← Religion & Culture

Holy Men of India and Nepal

Images of Hindu holy men, or sadhus, in traditional attire with beards. The mood is serene and spiritual, showcasing vibrant colors like orange and yellow.

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

India, Udaipur, Saju Holy Man sits with legs crossed

Portrait of a Sadhu, holy man, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

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

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

Portrait of Sadhu, Hindu holy man, in Hanuman Dhoka, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Durbar Square, Old Town, Kathmandu City, Nepal, Asia.

Portrait of a holy man sadhu with a white beard and painted forehead Kathmandu Nepal

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

Man in traditional dress meditating on steps in peaceful surroundings, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

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

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

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

Sadhu or holy man at Hindu pilgrimage site Pashupatinath. Sadhus are men who have renounced all material attachments to concentrate on their spirituality..

Sadhu smoking cannabis in an akhara at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar

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

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

Pushkar, Rajasthan, India. Sadhu wearing beads on a sidewalk.

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

Sadhu at Jagdish Temple, Udaipur, Rajastan, India

Kathmandu, Holyman, Sadhu

Sadhu at Varanasi, formerly Benares, Uttar Pradesh, India

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

Hindu pilgrim from Jharkand wearing the trident-shaped mark worn by the votaries of Vishnu

Sadhu, holy man, sitting at one of the ghats of the historic city of Varanasi, India, Asia

India holy man

Sadhu or holy man, with musical instrument, Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, North India, India, Asia

Sadhu Madurai Tamil Nadu India NO MR Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

Sadhu holy man; Hampi, Karnataka, India

Sadhu.

Nepal, Kathmandu. Holy Sadu Giving Ohm Sign.

Sadhu at the Cremation ghats at Pashnupatina Hindu Temple in Kathmandu in Nepal.

Colorfully decorated street beggar, Agra, India.

Ascetic monk Sadhu in India with beard, white hair and painted face preaching Ascetic monk Sadhu in India with beard, white hair and painted face preaching looking to camera ,model released, Symbolfoto Copyright: xZoonar.com/CarlosxAndresxMartinezxSubiratsx 22222956 ,model released, Symbolfoto ,property released

Sadhu with a white beard, portrait, Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu, southern India, India, Asia

Nepal, Kathmandu Valley, senior Hindu holy man standing on roadside in colorful apparel, gesturing with hand.

Sadhu

Sadhu at Jagdish Temple, Udaipur, Rajastan, India

Indian sadhu (holy man) with a white beard wearing a yellow turban and brown necklaces at Delhi's Red Fort, Delhi, India, July,

Saddhu, holy man, begging outside Shiva temple, Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

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

Holla Mohalla festival, Amristar, India

Vintage Photograph. South Asian Man with beard in robe

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

A sadhu, Srirangam, Iruchirappalli District Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Sadhu smoking cannabis

Peregrino camino de Kedarnath , Uttar Pradesh,India.

Sadu or holy man at temple Ranthambhore Rajasthan India

Sadhu, Sri Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh, India, Asia

Indian Beggar At Kulu Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India

Priest laughing India Asia Copyright: xRxModi/DinodiaxPhotox

Hindu Brahmin priest, Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Hindu Temple, Singapore, Southeast Asia, 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

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

Portrait of a smiling Holy Man; Bhaktapur, Nepal

A Saddhu covered in ash in Kathmandu in Nepal.

Lahore, Pakistan - 24 December 2025: View of a wandering fakir, swathed in crimson robes and a vibrant turban, plays a haunting melody on his flute.

Four seated men in orange robes, recognisable as sadhus, Jaipur, Rajasthan, North India, India, Asia

Indian priest sadhu with beaded long hair black beard and ash on face , India Copyright: xSubhashxSharma/DinodiaxPhotox

Sadhu with a white beard smoking Chillam, Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, India, Asia

Temple guard in the street outside the Golden Temple of Amritsar in the Punjab region of northern India.

Nepal, Kathmandu, smiling Hindu Holy man wearing necklaces and headdress, bright sunlight.

Hindu priests at Holi festival of 76th Maharana of Mewar, His Highness, Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur, at the City Palace, Rajasthan, India

Two Sadhus praying at the ghats along the river Ganges in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, formerly Uttaranchal, India, Asia

Asia, Nepal, Pokhara. Colorful religious Nepali man (Editorial Use Only)

JODHPUR, INDIA - NOVEMBER 13, 2019: Old Indian man with beard smokes hookah (waterpipe) in Mehrangarh fort. The concept of hookah is thought to have originated in India

Indian Sadhu holy men in Jaipuur, Rajasthan, India

Guru sitting cross legged by wall, Rajasthan, India

Pushkar Fair is the annual five-day camel and livestock fair, held in the town of Pushkar in the state of Rajasthan, India.

Nepal: A sadhu or Hindu holy man in front of a religious mural at Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, greeting the visitor with a traditional 'Namaste. 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 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 the Kathmandu Valley.

A sadhu, Srirangam, Iruchirappalli District Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

triumphant pilgrim

Portrait Hindu pilgrim sadhu with beard and woolen cap Muktinath Mustang Annapurna Region Nepal

Sadhu, Kathmandu, Nepal

Portrait of a Udaisin Sadhu, holy man, at the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, during Kumbha Mela festival, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Sadu or holy man in front of tree shrine Ranthambhore Rajasthan India

Shiva Sadhu at the banks of the river Ghaghara in Ayodhya, the birthplace of the God Rama, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Portrait of a Sadhu or holy man, Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

India, Pushkar, Rajasthan. Sadhu (holy man)

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

priest reading holy book in Kumbh Mela Festival at uttar pradesh India Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

The Sadhus (Holy Men) smoke ganja (Cannabis) at a temple during Brahma Kund mela, outskirts of Agartala. India.

Old nattukottai chettiar or nagarathar Chettinad Tamil Nadu India NO MR Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

Guru guiding the initiation of new sadhus at the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, during Kumbha Mela festival, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

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

India, New Delhi, Bangla Shib Gurudwara, Sika Great Temple, Colorful Sika, Hindu Religious Man.

Nepal, Kathmandu, religious men at Pashupatinath holy Hindu place on Bagmati River, painted and colorfully dressed

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

Nepal, Kathmandu, religion

India, Varanasi, Dasaswamedh Ghat, 'priest'

Sikh in elegant orange clothes in a train

Senior man praying on street

Pilgrim resting at the outer wall of the Menakshi-Sundareshwara Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Hindu sadhu pilgrims at Festival of Shivaratri in holy city of Varanasi, Benares, India

Pushkar, Rajasthan, India. Man in orange robes. (Editorial Use Only)

Sadhu or Holy Man, Delhi, North India, India, Asia

Asia, India, A wandering ascetic or sadhu, rests in the porch of a shrine on Hemakuta Hill

Lahore, Pakistan - 24 December 2025: View of a holy man, adorned in vibrant red and yellow turban, his long white beard a stark contrast to his dark attire.

Indian Hindu pilgrim bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Water pipe smoker at Meherangarh Fort, Jodpur, Jodpur, Rajasthan, India, Asia

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

of 2