If joy and spirituality is one aspect, there's also a picture of hardship. One sees millions throng the riverbanks, almost 50 percent being poor farmers. Undeterred by the harsh winter, they walk miles and miles bare feet. Wearing soiled clothes, they have just one shawl to act as a shield against the cold breeze. They spend the entire night sleeping on the banks of the Ganga.
Some light bonfires for warmth.
Savitri Mandke is 75 years old. So determined were they to visit the Kumbh Mela that they traveled 1,400 km in a cramped railway wagon. While their bones ached from their journey, their spirits remained high. Along the river stands a tower from where one continuously hears announcements by people who had lost their kith and kin in the massive crowd. The exercise of uniting families and goes on till midnight.