Bhasmang: The Way of the Naga Sadhus

There is no other way to say this, so let me plunge right in:

If you have not already seen this STUNNING photography exhibition at New Delhi’s Travancore Palace, then drop everything and GO RIGHT NOW!

The exhibition of 35 photographs taken by the immensely talented Bandeep Singh is sensational.

To quote India Today:

For a lot of people, Naga sadhus are a spectacle and nothing more,” rues photographer Bandeep Singh whose exhibition titled ‘Bhasmang: The Ways of the Naga Sadhus’ opens at Travancore Palace (Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi) on February 24, 2025, and can be viewed from the day after that until March 2, 2025.

With millions having visited the Maha Kumbh this year, and the prolific imagery of the Naga sadhus that we’ve already been inundated by, one would imagine that yet another collection of pictures may fail to impress. But we’d be so wrong; Singh’s photographs of the Nagas exhibit not only his incredible mastery over light but also the access he has attained into the akhadas. Spending over a month with the Naga sadhus over many visits, sometimes staying in the akhadas, Singh showed that he was on a genuine quest to understand them at a deeper level.

Having seen many Naga Sadhus at the just concluded Mahakumbh Mela, as well as at the 2013 Kumbh, I was intrigued at what to expect.

Boy oh boy oh boy, was I blown away by the powerful images.

Exquisite lighting, an almost dream-like quality, so you feel as though you are looking at paintings rather than photographs.

Here are just some of the images:

Isn’t there an Old Master-like quality to the photo (above)?

Again (below) almost like a painting…and I’m not in any way saying that a paining is “better” than a photo – far from it – but I’m just trying, very inadequately, to share the texture of the images.

There is a mysterious, dreamlike quality to the image below:

The intensity of those eyes (below) – slightly menacing but you can’t not look at them…

The composition of this last photo is perfect.

Everything is perfect

The moody, stormy lighting.

The flow of the dreadlocks mirror-ing the layering of the clouds.

Perfect.

Please do yourself a favour and go see these stunning photographs.

Once again, here’s the venue:

Travancore Palace (Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi) until March 2, 2025.

Admission is free.

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