On the second day of our visit to India, we travelled to Varanasi, a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. Kashi, its ancient name, was associated with a kingdom of the same name of 2,500 years ago. It lies 121km downstream of Prayagraj, our next port of call, where the Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest pilgrimage gathering of humans ever to take place, is currently being held and accordingly has itself attracted large numbers of pilgrims to its temples and to the sacred river Ganges. As befits its great age, the central streets are no more than alleyways so in order to access our hotel, we switch from bus to taxi to tuktuk to trike and end with a one hour walk through the multitude. I Never did figure out how our bags made the trip. For safety reasons, the Government has imposed limits on the boat operations, some operators flouted the rules and were summarily jailed, following which the entire boat industry came out of strike and nothing was moving on the river.  In the evening we walk along the riverside Ghats and witnessed Hindu cremations (Disconcertingly held next to the Ghat disco) and the Aarti ceremony involving the waving of lamps in honour of the sacred Ganges. Early the next morning, we were out again on the Ghats witnessing the bathing and other ceremonies and seeing many Sadhus whilst walking the crowded alleyways, including here pictured the press of humanity in four columns of devotees waiting to visit the Hindu temples. Our guides fortunately were able to direct us to avoid the worst of the congestion.

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We then travelled by car to Prayagraj, transferring to Tuktuk for the final stretch to our very luxury tented encampment on the edge of the pilgrimage site. The 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela is the ongoing iteration of the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage festival celebrating a full orbital revolution of Jupiter around the Sun. It is scheduled from 13 January to 26 February 2025 and is the world's largest gathering, with an estimated 400 to 450 million visitors. Under astronomical calculations, the 2025 edition is unique since the constellation alignment seen is witnessed only once in 144 years. The site of each Kumbh Mela every third year is decided by the astrological alignment of Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon. During the gathering, millions of devotees immerse themselves in the Ganges, Yamuna, and the Saraswati, waters of which are considered holy by the Hindus, symbolising a purification of the soul and a path to attaining Moksha or liberation. The Government of Uttar Pradesh have set up a temporary city covering 40 km2 to accommodate pilgrims attending the event. The total length of the ghats on the river banks is 12 km. About 150,000 tents were established to provide accommodation. Free food and accommodation are provided to devotees. Pictured here are many Sadhus. A Sadhu is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively referred to as yogi, sannyasi or vairagi. Sādhu means one who practises a 'sadhana' or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline. A Sādhu's life is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa (liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth), the fourth and final aśrama (stage of life), through meditation and contemplation of Brahman. Sādhus often wear simple clothing, such as saffron-coloured clothing in Hinduism and white or nothing in Jainism, symbolising their sannyāsa (renunciation of worldly possessions). There are also female mendicants. Unlike skilled workers and professionals, there is no certification for sadhus. So, it is very difficult to determine the exact number of sadhus. According to various assumptions, there are 4 to 5 million sadhus in India today. They are widely respected for their holiness. It is also thought that the austere practices of the sadhus help to burn off their karma and that of the community at large. Thus seen as benefiting society, sadhus are supported by donations from many people. However, reverence of sadhus is by no means universal in India. There are naked (digambara, or "sky-clad") sadhus who wear their hair in thick dreadlocks called jata. Sadhus engage in a wide variety of religious practices. Some practice asceticism and solitary meditation, while others prefer group praying, chanting or meditating. They typically live a simple lifestyle, and have very few or no possessions. Many sadhus have rules for alms collection, and do not visit the same place twice on different days to avoid bothering the residents. They generally walk or travel over distant places, homeless, visiting temples and pilgrimage centres as a part of their spiritual practice. Celibacy is common, but some sects experiment with consensual tantric sex as a part of their practice. Sex is viewed by them as a transcendence from a personal, intimate act to something impersonal and ascetic. It takes us six hours to travel 20km to the airport so we miss our flight to our next destination but our fixer is on the case, an essential feature of such a trip, so we make it to Bhuj.

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On our way too Bhuj, we stayed at the Rann Riders resort and were visited for a photo session with members of the Mir Community. We then travelled further and stayed in an hotel near Bhuj and our wonderful local team arranged for visits to Nirona village and at the hotel for visits from the local Fakirani Jat, Dhaneta Jat, Kutchi Rabari and Wagadiya Rabari communities whose members have a long tradition of fine embroidery. We made a final visit to the Hindu temple in Bhuj.