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Holy Men of India

Portraits of holy men in traditional attire, featuring elaborate accessories and expressions of spirituality. The colors are vibrant, primarily orange and earthy tones.

Asia, Nepal, Kathmandu, Kathmandu Valley, Durbar Square, Sahdu

Sadhu, kumbh mela, Nasik, maharashtra, india, asia Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

Holy man, Mudra, Sadhu, Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Hindu swami in a Gujarat village, India

Indian Sadhu Priest And Small Boy Sitting Near The Holy River Ganges In The Oldest Indian City Of India, Banaras, Now Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

A sadhu at the ghats of Varanasi greets with a painted face and traditional clothing, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Brahmin of Jagat shiromani, a Hindu temple situated in Amer, India

Sadhu impersonating god Hanuman at Haridwar Kumbh Mela

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

Sadus holy men at temple Jodhpur India

Saints, monks, sadhus, at Jagdish Temple, Udaipur, Rajasthan, North India

fierce warrior sadhu

Ganges River, Varanasi, formerly Benares, Uttar Pradesh, India

India,Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad (Prayag).Sadhu holy man at Kumbh Mela holy Festival

Pilgrims 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.

A snake charmer with his musical instrument at Varanasi, or banaras, also known as Kashi, Uttar Pradesh, India Copyright: xAkellaxSrinivas/DinodiaxPhotox

Portrait Tuareg wrapped up in a turban Mandara Libya

Sadu or holy man in temple doorway Ranthambhore Rajasthan India

Sikhism, believer of the Sikh with an orange turban and Khanda symbol, sacred Golden Temple, Hari Mandir, Amritsar, Punjab, India, South Asia, Asia

A sadhu from the Juna Akadha smoke opium at their camp during the Ardh Kumbh Mela ; ; ; India

India,Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad, Prayag, Hardt Kumbh Mela, Holy Festival, Hindu religion, pilgrim

Nepal. Sadu poses for camera in Pashupatinath. Kathmandu.

Snake charmer, Palace of Winds, Jaipur, Rajasthan, northern India, Asia

Portrait of a sadhu, a Hindu holy man, Varanasi Benares, India, Asia

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

Pashupatinath

Sadu or holy man in temple doorway Ranthambhore Rajasthan India

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

Holy men posing for photos Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Hindu blessing, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

India, Varanasi, sadhu

India, Khatmandu. Naga Sadus at Hindu Temple. (Editorial Usage Only)

Pilgrim with beard and turban from the Sihk faith community, North India, India, Asia

Sadu or holy man in temple in front of godess at the shrine Ranthambhore Rajasthan India

Sadhu with bike. India

Ghatia meditating in earling morning on the ghats by the River Ganges Ganga, Varanasi Benares, Uttar Pradesh State, India

Kumbh Mela 2025: The Sacred Goes Viral. Resting by the Sacred River. As the sun sets over the holy Ganges, a sadhu finds solace by its banks, resting after a day of spiritual practices. In the tranquil moments of solitude, the river reflects the stillness within, a pause in the journey of asceticism. The setting sun casts a golden glow, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life and devotion. Here, amidst the chaos of the Kumbh Mela, the sadhu embodies the peace that comes with renunciation, a reminder that even in the most crowded places, moments of inner calm are attainable.

India, Varanasi, Dasaswamedh Ghat, 'priest'

Singapore,Little India,Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple,Thaipusam Festival Particpant

Hindu priest, Bombay Mumbai, Maharashtra, India MR 628-A Copyright: xRxModi/DinodiaxPhotox

Snake Charmer Jaipur India

Sadhu, holy man, smoking marihuana, Galtaji, Khania-Balaji, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Sadhu, an Indian wandering holy man, sitting alongside the Ganges River, Garhmukteshwar, Uttar Pradesh, North India, India, Asia

Shiva sadhu, holy man, at the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, during Kumbha Mela festival, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Naga sadhus from the Juna Akadha sits with his Trishul at their camp during the Ardh Kumbh Mela ; ; ; India

Holy people dancing to a different folk music at the temple during Brahma Kund mela festival in Brahmakund. Agartala. India.

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

India,Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad (Prayag).Sadhu holy man at Kumbh Mela holy Festival

Hindu man washing himself at the Ganges river, holy, Varanasi, India, Asia

Sadhu standing on ghats along the Ganges; Varanasi, India

India, Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi, Saddhu praying on small platform raised above the River Ganges.

Holy man sadhu with long beard and rasta hairs Pashupatinath Kathmandu Nepal

Portrait of a sadhu (holy man) in Tamil Nadu,Southeast India,Asia

Elderly man wearing a robe, inside a Hindu temple, Tiruchirappalli or Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Sadhu, holy man, Rajasthan, India, Asia

India, Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad. A sadhu, or Hindu ascetic, from the extreme Aghori sect at the Kumbh Mela festival which is held every twelve years in Allahabad.

