: Evening arati at the Haridwar Maha Kumbh 2021. This is the inflexion point wherein the Covid19 virus went crazy and spread across north India, killing hundreds of thousands and infecting millions of north India…

Uttarakhand

Kuldeep Prajapat imitating Narendra Modi atHaridwar Maha Kumbh 2021: "Dear brothers and sisters. I am Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. Kumbh Mela 2021 I request you when you come to the ghats, please wear a mask at all times.

Uttarakhand·festival

A frenzied crowd in Covid times - a sure-shot recipe for disaster! Hundreds arrive at the entrance of the Haridwar Kumbh Mela on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar for the much-awaited festival of Hindu devotees.

Uttarakhand·festival

An unnerving sight with thousands crowding at the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar during the Maha Kumbh Mela in 2021.

Uttarakhand·festival · ceremony

With his face and body smeared in ask (human or regular firewood?), this Naga Sadhu sits with knotted and matted hair and tries to make verbal contact with an endless soliloquy with our cameraperson at the Kumbh Mela 2021 which was the supe…

Uttarakhand·river · festival

With the neon and LED lights glaring and the loud speakers blaring, and on receiving instructions from the powers that be, Hindu devotees jump into the controlled flow canal of the Ganges at Haridwar, to follow through with their ablution p…

Uttarakhand·river · ceremony

If ever there was an unwiser choice in terms of timing and authorization to hold the Kumbh Mela, we are not aware of it.

Uttarakhand·river · ceremony

Ganga idol is carried in a palanquin to the river at Haridwar, by pandas or Hindu priests. Priests in yellow robes offer prayers to the river eternal from their thali with diya and vermillion red tika powder as well as holy thread.

Uttarakhand·river · ceremony

A morning arati or prayer to the river Ganga or Ganges at the Garhmukteshwar ghat, with an elaborate shed that must have been prepared with government funds.

Uttarakhand·highway · festival

Kanwar yatri walks along the highway towards Haridwar as part of the annual Kanwar Yatra, a sacred pilgrimage dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Uttarakhand·festival

Sadhus are omnipresent during the Maha Kumbh Mela on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar, Uttarakhand in 2021.

Uttarakhand·festival

Imagine mopping the stone-laid banks of the Ganges in order to get rid of Corona infection before the Kumbh Mela.

Uttarakhand·river · hills

Th railway line to Haridwar terminates there and does not enter the Himalayan mountains! Here you can see the crowded city of Haridwar at the base of the Himalaya, with the Ganga canal cutting across the town to one side, and the Ganga rive…