Sacred Journeys

Notes from the Field: The Naked Holy Men (Kumbh Mela)

One of the most well-known symbols of the Kumbh Mela is the naked men known as Naga Sadhus. Why are they naked, and what happens when host Bruce Feiler joins a Naga Sadhus in his tent? Find out!

Notes from the Field: The Naked Holy Men (Kumbh Mela)

3m 33s

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    Osun-Osogbo

    S1 E6 - 54m 21s

    The festival of Osun-Osgobo, which takes place every year in Osogbo, Nigeria, celebrates the Yoruba goddess of fertility, Osun. The festival renews the contract between humans and the divine: Osun offers grace to the community; in return, it vows to honor her Sacred Grove.

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    Kumbh Mela

    S1 E5 - 54m 51s

    Every twelve years, tens of millions of men, women and children gather on the flood plain of the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers in Allahabad, India, for the Kumbh Mela, the largest gathering of humanity for religious purposes on the planet. Pilgrims come from across India and around the world to bathe in the water where the two sacred rivers meet.

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    The Hajj

    S1 E4 - 54m 51s

    One of the five pillars of Islam is that each believer is called, at least once in their lives, to make the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage that starts and ends in the holy city of Mecca located in today's Saudi Arabia. The journey recreates Muhammad's own path as the native son returned to his tribal home as the leader of a vibrant new religion.

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