"This old man has held up his arm for a great many years. The muscles are withered and his elbow is stiff." A bearded man dressed in rags with a cloth headdress and necklace is holding his left arm above his head. This photograph is from an album pr...
"To do penance and gain merit this man has held up both arms and has become as helpless as a baby." A bald man dressed in rags sits on the floor with his knees bent up to his chest an his arms held above his head. This photograph is from an album pr...
"This man tortures himself by holding his breath. His nostrils and his mouth are stopped. He claims he can hold his breath 5 minutes." A man sits cross-legged on the ground with a robe wrapped around him. There is a wire fence in front of him. Th...
"The foot sticking out over this man's shoulder is his own foot that he has twisted around. This is his idea of earning religious merit." A bald man sits on the ground dressed in rags with bracelets around his arm and necklaces around his neck. Thi...
"A "holy man" on his bed of spikes. By torturing himself in this way, he believes he will go to the Hindu heaven without repentance for sin." A man dressed in rags with a necklace around his neck sits on a bed of spikes. This photograph is from an ...
"Another Hindu "holy" man with one arm raised up over his head. The man sitting at his side counting the prayer beads is his disciple." Two men sit cross-legged on the ground next to each other. One is holding his hand above his head, while the oth...
"To earn religious merit one of these men has his head buried in the earth. His cmpanion attracts attention to shi act and counts his prayer beads." One man is lying on the ground with his head buried and his hands counting prayer beads. Another ma...
"This boy is lying on a bed of spikes believing that if he does this for a number of years he will gain merit and earn salvation." A boy lies on a bed of spikes with his head propped up on a wooden board. His knees are bent so that his feet are flat...
"The foot sticking out over this man's shoulder is his own foot that he has twisted around. This is his idea of earning religious merit." Despite the caption for this picture, this man does not stick his foot over his shoulder. Instead, he sits cro...
"This old Hindu took a vow that he would never again lie down. He has to sleep with ropes tied under his arms in order to keep from falling down." An elderly man with a long, bedraggled beard, holds a set of beads in his hands while he is being held...
