"A 'god shop' where idols of Hindu gods are made and sold to the public." A boy sits next to rows of idols and holds one idol with wings in his lap. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A group of Brahmans who get their living by going about begging from the people." Six men and boys pose for the camera. They are all wearing rags. Some sit and some stand. One of them has white stripes painted on his body. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A corpse ready to be cremated. It is laid on a pile of dried cow manure which is sometimes used as the fuel." A corpse with a white cloth over all but the head is laid on a pile of cow manure. There are people of all ages standing around the body. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A coolie girl with her basket picking tea leaves." A girl stands next to a bush with a basket. She has been picking the leaves of the bush for tea. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A Hindu trying to earn merit by burying his head in the ground. The other man is his companion who calls out to passers-by." A man lies face-down with his head buried in the sand and one knee bent with that foot in the air. His companion sits cross-legged beside him, calling out to people passing by. There are two piles of sticks near them. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A Hindu "holy" man reading a Gospel. Because of the influence these men have over the Hindus, when they become Christians they do a great deal of good." A man with long hair that is tied up in a bun on his head reads the Bible while sitting on the ground in front of a tent. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"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 on the spikes. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A boy worshipping the tulsi plant which is considered to be very "sacred" by all Hindus." A boy with only a simple rag clothing him worships a plant that is on top of a stone pedestal. His hands are clasped as if in prayer. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"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 upright by ropes around his arms. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"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 man gestures to the first man. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A Hindu worshipper feeding ants. Although the majority of Hindus are very poor, yet they do these things, believing they may be feeding their dead relatives." A Hindu man bends down to feed ants. He is not wearing a shirt. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"The man in the center is hanging by his feet with his head over a slow fire." A man dressed in rags is hanging by his feet over a slow fire. There are many observers who stand around him in a semi-circle. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"Another man hanging by his knees with his head over a fire. He swings back and forth hoping by this torture to have his sins forgiven." A man dressed in rags hangs by his knees, swaying back and forth over a fire. There are many observers standing in a semi-circle around him. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A man having a hook fastened into the muscles of his back preparatory to the "hook swinging sacrifice"." A man with his back facing the camera is having a hook attached to his back. There are other men standing around, including a man who is piercing the first man's back with the hook. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"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. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A "holy" man on his bed of spikes which is so arranged that it can be pulled about." A nude, bearded man sits on a bed of spikes that has wheels on it so that it can be rolled around. Two other men sit near him and a cow stands to his right. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"A balancing trick. To earn merit this man swings on a stretched wire and counts his prayer beads." A nude man lies on a single wire that is stretched between trees while he counts prayer beads. He is also wearing beads around his neck. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"Another "holy" man who has taken a vow that he will never allow the finger nails of his left hand to be cut or broken." A man stands with wide eyes and hands openly facing the camera. The fingernails of his left hand are very long. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"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. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
"This Hindu "holy" man sitting on his bed of spikes has his forehead painted with a "sign of the beast". The two little idols in the foreground are worshipped by the Hindus." A gathering of men, women, and children watch a man who is sitting on a bed of nails. The man is dressed in rags and hs two white stripes painted on his forehead. There are two HIndu idols sitting on the ground next to him. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].
