Portraits of Holy Figures

Close-up portraits of religious men representing ascetic practices, showcasing traditional attire and spiritual character.

Asia, Oman, A Bedouin man kneels on top of a sand dune in the desert . He wears the traditional Omani long white cloak or dish dash, a turban, a ceremonial curved dagger (khanjar).

A Sadhus or 'Holy man'. Pushkar, Rajasthan. INDIA.

Senior holy man portrait, in holy lake,pushkar, Rajasthan, india

Hindu man pilgrim with beads and turban at Dashashwamedh Ghat in holy city of Varanasi, Benares, 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

Pilgrim in Lalibela

A portrait of an Ethiopian priest holding a coptic cross

India, Kashmir, Srinagar. A Sadhu priest engages the camera with a penetrating stare near Srinagar, Kashmir, India. (Editorial Usage Only)

Old priest with yellow cloak, Gondar, Amhara region, Ethiopia, Africa

Asia, Oman, A Bedouin man kneels on top of a sand dune in the desert . He wears the traditional Omani long white cloak or dish dash, a turban, a ceremonial curved dagger (khanjar).

Rajputa fumando. Fuerte .(1500.d.c).Jodhpur. Desierto del Thar. Rajastan. India.

Shiva sadhu from Juna Akhara, holy man, practicing Urdha Tapa, lifting one arm for many years for spiritual reasons, in his tent at the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, during Kumbha Mela festival, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Traditional Muslim dress in Fes, Morocco

Sadhu sits leaning against a pillar outside a building; Varanasi, India

Ethiopia, Religion, Christian, Ethiopian Orthodox Priest In Sudan Reading From The Bible.

Sikh praying in Gurdwara Sisganj, Old Delhi

Priest, Asheten Maryam church; Lalibela, Amhara region, Ethiopia

Pilgrim in Lalibela

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 Holy Man Sits Looking Upwards With Hands Raised, Haridwar India

Khandoba'S Devotee With Face Smeared With Yellow Turmeric Powder And Heavy Metal Chain Round Their Neck. Jejuri, Maharashtra. India

Sadhu Holy man; Hampi, Karnataka, India

India holy man

An Elderly Muslim Man Wearing A Pink Prayer Cap, India

Indian man in national costume in the Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, northern India, Asia

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.

Mali, Niger Inland Delta. An old man walks through the narrow streets of Kotaka with prayer beads in his right hand.

Indian woman wearing traditional clothes, Delhi, India, July, 2008

India, Rajasthan, Udaipur, Elderly Male Hindu Beggar Sitting On Steps Outside The Jagdish Temple Wrapped In Blanket Shawl With Painted Forehead And Grey Beard.

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

Ethiopian Orthodox Christian priest; Lalibela, Ethiopia

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

India, New Delhi, Gurdwara Bangla sahib Sikh temple, custodian

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

Pilgrim At The Orthodox Easter Celebrations; Lalibela, Ethiopia

Old man, pilgrim sitting on the ground, Ethiopia, Africa

Pilgrim At The Orthodox Easter Celebrations; Lalibela, Ethiopia

Yeha village, cemetery and cemetery guardian at the monastery, Abba Aftse church, Abuna Aftse, Ethiopia, Africa

India - Uttar Pradesh - Varanasi (or Benares). Holy man

Man, Hatian, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. old religious man aged 70 in orange and robe in Shero Meda.

Beggar, South India, India, Asia

Sadhu, holy man, Mayadevi temple, birthplace of Buddha, Lumbini, Rupandehi, Nepal, Asia

A Holy Man Sits With Eyes Closed And Arms Raised, Haridwar India

India, Varanasi, Dasaswamedh Ghat, 'priest'

Sudan, Religion, Amhara Ethiopian Orthodox Priest Reading From Book In Refugee Settlement.

Varanasi, formerly Benares, Uttar Pradesh, India

Tuareg wearing a turban, Tinezouline, Draa valley, Morocco, Africa

A HINDU SADDHU WEAVES CLOTH while on PILGRIMAGE at the PUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR, a 5 day religious festival - RAJASTHAN, INDIA

Egyptian man at the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Valley of the Gods, Deir Al-Bahri, West Bank, Luxor (Editorial Usage Only)

Mount of Olives, Bethphage and Bethany Arab guardian of the Tomb of Lazarus. 1948, Jerusalem, Israel

Kodava elder, kodagu, karnataka, india MR Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

Snake charmer, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Asia

NEPALI WOODCARVERS make everything from furniture to intricate sculptures of deities - KATHAMANDU, NEPAL

