[Photo blog] Why Nashik Kumbh Mela leaves us mystified

The Nashik/Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela is a celebration that is held once every 12 years in Nashik – it is scheduled for August/September 2015. These photos are of Shahi Peshwai, a traditional parade of the Naga sanyasis and is thought to be the paraphernalia of royalty. You have the honouring of the mahant on a beautiful silver throne and beneath him Naga ascetics walk on foot, using lances. Their naked bodies are grimy with ash. There are lots of camels and horses which also form a part of this particular procession which show the ancient Hindu establishment of Chaturanga Sena, or in other words, the four-limbed army. Niranjani Akhada and Anand Akhada carried out the "Shahi Peshwai" procession in Trimbakeshwar on August 16, 2015.