2025

KUMBHA MELA

ART of Devotion

Perceiving the Divine

Unique Lifetime Opportunity
to join a small group of photographers
at the
2025 Kumbh Mela
with
Master Photographer & Expedition Leader
P i e A e r t s

It is an honor to be chosen for this small group organized by Pie Aerts.
His work and contribution to the world have inspired me to get back behind the lens.

On this journey,
I will become the channel for you to connect
to this “Intangible” Cultural Happening.
The world's largest gathering Kumbh Mela
is included in UNESCO's 

list of
'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'

January 9 - 17th, 2025
Purnima Kumbh Mela
BASE CAMP

duode+cennial = every 12 years
formerly named Allahabad “city of God” | Prāyagraj (Sanskrit: place of sacrifice)

Artist Talk 9.25.24 [1:07]

First Offering for Supporters
click on the image to the left: )

HUGE Thank You to All!

With the support of individuals who pre-purchased unique Polaroids, along with my own investment,
I will be in India

Jan 3rd - 8th Rishikesh for ATR
with Thom Knoles & colleagues from around the world

&

Jan 9th - 16th for Photographic Expedition Kumbha Mela

with Pie Aerts

+

[ Visiting the Tigers ]

Jan 21
Return home to process & integrate

Expect an update here in mid-February with some sneak peeks
&
next steps to collect your piece of the Maha Mela

Love & Jai Guru Deva ‘til then!

श्री परमात्मने नमः

śrī paramātmane namaḥ

Full Potentiality

exists in & through

the
medium of Space
ākāśa

PRE-SALE
of
photographic work to be created
on location
Kumbha Mela
January 2025

COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY

I will work with the printers to create a beautiful print, especially for you.

$1008 
Limited Edition
C-Photographic Print
[16x20 inches]

$800
Limited Edition
C-Photographic Print
[8x10 inches]

INSTANT FILM PHOTOGRAPHS

The unique “instant” image will have a handwritten message added and mailed to an address of your choosing or you may pick it up when we meet in February.

$500
Instant Film Triptych

$180
Unique
Instant Film Photograph
with

personalized Sanskrit message.

If you would like to support this project,
but are not able to invest in a photograph -

I invite you to consider contributing any amount,

$1 - $108

[ Surprise Gift ]

We are all extended SELF.

As a contributor to my fundraiser & supporter of my work,
you will be making this trip and dream a reality.

You will also be an integral part of allowing me to become the conduit for Universal Consciousness to experience and create a unique vision of the Kumbha Mela, as a spiritual aspirant, as well as, a vehicle for the Highest States of Consciousness to integrate being the witness, the artist, and a vehicle for Nature's Intent.

As an early supporter, you will own a piece of history and art to inspire your own continued journey. Each limited edition print will be part of a group of 4, Turiya.

I thank you for becoming a part of this epic experiment in Consciousness.

For everyone who purchases a print,
I will offer a private call to discuss my ideas for a Collaboration opportunity.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have always been attracted to the Metaphysical aspects of life. The intangibles that are of greatest value to the perceiver. In previous work, I captured space (Sanskrit ākāśa) in significant locations of Space|Time. With photography, I used the camera to create evidence of important moments and ephemeral spaces. This project is a venture into the UNKNOWN while activating the SPACE element through Consciousness and cultivating an ancient practice called the Siddhis.

With my daily meditation practice, my understanding of identity, source, and purpose of creative expression has been profoundly reframed. This proposed project marks a transformation from an individualized self to a Universal Self through photography.

An important aspect of the work will also be about creating a shared experience over space and time. This work is a reflection of an awakening of subtle senses and the desire to share my recognition of the divine within us all.

Background in the Arts:

Before I became a Vedic Meditation teacher, I studied photography and art, earning a BFA at the University of Georgia in Athens and Master of Fine Art through a dual degree program at Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) in Boston with a full scholarship. During this time immersed in the arts, I was able to explore all the themes that are still very alive within me today. It was the beginning of a deep exploration into Self and human nature, which ultimately led me to Vedic Meditation as a source of direct experience.

