Varanasi

The city of Varanasi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh is considered by Hindus a holy place because of its connection with the sacred Ganges river. Even with the extremely dense urbanization of the city, religious icons and shrines still dot almost every other street corner and alleyway. Commuting along the ghats beside the river bank, I decided to dedicate an article to the temple keepers, holy men, and ceremonial performers. For it is these lay Hindu men who provide spiritually vital functions for their Hindu community as they lead public prayers, family pujas, and provide the blessings for the dead waiting to be cremated by the holy river.

Man performing a nightly puja.

A group of holy men reciting mantras.

A crowd begging for food blessings.

A Baba blessing people along the river bank.

Nightly fire ceremony along the Ganges river.
Temple keeper painting a shrine dedicated to Shiva.

Sadhus

Sadhus can often be seen as Hindu ascetics found throughout India. These men and woman who follow the holy Hindu scriptures, sometimes aligned with a specific god, abandon a life of material possessions and creature comforts with the goal of obtaining nirvana through suffering.

I believe the Muslim Sufi poet Latif describes them best when saying, “Yogis are many, but I love these wandering Sadhus. Smeared with dust, they eat little, never saving a grain of rice in their begging bowls. No food in their packs, they carry only hunger. No desire to eat have they. Thirst they pour and drink. These ascetics have conquered their desires. In their wilderness they found the destination from which they searched so long.”

Sadhu outside of a rural village shrine - Uttar Pradesh.

Sadhu in prayer - Varanasi.

Sadhu sitting next to his campfire alter - Haridwar.