Hindu saint naga baba Shivdasgiri warping penis with trishul rod in Varanasi on Ganga river, Uttar Pradesh, India MR 707A Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

ethiopia, wukro churh

Snake charmer swallowing serpent, Tarnetar Fair, Gujarat, India Copyright: xAjitxParekh/DinodiaxPhotox

India, Mangalore, Karkala. Jains religion Temple, c. 1432 AD. Famous giant 42 foot tall monolithic stone statue of Lord Gomateshwara. Jain man in typical attire.

Portrait of a saddhu above the Ganges Haridwar India

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

Voter carry a weapon in polling booth Bombay Mumbai Maharashtra India 13-10-2009 Copyright: xHemangixNakwe/DinodiaxPhotox

Sadhu dressed in orange in a cave, relief, carved in stone, rocks, Hampi, ruins of the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar, Karnataka, South India, India, Asia

Devotee writing radhe krishna on face by sandalwood paste, uttar pradesh, india, asia Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

Snake charmer, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Folk musician shehnai sehnai player from Rajasthan , India MR 657 Copyright: xBhagwandasxRupani/DinodiaxPhotox

Man in the temple Pura Ulun Danau Bratan

Old Indian man in deep prayer

Ethiopian Orthodox priest; Wukro, Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Hindu man at the Brihadishvera Temple in the city of Thanjavur (Tanjore) in the Tamil Nadu region of southern India.

Sadhu. Nepal

Pilgrim in front of Shiva Temple after puja; Varanasi, India

Arab Jew from Yemen. 1898

Nepal, Kathmandu, Pashupatinath temple, Hindu holy man wearing yellow robe, long hair and painted face.

Parrot Astrologer at Thiruttani Tiruttani, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

A saint, sadhu balance a stainless steel jar with flowers on his head, Ardh Kumbh Mela, one of the world s largest religious festivals at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India Copyright: xAkellaxSrinivas/DinodiaxPhotox

Moses James lives in the Zion Valley near Delices, Dominica, Caribbean.

Three Indian Sadhu Priests Giving Blessing With Smile Near The Holy River Ganges In The Oldest City Of India, Banaras, Now Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

man sitting in yoga posture near at Taj mahal Seventh Wonder of The World, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India Copyright: xHarixMahidhar/DinodiaxPhotox

Muslim devotees offer prayers at the Akheri Munajat or final prayers during the Biswa Ijtema 2nd phase, an annual congregation of Muslims in Tongi, the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The most revered Hindu site in Nepal is the extensive Pashupatinath Temple complex, five kilometres east of central Kathmandu. The focus of devotion here is a large silver Shivalingam with four faces of Shiva carved on its sides, making it a 'Chaturmukhi-Linga', or four-faced Shivalingam. Pashupati is one of Shivas 1,008 names, his manifestation as 'Lord of all Beasts' (pashu means 'beasts', pati means 'lord'); he is considered the guardian deity of Nepal. The main temple building around the Shivalingam was built under King Birpalendra Malla in 1696, however the temple is said to have already existed before 533 CE. In 733 CE, King Jayadeva II erected in its precincts a stone tablet which chronicled all the kings of Nepal, beginning with the sun god. During the Muslim raids of 1349 the temple was largely destroyed, but in 1381 Jayasinharama Varddhana of Banepa restored it. Further renovations were conducted towards the end of the Malla period, and the latest extensive improvements wer

Shiva sadhu, holy man, meditating at the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, during Kumbha Mela festival, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Arunajadeswara sthapathi making bronze Natarajar Nataraja in kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Kathmandu, Nepal - 20 October 2025: View of a Sadhu's face painted with orange hues, adorned with a vibrant headdress of flowers and trinkets, a striking contrast against the backdrop of a temple.

A Rabari woman sits at Than Monastery. Rabari women usually wear black skirts and blouses edged with elaborate embroidery, as well as plentiful jewellery and tattoos.

India, New Delhi, Bangla Shib Gurudwara, Sika Great Temple, colorful Sika, Hindu religious man

Sikh

Brahmin praying to Shiva at the holy Lake of Brahma, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, Asia

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

Hindu man at the morning prayer Puja, Ganges, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Sadhus, holy men, sitting around the Bodhi tree next to the Mayadevi Temple, birthplace of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, Lumbini, Rupandehi, Nepal, Asia

Morning puja or worship in the Ganges River, Varanasi, formerly Benares, Uttar Pradesh, India

Naga sadhu manoj giri smoking chillum, kumbh mela, madhya pradesh, india, asia Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

Sadhus in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Sikh man standing by the Akal Takht at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in the Pubjab in northern India. The Akal Takht is the seat of the supreme governing body of the Sikh religion.

Senior Man Practicing Tai Ji

A man with a colourful turban giving greetings, jaipur rajasthan india

Artisan filing the bronze oil lamp at NachiyarKoil Nachiyar Koil near Thanjavur Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

Ablutions in Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, New Delhi

man doing yoga, kumbh fair, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2000 Copyright: xDinodiaxPhotox

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