This marks a return to making via a physical medium other than myself.

Over the past decade, I became more interested in going to the Source of Knowledge and Creative Inspiration, now this is an opportunity to integrate the whole thing. Since 2018, when I surrendered everything I had known until then in favor of a more expansive experience of life, I have been dedicated not only to my own spiritual growth but also to the shepherding of others who are seeking a connection with Source. In this period, art became more of an abstract idea that I experienced through deepening my experience with layers within myself. I’ve always described my life as art. Now I’ve been offered this extraordinary opportunity to create within a unique and ephemeral container of millions of people coming to gather with a shared desire and purpose. This is what the Kumbha Mela means to me.

2025
Projected Schedule

Once I return from my pilgrimage to the Maha Kumbha Mela,

I will create an online portfolio of selected images for you.

I will also host a celebratory gathering to come together in person.

Further details will be sent in FEBRUARY 2025.

With Infinite Love & Devotion,
I invite you to participate in this epic journey with me.

Su Jānakī Lee

FRAMING & FINISHING
Please note that framing is not included, as this is how you will add your particular preferences; however, I will gladly help organize it. You can use these notes to share with your local framer to put the finishing touches on your new artwork.

To reserve a photograph,
please complete the form via the link above.
Contributions of all sizes are welcome.

HUGE Thank You to All the Contributors so far!

Becke Buffalo
Joh Jarvis
Rachael Lee
Ann Jones Levine
Emily Taylor
Amy Mitchell Smith
Priscilla Briggs
Carlos and Patrick
Emily Archer
Jamey Hood
Camilla Baker
Laura Schneck
David
Ana Williamson

The Power of Visual Portals

Cloth Paper Dreams
Watch a short video by photographer Greg Davis, a National Geographic photographer.

Kumbha Mela | Significance

A celebration and pilgrimage for all spiritual aspirants in India and beyond. It is an opportunity to gather and create a synergistic energy with all the spiritual leaders, aspirants, devotees, and visitors who come to witness.

The journey culminates in a tradition of mass bathing in the Ganges that has been recorded for more than 2,500 years. This ceremonial bathing is seen as a literal and metaphorical purification.

The Kumbha Mela sites cycle between

Four Cities | Four Sites
Prayagraj : confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati rivers
Nashik : On the Godavari River
Haridwar : On the Ganges River
Ujjain : On the Shipra River

Every 6 years, a half Mela with Purna Melas happens in 12-year cycles, to celebrate every revolution Brihaspati (Jupiter). The 2025 Kumbha Mela is a Full Mela which happens every 12 years. And every 144 years, after 12 Purna (Complete) Kumbh Mela cycles, a Maha Mela. The last Maha Mela was 2001.

Seventh century: Parallel

Distinguishing the Buddhist Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who recorded that the festival that he witnessed in Allahabad occurred every five years. The most recent book on Xuanzang describes the festival as one of almsgiving, rather than one of bathing in a holy river, the principal characteristic of a Kumbh Mela today (Wriggins 1996, 154). The festival described by Xuanzang was convened by Emperor Harsha and an image of Buddha was central to the rituals.

References:

Maclean, K. (2003). Making the Colonial State Work for You: The Modern Beginnings of the Ancient Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. The Journal of Asian Studies, 62(3), 873–905. https://doi.org/10.2307/3591863

https://mahakumbh.in/niranjani-akhara-at-kumbh-mela-2025/

https://swamikailashanandgiriji.in/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46015589

https://www.thekumbhmelaindia.com/

&

Case study and research conducted for the
2013 Kumbh Mela

Mapping the Ephemeral Mega-City
An Interdisciplinary Project
from
Harvard University
Graduate School of Design

ALL THINGS ARE KNOWN THROUGH PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

