HOME Travel Guide Common Sense Travel
decorative font style
    Travel >> Holiday Travel >  >> Travel Notes

Inside the Lives of Sadhus: A Personal Encounter at Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu

Sadhus are ascetic holy men with dreadlocks who renounce all material possessions to dwell in caves, forests, and temples across India and Nepal. Discover an intimate glimpse into their profound way of life.

I encountered this Sadhu at Kathmandu's revered Pashupatinath Temple. Notice the burn scars on the inside of his right arm. In Nepali, he recounted how a childhood accident left him severely burned, after which a local holy man took him in and initiated him into the path of the Sadhus.

Many Sadhus beg at Pashupatinath, but only for essentials like food and clothing. While some view them as glorified beggars, their minimalism underscores their spiritual commitment.

Sadhus are particularly prevalent here, one of the world's most significant Shaiva pilgrimage sites. These solitary figures often use intoxicants to attain deeper spiritual insight.

Embracing the Sadhu life is arduous. Fascinatingly, initiates are considered 'dead' to their former selves, sometimes even performing their own funeral rites before seeking a guru to guide their transformation.

Inside the Lives of Sadhus: A Personal Encounter at Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu

The majority of Sadhus in India and Nepal are Yogis. This one appears to have mastered more than a few yoga poses over the years.

Photo Tip: For striking close-up portraits that make your subject pop, use a wide aperture setting. This creates a blurred background (bokeh) while keeping the face sharply in focus.

Explore our Photography page to buy postcards and prints of these captivating images.

Curious about more Nepal adventures? Check out these related posts:

First Impressions of Nepal

I See the Light in You

Photo of the Week: Burning Himalaya Mountains

What I Loved Most About Visiting Dhading, Nepal

The Ultimate Nepal Travel Guide + Packing Tips

Travel Notes
  • Ultimate Romantic Date Ideas in Tempe, AZ: Real Itineraries from Local Couples

    Resolve to create unforgettable dates this year. Whether its your first outing or a milestone anniversary, break free from the routine of dinner and Netflix. Tempe, Arizona, is the ideal destination for an exceptional date night—or even a full day packed with adventure and romance. Drawing from authentic local experiences, weve curated perfect day itineraries from three Tempe-loving couples. Theyve shared their favorite spots with honest feedback, so you can confidently recreate their magic. M

  • Packrafts: The Ultimate Portable Adventure Vessel

    Imagine taking a canoe onto a train, or trying to pack a kayak into the overhead luggage compartment of an aircraft. These pieces of equipment are fine-tuned for adventure, yet they lack portability – and can be cumbersome, making storage problematic unless you have a shed for your gear. This is where a small inflatable vessel known as a packraft comes in. Annie Evans and Jacob Haagensen dared to take on an adventure that some may not have considered, using their trusty packrafts to go and e

  • Seeing Double: Anchorage s Frozen Salmon and City Secrets

    Frozen pink crystals began falling, salmon dust coming off the chop saw, coating everything the way frost covered every surface that morning as we departed Anchorage, Alaska, and headed northward, out of the city, for about an hour. As the fog lifted the frigid city was left shining. ‘The world’s our freezer this time of year,’ Anna said, grabbing half a dozen keta salmon from two massive boxes that held an entire ton of frozen fish outside their workshop. She placed them next to the chop sa