14th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Divine blessing

The world of a Naga Sadhu or an ash smeared Naked Saint is shrouded in mystery and secret rituals. One such ritual is to perform his own funeral rites, a symbolic act implying he has now left the world he was born into, and crossed over to another one, a point of no return. Here a 'Dead' Naga sadhu blesses a man by applying holy ash on his forehead.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2015
Date Uploaded: 11.2016
Photo Location: Trimbakeshwar, India
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Copyright: © Sudeep Lal