During Pongal, Pilgrims are found everywhere in the south as it is the harvest festival. There were around 800-1200 pilgrims at any given time on the beach over the course of several mornings.
Making my way back up the narrow passage through the gaunlet of shops was one of the most crowded and unruly moments I've experienced in India. Ironically, the serene calmness envelops those on the beach in the early morning.
While looking though some recent images from India, I choose to animate this one depicting pilgrims as images with water, smoke or fire seem to work best. (The image is around 12mb so keep that in mind if it's not yet animated, it will be as it loads completely). Not actually a cinemagraph as it was created from a still image.
For a better look at their garb - see this sari that was lost at sea:
(verification link on my site: http://conradolivier.com)