January 3 - 8 | RISHIKESH
Avg Temps F 70 | 44

Sunrise, Solar Noon, Sunset 0657 | 1206 | 1716

Advanced Teacher Training [ ATR ] with Thom Knoles

Friday, January 3, 2025

DELHI, INDIA
Arrival Friday 03 JAN 2:40 am
Private Car to Rishikesh
with a stop at Ma Anandamayi Ashram, located in Kankhal, near Haridwar to to pay homage to Ma Anandamayi.
Notable structures include the Gayatri Yagnashala, Ati Rudra Yagnashala, Rudraksha Tree, Shankaracharya Hall, Annapurnasthal, Ma Anandamayee Museum and
Ma Anandamayee Vidyapeeth

ATR: Day 1, January 3rd, 2025

• 4:00 pm: Arrivals and check-in at Divine Resort

• 6:00 - 7:30 pm: Dinner

• 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Opening Lecture with Thom

• 10:00 pm: Sama Veda

Last Day ATR Schedule

Conclusion
ATR: Day 6, January 8th, 2025

Our retreat schedule for the final day on ATR is as follows:

• 6:00 am - 8:00 am: Morning Program

• 8:00 am - 9:00 am: Breakfast

• 9:00 am - 10:00 am: Final Lecture with Thom

• 10:00 am - 11:00 am: Packing, Farewells, and Checkout

Private Car to Delhi
11:15 am [Travel time approx. 5 hours]

Jantar Mantar Delhi | "Instruments for Measuring the Harmony of the Heavens"

Misra Yantra
Samrat Yantra | Sundial
Jai Prakash
Rama Yantra

Sansad Marg, Janpath, Connaught Place, New Delhi, Delhi 110001, India

Founder: Sawai Jai Singh built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in 1724

Altitude: 723 feet (220 m)

On January 8th, 2025
Sunrise 0715 | Sunset 1740
Hours 0900 - 1800
25000 Rupees
Alt Forenoon
1/9/25: 0715 | 1228| 1741

Delhi Stay: Bloom Hotel
CK IN 2 pm | CK OUT 11 am

ATR CONTACT
Mr. Kumar Selvan | Ethos Events
+91 9910202505
​operations1@ethosevents.in

Day 1 | January 9: Arrival in Delhi

Leela Palace Hotel with Pie Aerts & co.

Early check-in after 9 am would be complimentary (Subject to availability) | 2 pm check-in

Samantha Raj 

The Leela Reservations
India Toll Free : 1 800 1031 444   |   USA Toll Free : 8556 703 444   | 
Others: +91 124 4425 444  
website: www.theleela.com

Welcome dinner & expedition kick-off.

- Joyce Mulleners (Netherlands)*

- Leslie Kehmeier (USA)*

- Michelle Sinner (Luxemburg)

- Will Fortune (USA)

- Jose Antonio Rosas (Peru)

- JB Flanc (Switzerland)

- Su Jung Lee (USA)*

- Jasmine Caye (Switzerland)

- Andrew Pascal (USA)

- Stanley Winokur (USA)

- Javier Perez (USA)

- Pie Aerts (Netherlands)*

Contact for TUTC
Kashif Shahzad, Senior Manager – Sales & Marketing
M : +91 – 96544 55068 || T : +91 – 80109 02222
E: kashif.shahzad@tutc.com

Day 2 | January 10 : Prayagraj

Delhi Airport to Allahabad / Prayagraj

home of the Kumbh Mela 2025
Sunrise 0650 | 1210 Solar Noon | Sunset 1730
72 | 49
Welcoming aarti at camp, we will embark on an exploratory afternoon stroll to discover the festival grounds in the direct vicinity of camp, to get a good first orientation of the entire grounds.

Later we will check into our amazing rooms to rest for what’s ahead of us.

SIGNS & SYMBOLS
Tilak - mark worn on the devotee's forehead or other parts of the body to signify connection to their chosen Ishwara

Day 3 & 4 | January 11 & 12 :

On both days, We will spend the morning on foot split up in 2 or 3 small groups exploring the 11 comprehensive and unique Akharas around the camp, exploring the Akharas & meeting Sadhus.
Take a boat trip to Sangam confluence*

The afternoons, we will spend interacting with Sadhu’s, private encounters pre-arranged especially for our expedition by our guiding team. A session takes about 2 hours and we try to fit in 2 sessions per afternoon to account for a wide variety of different Sadhu’s.

