Meet a photographer who’s covered the festival for 30 years

Sanjay Banoudha, a photojournalist, has been covering India’s Kumbh Mela since the 1990s. This year the festival, which began on 13 January, ended on Wednesday.

A lot has changed through Mr Banoudha’s decades-long journey of capturing the world’s biggest religious gathering – from crowds getting bigger to the art of photography itself.

He spoke to the BBC about his memories and experiences.

This video was recorded before the deadly crush at the Kumbh Mela on 29 January. Thirty people were killed and 60 injured in the incident, according to official numbers.

Video by anahita sachdev, antriksha pathania