Man reading Kuran verses or hadiths in Touba, Senegal

Portrait Hindu pilgrim sadhu with beard and woolen cap shows his hand in front of snow-covered mountains Muktinath Mustang Annapurna Region Nepal

Oracle priest Mboula, 92, reading the oracle of the crab, Rhumsiki, Far North, Cameroon, Africa

Priest With Crown And Holy Book, Nakuta Laab Monastery, Near Lalibela; Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Palestine is a name given to the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The region is also known as the Land of Israel, the Holy Land and the Southern Levant. In 1832 Palestine was conquered by Muhammad Ali's Egypt, but in 1840 Britain intervened and returned control of the Levant to the Ottomans in return for further capitulations. The end of the 19th century saw the beginning of Zionist immigration and the Revival of the Hebrew language. The movement was publicly supported by Great Britain during World War I with the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The British captured Jerusalem a month later, and were formally awarded a mandate in 1922. In 1947, following World War II and the Holocaust, the British Government announced their desire to terminate the Mandate, and the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition the territory into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jewish leadership accepted the proposal but the Arab Higher Committee rejected it; a

Sadhu drinking from a tin glass

Hindu Blessing . Mathurai. India.

Asia, India, A wandering ascetic or sadhu awaits alms near the banks of the Tungbhadra River

Iran, , Yazd, Man Reading Koran

a devotee singing in praise of god vithoba , pandharpur yatra , pandharpur , maharashtra , india

Lalibela, Ethiopia, Africa. Portrait of one of Lalibela's high priests during celebrations of Orthodox Christmas. (Editorial Use Only)

Africa, Ethiopia, Gondar. Man in traditional dress (Editorial Usage Only)

Indian woman in traditional dress among the gullies of Delhi, India

Asia, India, Rajasthan, Pushkar, Jewelery marker at Pushkar Camel Fair, Rajasthan, India

a devotee singing in praise of god vithoba, pandharpur yatra, pandharpur, maharashtra, india Copyright: xRajeshxVora/DinodiaxPhotox

Meskel ceremony in Lalibela, Ethiopia

Sadhu with a white beard and a begging bowl, Ramanathaswami Temple, Rameshwaram or Ramesvaram, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

Africa, West Africa, Benin, Beri. King of Beri in traditional dress.

Member of Ehel Hamoni family showing old koranic manuscripts

A priest holds a cross at the rock_hewn church of Bet Giyorgis St. George, in Lalibela, Ethiopia, Africa

Priest reading a Bible at St. Yimrhane Kristos cave church

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

Hindu ceremonial guard at Mehrangarh Fort at Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Northern India

Woman of vidhwa mahila ashram, mathura, uttar pradesh, india, asia Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

Resting man at Jama Mashid, mosque. Delhi. India.

India, Rajasthan, Jaipur. Costumed guardian outside the temples of Amber Fort, Jaipur, State of Rajasthan, India

Mali, Mopti. A Fulani Woman wearing large 14-carat gold earrings. Kwottenai Kanye earrings are either a gift from her husband or inherited on the death of her mother.

Portrait Of Man In Front Of Mosque In Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq

Wixarika or Wixaritari (Huichol) community in the municipality of Mezquitic, town of San Miguel Huaixtita located in the Sierra Norte of the state of Jalisco, the Huicholes are one of the ethnic groups originating from the west of the country that has best preserved their traditions, their rituals and their way of life. San Miguel, Jalisco; Mexico

Bedouin writing Allah's name in the sand

South America, Ecuador, Amazon, Sucumbios Province. Cofan Indian (Atanacio Criollo)

Man with turban, Oman, Asia

At a Lake Tana church a pilgrim reads a holy text of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Indian reader, Jaipur, Rajasthan, North India, India, South Asia, Asia

Temple Guard At Gurdwara Har Mandir Shahib, Patna, Bihar, India

Sailor praying in his sleeping cabin on a freighter in the port of Mongla, Sundarbans, Bangladesh, Asia

Trinaty Cathedral Addis Ababa Ethiopia

ethiopia, NaAkuto LaAb church

Snake charmer with an Egyptian Cobra Morocco

Priest with arms outstretched

Portrait of a priest, Tigray, Ethiopia

Father and son talking, wearing traditional Omani clothing, Nizwa, Oman, Middle East, Asia

Traditional Rajasthani musician plays his Ravanhatta (violin), Amber Fort Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Tanzania, Zanzibar Island, Zanzibar Town, Two Muslim Men.

smiling islamic imam, Çavusin, Cappadocia, Central Anatolia, Turkey, Asia.

bangladesh, surrounding of khulna

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