• Connect with NIRANJANI AKHARA śrī śrī 1008 Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Kailashanand Giri Ji Maharaj & Maharishi Vyasanand Saraswati (Thom Knoles) for ceremonies.

  
  

Day 5 | January 13 : Experiencing Paush Purnima Snan

Today is Paush Purnima Snan, an important bathing day decided by the seers of the 13 Akharas of the country. It will be a spectacle and we will spend all day experiencing it. It also serves as a good practice for what awaits us tomorrow!

Nirvani Ani Akhada - Śivites: [Orange]

Daśanāmī Saṃpradāya of Shaivism founded by Guru Deva, Adi Shankaracharya

Juna Akhara  | Kinnar Akhada

Niranjani Akhara

Avahan Akhara 

Anand Akhara 

Agni Akhara

Mahanirvani Akhara

Atal Akhara

Digambar Ani Akhada - Vaishnavas: [White]

Nirmohi Akhara
Nirvani Akhara
Digamber Akhara

Nirmal Ani Akhada - Udāsīn: [neutral]

Naya Udāsīna Akhara
Bada Udāsīna Akhara
Nirmal Akhada

Day 6 & 7 | January 14 - 15 : Bathing time!

Today and tomorrow is Makar Sankranti, one of the most significant bathing dates of the entire festival and the biggest religious bathing event in the entire world. Under the guidance of our guiding team, we will experience and document every part of it.
We will start this day at 3am (in the middle of the night) with a big procession of millions of people towards the river. It will be complete rock & roll today in which chaos rules, therefore operating in small groups will be hard.
This means on day 6 you will be out on your own, embrace it, live it!
It will be an absolute once in a lifetime experience.

On the morning of day 7, the second day of Makar Sankranti, there will be another early rise to explore the bathing chaos. It will be less hectic than yesterday, but we will still disappear into the chaos, sometimes in small groups, sometimes alone. In the afternoon we move away from the river, to seek some more intimate encounters again, and there’s space for all participants to fill the gaps of their story by exploring on foot.

Day 8 | January 16 :

Our last morning at the Kumbh, at leisure, individually making final rounds on the festival grounds to finish your story.

Afternoon depart KM by van to Tiger Reserve (6 hours travel) Bandhavgarh National Park

After our Kumbh Mela expedition, on Jan 16, we will drive from our Kumbh Mela camp to the Tiger camp, which will take us 6 hours in a comfortable AC van. 

- On arrival we comfortably check-into our jungle tents and relax the rest of the day resting from a buzzing Kumbh Mela experience and enjoying the fresh jungle air and sounds 

- The next 3 days we will embark on 2 game drives per day (each AM and each PM) with our own private jeep, so 6 game drives in 3 days. 

- Additionally we have 1 night drive on any day of choice, making the total number of drives 7

- Its just the 4 of us + our guide in the jeep

- We will work with the head-guide meaning the best naturalist in camp :)

- All meals and non-alcoholic drinks are included, as well as 2 pieces of laundry per day

- During the day we will rest and enjoy the silence of the jungle 

- Optional to visit local communities and villages which could be a great opportunity for photography too 

Tiger Reserve
Day 1 | January 17

AM & PM Drives

Day 2 | January 18

AM & PM Drives

Day 3 | January 19

AM & PM Drives + Night Drive

Day 4 | January 20

Jabalpur Airport to Delhi to Leela Palace Hotel

- On arrival we get transferred to the Leela Palace hotel where we stay 1 night incl breakfast

- After check-out on Jan 21, everybody will proceed own travels 

Day 5 | January 21

Hotel breakfast & check out early.
Airport by 9am.

DELHI, INDIA
11:40am

NYC-KENNEDY
11:05pm

Selected Works:

Fieldwork (Scotland Farm), 2004

Dissolution (Guatemala), 2012

Seed of Ākāśa project: Saint Francis Celle (Italy), 2006

Historical Records (China), 2008 - 09