"Once in 144 Years" is part of a photographic field research project conducted during the 2025 Mahā Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India — the largest human gathering in the world. For several weeks, a vast temporary city formed around the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, bringing together millions of pilgrims, ascetics and visitors. The photographs follow the human presence within this immense gathering — ritual gestures, acts of devotion and endurance, moments of waiting, movement and encounter. They are part of a broader research into the photographic documentation of ephemeral and embodied practices, and into the traces that remain after the event itself has passed.