Hindu Saints And Sadhus

Images of religious holy men and saints, adorned in traditional clothing and markings, often in contemplative or ceremonial settings.

Sadhus at Kumbh Mela festival, India

Portrait of a hindu saint at the Gangasagar Mela. The fair is held where the Ganga river and the Bay of Bengal form a nexus, hence the name Gangasagar Mela. This is the largest fair in West Bengal which is celebrated during mid January every year and is a major attraction to millions of pilgrims from different parts of the country who gather at Gangasagar, the point where the holy river Ganges meets the sea to take a dip and wash away all the earthly sins. Namkhana, West Bengal, India.

Asia, India, Sadhu, a religous holy man, sitting outisde of fort in Jaipur, Rajasthan,

Sadhu, a religous holy man, sitting outisde of fort in Jaipur, Rajasthan

Sadhu Religious Man in Varanasi India

Sadhu holy man with brightly painted face and beard, portrait, Hinduism, Makhan Tole square in front of the Krishna temple at the royal Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, Asia

Sadhu, portrait, Kumbh Mela or Kumbha, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, formerly Uttaranchal, Indian Himalayas, North India, India, Asia

A Hindu holy man, aka sadhu, at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.

Sadhus at Kumbh Mela festival, India

India, Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi, Portrait of a saddhu.

Holy man sadhu with long hair and painted forhead Kathmandu Nepal

They are known, variously, as sadhus (saints, or 'good ones'), yogis (ascetic practitioners), fakirs (ascetic seeker after the Truth) and sannyasins (wandering mendicants and ascetics). They are the ascetic - and often eccentric - practitioners of an austere form of Hinduism. Sworn to cast off earthly desires, some choose to live as anchorites in the wilderness. Others are of a less retiring disposition, especially in the towns and temples of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. If the Vale of Kathmandu seems to boast more than its share of sadhus and yogis, this is because of the number and importance of Hindu temples in the region. The most important temple of Vishnu in the valley is Changunarayan, and here the visitor will find many Vaishnavite ascetics. Likewise, the most important temple for followers of Shiva is the temple at Pashupatinath. Vishnu, also known as Narayan, can be identified by his four arms holding a sanka (sea shell), a chakra (round weapon), a gada (stick-like weapon) and a

Sadhu, painted face, beard, portrait, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Portrait of a holy man, Varanasi, India (MR)

India, Rajasthan, Pushkar. A man wears the orange clothing of Sadhus in India at the Pushkar Camel Fair.

Indian man with facial marks and turban, portrait, Allahabad Kumbh Mela, world's largest religious gathering, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Portrait of an elderly Sadhu from the Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam, India, Asia

Sadhu (holy man) at Hindu pilgrimage site, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Man along wall. India

Nepal, Kathmandu, religious man at Pashupatinath holy Hindu place on Bagmati River

Sadhu at Swayambhu (religious holy man), Buddhist and Hindu pilgrimage center, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia.

Sadhu, ascetic, holy man, portrait, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

the Janaki Manidir Temple

Indian holy man, Sadhu, Jaipur, India, Asia

Hindu priest, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

India, Rajasthan, General - people, Portrait of a Sadhu - holy man

Nepal, Kathmandu, Durbar Square, Hindu Sadhu Holy Man

Hindu Sadhu Saint Ascetic holy man at Murugan temple in Pazhamudircholai near Madurai, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

Hindu priest, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

A colourful Sadhu (saint) singing religious songs at the Gangasagar Mela. The fair is held where the Ganga river and the Bay of Bengal form a nexus, hence the name Gangasagar Mela. This is the largest fair in West Bengal which is celebrated during mid January every year and is a major attraction to millions of pilgrims from different parts of the country who gather at Gangasagar, the point where the holy river Ganges meets the sea to take a dip and wash away all the earthly sins. Namkhana, West Bengal, India.

Sadu or holy man at temple Ranthambhore Rajasthan India

A Holy Man Wearing Sunglasses With A Third Eye Painted On His Forehead, Haridwar India

Sadhu procession during Haridwar Kumbh Mela

Sadhu at Muni Ki Reti, sometimes known as Lakshman Jhula,Rishikesh area, Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, India

Close up of a Sufi holy man, Hazrat Shah Jalal Mosque and tomb, Sylhet, Bangladesh, Asia

Nepal, Kathmandu, religion

Sadhu or holy man, Delhi, North India, India, Asia

Sadhu with Varanasi in the background; Varanasi, India

Portrait of a Sadhu holy man, Hampi, India, Asia

Kathmandu Nepal

Portrait, holy man wearing glasses blessing with his hand, Mudra, Sadhu, brightly painted forehead, orange robe, beard, Hinduism, Makhan Tole Square in front of Krishna Temple on Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, Asia

the Durbar Square

Portrait of a Nepalese Sadhu

Sadhu, painted face, portrait, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

A holy man in a turban and long beard in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Sadhu on the banks of the Ganges, Varanasi (Benares), Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Old man Kulu Himachal Pradesh Fine Art Photography India No MR Copyright: xMadhusudanxTawde/DinodiaxPhotox

Sadhu, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Kathmandu District, Bagmati Zone, Nepal, Asia

Sadhu (holy man), Varanasi, India

Asia, India, Varanasi. A Holy Man welcomes the new day on the Ganges River at Varanasi, India. (Editorial Usage Only)

JAISALMER, INDIA, NOVEMBER 28, 2012: Indian sadhu (holy man) blessing. Sadhus are holy men who live ascetic life and focus on spiritual practice of Hinduism

Indian holy man with a long white beard wearing necklaces, Jaipur, India, July, 2008

A Man Sells Ornate Cloth To Be Placed On The Tomb Of Nizamuddin In An Act Of Worship, India

Sadhu or holy man, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, North India, India, Asia

Sadhu in lotus position, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Hindu sadhu sitting on the steps of a rock temple in Mamallapuram in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India.

