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Holy Men and Sadhus of India

Portraits of sadhus, spiritual wanderers in India, adorned with traditional attire and symbolic accessories reflecting their ascetic lifestyle.

Kathmandu Nepal religious man who is a character painted in costume near river at famous Pashupatinath holi Hindu place on Bagmati River (MR)

Pilgrim decorated with sacred ash and trance trident-like spears pierced through cheeks, Vaikasi, Visakam festival, Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu, India Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

A sadhu, a Hindu holy man, pauses on a street in Kathmandu, Nepal

Portrait of colorful Sika Hindu religious man in famous Bangla Shib Gurudwara Sika Great Temple in New Delhi India (MR)

Rajasthani man in folk dance costume, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India MR 682F Copyright: xRxModi/DinodiaxPhotox

Temple guard at the Golden Temple of Amritsar in the Punjab region of India.

Sandal wood carving at Mysuru Mysore, Karnataka, South India, India, Asia

Nepal, Patan, Dashain festival, people, puja, ceremony, hinduism,

A temple priest in Lord Murugan Temple at Thiruttani Tiruttani Tirutani, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

Sadhu, Hindu ascetic or holy man, with tilaka, forehead decoration, Varanasi, India.

Religious preacher wearing rudraksha mala applying holy ash or bhasma with three bands on body standing outside Adi Shankaracharya temple, Kaldi, Kerala, India MR 703K Copyright: xAngeloxD Silva/DinodiaxPhotox

Yoga in Rishikesh

Sadhu (holy man) at the Gangotri Glacier

Portrait of an old Akali Nihang ( Sikh warrior-priest ), Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, India, Asia

Saivaitee, Tamil Nadu, India NO Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

A man walks in The Capital building in New Delhi, India, at sunset.

Devotees carry idol of their guru on their head before taking a holy dip during the Kumbh Mela 2003 at Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik, Maharashtra, India. Copyright: xAkellaxSrinivas/DinodiaxPhotox

Sadhu, Holy Man, portrait, at sunset, Kudle Beach, Gokarna, Karnataka, India, Asia

Hindu saint naga baba Shivdasgiri in meditation doing yoga in Varanasi on Ganga river, Uttar Pradesh, India MR 707A Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

Hindu priest overlooking the city of Jodhpur, India.

Swami rajendra das ji, kumbh mela, madhya pradesh, india, asia Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

Indian man priest sadhu blowing smoking ganja chillum or hashish , India Copyright: xSubhashxSharma/DinodiaxPhotox

Modern Rajasthani man at Sachia Mata Jain Mandir at Ocia , Rajasthan , India MR 342 Copyright: xManojxNavalkar/DinodiaxPhotox

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

INDIA KERALA COCHIN KATHAKALI DANCE Artists at preparations get ready of a Kathakali Dance Group at a authentic training in the city of Kochi or Cochin in the Province Kerala in India. India, Cochin, April, 1998 Copyright: xZoonar.com/URSx 21825819

Sikh warrior in Gurdwara Sisganj, Old Delhi, India, Asia

Hare Krishna Trailers in the Pedestrian Zone in Cologne, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany, Europe 1031608611

Statue Of The Saint Sai Baba In Blessing Pose. Shirdi, Maharashtra, India

Sadhu, Hindu holy man, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

South Asian Indian bald boy wearing sacred thread doing Namaskar MR 719 Copyright: xRajendraxShukla/DinodiaxPhotox

Portrait of South Asian Indian bald boy red tilak on forehead close eyes MR 719 Copyright: xRajendraxShukla/DinodiaxPhotox

portrait of old man priest India MR 707K Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

Sri Krishnan hindu temple. Hindu priest ( Brahmin ) performing puja ceremony and rituals. Singapore.

Hindu priests using mobile phone in Bangalore, Karnataka, India

India, Allahabad, Kumbh Mela religious festival, traditional costume

Hindu saint naga baba Shivdasgiri doing yoga in Varanasi on Ganga river, Uttar Pradesh, India MR 707A Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

A Hindu priest, a sadhu and esthetic, with body paint poses in a Kathmandu, Nepal temple.

