Photographer Documents Sadhus at 2025 Kumbh Mela Festival in Varanasi

In February 2025, photographer Kyle Meadows traveled to Varanasi, India, to create portraits of sadhus during the Kumbh Mela festival. This religious gathering, which happens every twelve years, attracts hundreds of millions of participants for ritual bathing and prayer along the Ganges River. Meadows spent two weeks photographing these Hindu holy men, who renounce material possessions and are revered as divine representatives. He used portable studio setups with strobe lighting and octagonal softboxes to capture individual portraits against simple backdrops, separating subjects from the festival's crowds. The project involved respectful engagement, often through shared silence or tea, rather than just photographic technique.