SmugMug > all-time keyword > lingam > An Indian Sadhu ( holy man ) with very long rasta style dreadlock hair.

Photo taken with Nikon D300 & Nikon 17-55 mm f2.8 lens.

Photo taken in Pashiputinat temple, Nepal.
SmugMug > all-time keyword > lingam > A Vaishnava sadhu skillfully writes--backwards to him since he is using a mirror--holy Sanskrit verses on his forehead. This not only makes them visible to the world but also places them, literally and metaphorically, permanently on his mind.
Pashupatinath; Kathmandu; Nepal.
SmugMug > all-time keyword > lingam > The three horizontal stripes coming together at the bridge of the nose as well as similar patterns on the arms show this sadhu to be a Vaishnava. In addition, he sports Vishnus weapon of preference--sun discs or chakras--on his shoulders.

Pashupatinath; Kathmandu; Nepal
SmugMug > all-time keyword > lingam > Decoration is not limited to the forehead but often includes arms and legs too. Here a swath of red is set off by yellow patterning symbolic of the bow that Ram used to slay Ravana and save Sita, as read in the Hindu Mahabharta Epic.

Pashupatinath; Kathmandu; Nepal
SmugMug > all-time keyword > lingam > Decoration is not limited to the forehead but often includes arms and legs too.

Pashupatinath; Kathmandu; Nepal
SmugMug > all-time keyword > lingam > Decoration is not limited to the forehead but often includes arms and legs too.

Pashupatinath; Kathmandu; Nepal
SmugMug > all-time keyword > lingam > An elderly Vaishnava applies color to not only his forehead but also his chest, belly, arms, and legs. Common body markings include the discus (chakra), conch (shankha), mace (gada) and lotus (padma). 
Pashupatinath; Kathmandu; Nepal.
SmugMug > all-time keyword > lingam > The colors used for the sectarian mark of Vaishnava ascetics are yellow, red, black, white with red. These are made from Gopi Chandan clay often brought from a sacred place or a pilgrim site, made of sandal (santalum) wood ground into paste. Sectarian tilakas, forehead markings vary from sects to sect. The U-shaped white line between the eyes upto the meeting point of the eye-brows is symbolic of the red-white sole of the right foot of Lord Vishnu resting on a lotus, are worn by the Badgals and Acharis. The Tengal sectarians draw a trident. The two prongs are painted with white earth. The center line is red, representing Lakshmi, consort of Vishnu. The white line drawn over the nose represents a lotus.

Pashupatinath; Kathmandu; Nepal
SmugMug > all-time keyword > lingam > Although the fascination with decorating the body could be interpreted as vain, as this sadhu with a mirror might suggest, the real purpose is far from gratifying the personal ego. Essentially, the body is considered a temple made more fit for inhabitation by the Divine when decorated. 

Pashupatinath; Kathmandu; Nepal
An Indian Sadhu ( holy man ) with very long rasta style dreadlock hair.

Photo taken with Nikon D300 & Nikon 17-55 mm f2.8 lens.

Photo taken in Pashiputinat temple, Nepal.
 > An Indian Sadhu ( holy man ) with very long rasta style dreadlock hair.

Photo taken with Nikon D300 & Nikon 17-55 mm f2.8 lens.

Photo taken in Pashiputinat temple, Nepal.
An Indian Sadhu ( holy man ) with very long rasta style dreadlock hair.

Photo taken with Nikon D300 & Nikon 17-55 mm f2.8 lens.

Photo taken in Pashiputinat temple, Nepal.
Photo by: WIDEANGLE • see photo in gallery

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