The Hands Behind Durga
The artists whose hands turn clay, straw and imagination into the face of the goddess.
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2025 — Location: Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
Kumbh Mela
Tagline: Faces of faith, devotion and humanity at the world’s largest spiritual gathering.
About this series
Photographer’s note
The Kumbh Mela is more than a religious gathering; it is a vast human experience shaped by faith, movement, ritual and countless individual stories. I travelled through the crowds, camps and bathing ghats of Prayagraj, observing the people who give the Mela its extraordinary character. Among the millions are sadhus covered in ash, pilgrims travelling long distances, families seeking blessings, and individuals immersed in moments of prayer and contemplation. My photographs focus on these human encounters rather than the spectacle alone. Faces, gestures, expressions and fleeting moments reveal the emotional landscape of the gathering. The overwhelming scale of the Kumbh is contrasted with intimate moments of silence, devotion and connection. This series is my visual exploration of faith as lived experience — where tradition, spirituality and humanity come together beside the sacred rivers.
