KUMBH MELA

The sacred confluence of the Kumbh Mela celebrates the devotion of the multitudes through vedic mantras and religious hymns, proclamations of knowledge, truths, music, and tributes to the greatness of the sacred pitcher filled with the nectar of immortality marking the highest of all pilgrimages for the Hindu religion. Every 12 years millions gather at different sites in India to celebrate the mythological, astrological, social, and ritualistic aspects of their faith. 2019 marked the largest Mela ever, drawing over 150 million devotees to the Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) between January and March 2019. Individuals and families travel thousands of miles to partake in joyous celebration. The subject of international scholarship, the ritualistic pilgrimage has come to symbolize ministry and power as it provides a forum for both individual and collective expressions of faith as pilgrims, religious teachers, and followers of monastic orders converge along the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers.

- Gay Feldman

Kumbh Mela is part of Katzenstein’s larger body of work, The Human Experience, a collection of his visual explorations that span over the past 30 years. His work presents the positive aspects of peoples and cultures, and takes the viewer on countless journeys near and far.