Sadhu - itinerant teachers

They are called sadhus - wandering teacher, Hindu ascetics who have renounced wealth and devoted themselves to meditation and knowledge of God (as a rule, Shiva or Vishnu). Few become a sadhu. It is believed that this initiation ritual includes own funeral ...

From the temple complex life Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, Nepal.

It is this below - Naga Babas - naked sadhus, every morning performing the same ritual of throwing off all his clothes, he does make-up the paint on the entire body, and then clothed in iron pants (to be a moment), and as such cuts through the city, collecting alms ... I would have tossed this a couple of hundred rupees only for it to me in my dreams was not. And you?

"Man is a wolf, and zombies Zombie".

The heroes of these photos - the inhabitants of one of the largest communities in Nepal sadhu. They live on the margins of the funerary complex of Pashupatinath, settled directly on the floor of the colonnade: mats, blankets, simple belongings.

Sadhus are different. Usually it is poor mummers, his extravagant views rupee knocks them tourists (more on that later), but today I will show you this sadhu who lives in the furthest corner and never leaves his cell.

He always kept apart, his whole appearance indicating that boiling in the neighborhood hemp-monetary vanity does not concern him. Not begging for alms and generally behaves with dignity. In a large earthenware bowl, kindled the sacred fire and the prayer begins:

The Nepalese are coming to him for a blessing. I never heard him talking (many sadhus vow of silence), but community members treated him with great respect ...

The hollow leg of the chair allows you to stoke the fire without risk opalis his beard:

Tea masala (tea with milk and spices)

"Costumed or not?" - perhaps the most common question. Of course, a sadhu in Pashupatinthe no teacher, no; but communicating with them for six years, I have come to the conclusion that they are his real, ie live so regardless of the presence of tourists with cameras (stream noisy Turiya appeared in Nepal last five or six years), painted and smoke grass only for myself, seeing something different in marihuanovogo smoke.

Yes, there is an obvious blasphemy: for example, one such walk through the streets of the temple complex, made up as Hanuman (monkey god) - bill face made of papier-mache and a two-meter Hush, sir! Bent the tail of the wire frame. Hellish ad! I would love to show it, but the hand was raised to click even for the story - well, terrible crap really.

Another frequent question "why are they white?". According to the story of "iron underpants" in distant New York City, living a holy teacher "milk baba" (Baba - accent on the last syllable), who gave up all food and uses only milk, which is why his skin became very white. And to somehow be like his idol overseas, it is necessary to strengthen the external attributes.

Every morning he starts the same. Rise before dawn, the fire in the hearth, masala tea. In a bowl diluted white paint, which thoroughly smeared the entire body.

Sadhu: two and a half, and butterfly trident of Shiva on the belly. In general, here everyone can decorate themselves as each has its own "chip" (sadhu adhere odinozhdy selected image). It takes a couple of hours of the morning makeup, followed by traditional tea drinking and puffing Chillum (clay pipe), whereupon the company diverges complex, clinking ornaments like gypsy camp. Iron underpants in the middle, if someone he could not see. It is to emphasize austerity and renunciation of worldly, sinful. On a belt attached chain.

We continue a series of bearded clowns. This lover of makeup, we call himself "fox" - for a good look and a bright orange scale war paint. Like most of the sadhus, he does not speak in English, compensating silence charming smile.

The Colonnade is divided into cells, each with its own boss. Depending on the time of year, a permanent resident between 10 and 30 inhabitants in the community. In summer and winter, most of which is spent on prayer in India (the winter in Kathmandu also very cold). Despite the routine, there reigns a strict hierarchy. Sometimes, inmates squabbling among themselves, shouting and waving their arms, but the battering it does not reach (at least never noticed). From time to time come from India such colorful character types that can only enthusiastically snapping the shutter! .. Of these four well I know only two, and the rest came from.

Photographer in the community - this is a rarity, but how fun to watch the reaction of sadhu-beginners! Straight seen both in front of them breaks the formula of "white + camera = can be milked." Typically, the "stray" Guest behaves like this: sit in a pose of a passport and with a frozen smile, raised his hand in greeting "namaste". 100 crore. Then he offers to sit down next to him and make a joint frame. Another 100 rupees ... and very surprised, why do not I am led and continue to drink tea. What to do, everyone has their own work.

I asked what the sadhus are fed. In 2011, we have lived with them in the track side by side for ten days - they do not eat much, only smoke grass drink tea and chew some loose stuff from the bags.

The use of mixtures of smoking, perhaps the most famous feature of the public sadhu. In fact, they smoke constantly, lighting every half-hour in the literal and the literal sense. With prayer, through a cloth, trying to see God puff of smoke ...

The authorities are looking at this practice through his fingers. No one pursues a sadhu for smoking, but any foreigner who attempts to sit down next to him, the police immediately twist. Even the sadhus will never offer the phone to a stranger. For them it is a religious practice, not Rastamanskaya pranks jaded civilization tourist. Can somehow relate to the topic of smoking, but shivaistov this centuries-old tradition and an integral part of the culture.