All of the various religions on earth have their holy men, but the ascetic sadhus of India are among the most extreme in their practices and acts of self-denial.

All of the various religions on earth have their holy men, but the ascetic sadhus of India are among the most extreme in their practices and acts of self-denial. Sadhus occupy a unique and important place in Indian Hindu society, where holiness is a way of life. When transitioning into a sadhu, men are declared formally and legally dead ; they attend their own funeral, sometimes walking through a symbolic cremation fire. These holy men are on a perpetual pilgrimage, although some live in major urban cities in contemporary India. They do not work and are supported by the public through donations.

The rigours of spiritual practice – a strict prayer regime of mantras, devotions, and personal vows and a series of seemingly arbitrary self-imposed physical hardships, such as fasting and sleep deprivation – test the limitations of the sadhus human forms. Aspiring to a spiritual separation from the world, they are freed of human attachments and common luxuries.

In Varanasi, which is a spiritual home of India’s sadhus, these sadhus are revered by as representatives of the gods and sometimes worshiped as gods themselves. They are ascetics and wanderers and are often displayed as private, dignified, selfless people, respected for their holiness. The Aghori, a group of hindu monks or ascetics who preside over the rituals of the dead in the sacred city of Varanasi, on the River Ganges have a profound connection with the dead. Death, for them, is not a fearsome concept, but a passing from the world of illusion. Many in Hinduism believe that a river burial on the ancient ghats at Varanasi is the only way to true salvation, and as such the Aghori hold huge influence over many communities. Their appearance, especially the dreadlocks, are symbolic of the renunciation of the material life. 💀🔱👁🔱💀

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