In the bustling, colour-soaked chaos of Kumbh Mela, few figures capture the imagination as profoundly as the Naga Sadhus. Draped in bhasma (ash), with their naked bodies—a canvas of ritual devotion—these ascetics appear both mystical and surreal—figures out of time and deeply rooted in it. They represent an ancient commitment to renunciation and spiritual enlightenment, their lives a vivid testament to the quest for liberation from worldly ties. Set up by Adi Shankaracharya, the eighth-century reformer saint and philosopher, as a monistic order known as ‘The Dasnamis’ (one bearing 10 names), the Nagas (meaning naked forest dwellers) were adept in the both shastra (weapons) and shaastras (scriptures).
Bhasmang is a series of photographs of Naga Sadhus, photographed at the Kumbh Melas of 2019 and 2025 by Bandeep Singh. These are studied portraits done after getting rare access and even staying inside their akharas. “Naga Sadhus are, without a doubt, the true denizens of the Kumbh and express the festival’s core essence and spirit. Seeing them for the first time in the 2013 Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, felt like witnessing something otherworldly. I was fascinated in the same way as I am with images of Masaai warriors. The Naga Sadhus, in their own way, are spiritual warriors,” says the ace photographer.
Despite being the most ubiquitous subjects for the thousands of photographers, and content creators, they are a reclusive lot. Their visual representation, therefore, rarely goes beyond showing them as boisterous sanyasis in processions or revelling in the water during the main bathing days of the Kumbh Mela. “Beyond their external façade, the Naga Sadhus exude a profound simplicity. Nudity, for them, is not exhibitionism, but a natural state—the nakedness is worn as a garment,” says Singh.
The photographs have Naga Sadhus posing and performing for the camera in special lighting setups created inside their tents. What starts as an artistic documentation of the appearance and rituals, transforms into a revelation of their spiritual intensity, and ecstasy. The bond of trust created with the photographer makes them drop their resistance to the external gaze, and perform uninhibitedly for the camera.
“My association with the Naga Sadhus wasn’t just about capturing images; it was about immersing myself in their world. I spent time interacting with them, talking, sitting around together at the dhunas (fire pits), and experiencing them smoking their chillums. It felt like stepping into a subculture, one with its own rhythm, customs, and ways of being. The images that emerged were born from that shared space—moments where the ice between us had melted, where the Naga Sadhus became accustomed to my presence, and I, to theirs. The initial barriers dissolved, allowing for a more intimate and authentic portrayal,” he says.