Kathakali dancer putting on make-up, preparing for his performance, Kochi, Kerala, South India, India, Asia

Singapore, , Portrait Of A Man Holding Flowers And Wearing Yellow At An Indian Temple

lord ram wearing headphones and listening music

South Asian Indian bald boy in dhoti wearing sacred thread doing Namaskar MR 719 Copyright: xRajendraxShukla/DinodiaxPhotox

Lord Balaji Devotee in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, Indien

tolaram maharaj memorial, mount abu, rajasthan, india, Asia Copyright: xMukeshxParpiani/DinodiaxPhotox

Alter Mann Yogi im Lotussitz Alter Mann Yogi im Lotussitz Copyright: xZoonar.com/DzianisxVasilyeux 1058906539st

India, West Bengal, Asansol, Portrait of a pandit, a holy man.

Sadhvi ritambhara ji, kumbh mela, ujjain, madhya pradesh, india, asia Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

Sikh warrior in Gurdwara Sisganj, Old Delhi

Sadhu in front of entrance of hoarding to Akhada ; Maha Kumbh Mela 2001 ; Riverbed Ganges ; Allahabad city ; Uttar Pradesh ; India

India, state of Maharashtra, Mumbai (aka Bombay). Downtown Jain Temple on festival day.

A Yogi Priest practices by Yoga near the Ganges River, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Folk artists are getting their makeup done to perform at the rituals of Shiver Gajan, a traditional Hindu pre-harvest folk festival on the outskirts of Agartala. Tripura, India.

Sri Krishnan hindu temple. Hindu priest ( Brahmin ) performing puja ceremony and rituals. Close up of hand holding ceremonial bell. Singapore.

Bikaner Camel Festival Annual Celebration

Portrait of Young man in traditional costume which Imagination image of Thailand literature about Serpent king, Folk tales based on the beliefs of the Isan people in Thailand, pose outdoor in nature

hindu sanyasi, india NO MR Copyright: xRajeshxVora/DinodiaxPhotox

Sri Lanka, Chenkaladi , Portrait Of Hindu Tamil Temple Priest

Devotee with pierced body in a religious procession at Thaipusam Festival, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Little India, Singapore

A Chinese man performer as in ancient times in Jinli ancient street; Chengdu, Sichuan province, China

Lord Hanuman statue at Panchvati, Nasik, Maharashtra, India Copyright: xMadhusudanxManek/DinodiaxPhotox

South Indian kathakali dancer applying makeup Kerala India MR 761C Copyright: xKrishnadasxMenon/DinodiaxPhotox

Krishnattam, temple art, green room in Kerala Kalamandalam, Cheruthuruthy, Kerala, India, Asia

MADURAI, INDIA, FEBRUARY 16, 2013: Indian brahmin (traditional Hindu society) priest and pilgrims in famous Meenakshi Amman Temple, historic Hindu temple located in temple city Madurai

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at yoga camp, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Asia Copyright: xMukeshxParpiani/DinodiaxPhotox

Devotee, Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

South Indian kathakali dancer applying makeup Kerala India MR 761C Copyright: xKrishnadasxMenon/DinodiaxPhotox

Pilgrim with burning coal, Kalika Shakti Peeth Pavagadh Temple, Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gujarat, India, Asia

South Asian Indian bald boy in dhoti wearing pink cloth tilak on forehead MR 719 Copyright: xRajendraxShukla/DinodiaxPhotox

south asian late indian Spiritual leader Acharya Rajneesh, india, NO MR Copyright: xMukeshxParpiani/DinodiaxPhotox

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar spiritual and humanitarian leader India NO MR Copyright: xDinodiaxPhotox

Samiran De, an artist works on an idol of Lord Ganesha made with soup and syringe needles to alert people against drugs, ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi festival, in Agartala. Tripura, India.

Shivaratri celebration at the Ganesh temple, Paris, France

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