The photo of a Naga Sadhu — a Hindu ascetic — at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in the northern city of Prayagraj, is emblematic of the ongoing Maha Kumbh festival, ...

A Hindu devotee pierces his body with skewers during the religious festival of Panguni Uthiram in Kochi, 2009. Photograph by Sivaram V/Reuters/Redux Religious ascetic lays atop a bed of nails in ...

The Gangasagar Mela, one of India's most celebrated Hindu festivals ... At the other end of the spectrum is a Naga Sadhu from Uttar Pradesh, whose ascetic lifestyle has turned heads.

PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — Thousands of devotees jostle behind bamboo fences to get a glimpse of the grand procession of the naked, ash-smeared and armed Hindu holy men. The Naga Sadhus are the ...