Photo: Kristian Bertel - Naga sadhu smeared in ash.

Hindu society with Sadhus
Sadhus occupy a unique and important place in Hindu society, particularly in villages and small towns more closely tied to tradition. Records show that there are over five million sadhus in India. In addition to bestowing religious instruction and blessings to lay people, sadhus are often called upon to adjudicate disputes between individuals or to intervene in conflicts within families. Sadhus are also living embodiments of the divine, images of what human life, in the Hindu view, is truly about — religious illumination and liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Some of these holy men resort to severe forms of behaviour – like standing on one leg or keeping one arm raised or not speaking, all for between 12 and 20 years! – to attain self-realisation.
Sadhus rely on donations
Though some ascetic sects possess properties that generate revenue to sustain members, most sadhus rely on the donations of lay people; poverty and hunger are ever-present realities for many sadhus.

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