Hindu priest with Vishnu marks on his body

Hindu Sadhu Saint Ascetic holy man at Murugan temple in Pazhamudircholai near Madurai, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

Holy Man at Kurukshetra, the place of the battle of Mahabharatha, Haryana, India, Asia

Aghori, India - 19 February 2026: View of an Aghori sadhu with matted hair and sacred ash, seated in serene meditation on a boat amidst the holy waters of Varanasi.

Asia, India.

Tilak, the typical painting at the forehead of a Shiva sadhu, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Hindu Sadhu Saint Ascetic holy man at Murugan temple in Pazhamudircholai near Madurai, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

Sadhu (Indian Holy Man) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Sadhu at the Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, Tamil Nadu state, India, Asia

Dreads, hands & staff of VAISHNAVA SADHU (Vishnu following Hindu Renunciate) at PASHUPATINATH

Holy man sadhu meditates colourfully painted Pashupatinath Kathmandu Nepal

Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, Kathmandu, Sadhu in the Pashupatinath Temple - Hindu Temple

Portrait of a guru guiding the initiation of new sadhus, during Kumbha Mela festival, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Jaisalmer Rajasthan India

India, Madhya Pradesh, Tikamgarh District, Indian sadhu holding an ektara (a traditional Indian instrument)

Portrait of a sadhu, joining the Maha Khumba Mela at the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Nepal, Kathmandu, Holyman Sadhu MR47-32

Portrait of an Indian Magician with full beard and turban.

A sadhu hold one of his hand up as part of his penance to god at his camp during Ardh Kumbh Mela ; ; ; India

Sadhu at Muni Ki Reti, sometimes known as Lakshman Jhula,Rishikesh area, Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, India

Pushkar, Rajasthan, India. Sadhu on the shore of Pushkar Lake. (Editorial Use Only)

India, Uttarakhand, Garhwal, Gangotri. A Hindu pilgrim at Gangotri beside the River Ganges.

Sadhu wearing glasses in front of a blue wall, portrait, Ramanathaswami Temple, Rameshwaram or Ramesvaram, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

Portrait of a sadhu holding a kamandal and smiling

India, Varanasi. Brahmin.

Sikh in Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, New Delhi

Elderly pilgrim with a white beard wearing a linen robe, Mandalay, Mandalay Division, Myanmar, Burma, Asia

Sadhu, holy man, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Portrait Of A Worshipper; Axum, Tigray, Ethiopia

Portrait of Hindu guru asking for tips on the street; Kathmandu, Nepal

Sadhus at Haridwar Kumbh Mela

India, Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi, Sadhu Holy Man Holding Morning Chai

Sadhu, Ascetic, holy man, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Handicapped Sadhu selling offerings for temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Bearded tribesman wearing war paints and feathered headdress during a gathering of tribes at Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea

Holy man of Sikh religion. Blue turban within the Sikh religion denotes a Holy man. Bhartpur market. Bharatpur town. Rajasthan. INDIA

Priest in Gujarat.

Holy man Saddhu with red cotton rolimoli on wrist and tilak mark on forehead denoting devotion to Hindu god Vishnu, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Pashupatinath

A Holy Man, Nepal.

India: A Vasudev, a worshipper of the Hindu god Krishna in the Indian state of Maharashtra, singing songs in praise of Krishna and collecting alms, Mumbai. The hand cymbals, with which he accompanies his singing, are the kartal (in his right hand) and manjeera / manjira (left hand).

Varanasi, India

Sadhus, ascetics, holy men, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

They are known, variously, as sadhus (saints, or 'good ones'), yogis (ascetic practitioners), fakirs (ascetic seeker after the Truth) and sannyasins (wandering mendicants and ascetics). They are the ascetic - and often eccentric - practitioners of an austere form of Hinduism. Sworn to cast off earthly desires, some choose to live as anchorites in the wilderness. Others are of a less retiring disposition, especially in the towns and temples of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. If the Vale of Kathmandu seems to boast more than its share of sadhus and yogis, this is because of the number and importance of Hindu temples in the region. The most important temple of Vishnu in the valley is Changunarayan, and here the visitor will find many Vaishnavite ascetics. Likewise, the most important temple for followers of Shiva is the temple at Pashupatinath. Vishnu, also known as Narayan, can be identified by his four arms holding a sanka (sea shell), a chakra (round weapon), a gada (stick-like weapon) and a

TIRUVANAMALLAI, INDIA, JANUARY 7, 2010: Sadhu, religious ascetic or holy person, in Hindu temple Arunachaleswar. Tiruvanamallai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

of 3