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For nearly 2,000 years, Hindu holy men, known as ‘sadhus’ or ‘babas’, have wandered through towns and cities all over India. They are highly respected by the ordinary Hindus of India, who readily give the sadhus food in return for a blessing. For these Hindus, the sadhus are the highest form of religious life and representatives of the gods.
Sadhus (females are called ‘sadhvis’) turn their backs to the world and seek enlightenment through meditation and a range of rituals and activities. They take vows of poverty and chastity, live completely on charitable gifts and, in return, will provide special religious services for the needy.
Most sadhus wear thin robes, have skin markings made of ash and wear their hair in dreadlocks. Others wear saffron robes with holy beads and ashes. Some are completely naked and covered with ashes.
Most live in monasteries or pilgrimage shrines. They give up family ties and some even hold a funeral service for their ‘former selves’, followed by a rebirth into their new life. They believe in the importance of exercise, reading scripture and meditating.
Most have few or no possessions — they depend for everything on the kindness of local people. Many smoke marijuana.
It is their religious practices which draw most attention. They perform extreme acts of penance, which, they believe, will free them from the cycle of life and death. Some spend years with their left arm raised in the air while others pierce their tongues with spikes or remain silent and make no sound for years. Other actions include staying on the same spot for 17 years, keeping motionless for hours, being buried alive or staring straight at the Sun. They believe that, by undertaking such painful acts, they will receive merit and liberation.
The most extreme sadhus of all are a small group called the ‘aghoris’. There are fewer than 15 of them in the whole of India and they seek enlightenment and release by acting completely contrary to normal tradition. They live in cremation grounds and eat human flesh stolen from funeral pyres.
They also drink alcohol, smoke drugs and eat human waste. These sadhus believe that by breaking strict human taboos of behaviour they will come closer to enlightenment.
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