If a man wishes to rid himself of a feeling of unbearable oppression, he may have to take hashish.Fredrich Nietzsche
The wandering Sadhus or Holy Men of India find a higher level of enlightenment by smoking hashish or cannabis.
A Sadhu is a mystic, an ascetic, the one who knows all and is liberated from the materialistic world of humans. He is a wandering monk whose singular goal in life is to achieve ‘moksha’ or nirvana. and he gets it through tough penance and an uncommon lifestyle. The ascetics have renounced their worldly life and lead a life of celibacy, ascetic yoga, and a search for enlightenment. Many start their day by getting high to attain a state of mind, they say, that is conducive to the worship of their Hindu god, usually Shiva or Vishnu.
The Sadhu’s devotees are often more than happy to share a chillum. Getting stoned clears the mind of rational thought thus clearing the way for the journey to a higher plane.
Chillum, the small conical clay pipe is the preferred way of smoking.
Click here for more Weekly Travel Theme: Smoke and Mirrors.
The Wanderlust Gene
2 Apr 2013Ron, your portraits are great – these men, no matter what, have great character and you’ve captured them so we too can sit and talk with them (chillims and all 🙂 )
fotograffer
3 Apr 2013Thanks. It was fascinating to see. And, obviously, they were approachable.
Tina Schell
2 Apr 2013Great post Ron
fotograffer
3 Apr 2013Thank you Tina.
Playamart - Zeebra Designs
2 Apr 2013after barb laughed (very hard!) when she read your comment, i took her on a little cyber trip to your blog and to lynne’s. she agrees, your photos are stunning! z
fotograffer
3 Apr 2013I’m glad Barb enjoyed the tour. 🙂
lena de almeida
2 Apr 2013Great portraits and creative interpretation of the theme 🙂
fotograffer
3 Apr 2013Thank you so much.
Inside the Mind of Isadora
3 Apr 2013This is amazing information. A total life of sacrifice in every facet of their lives. It requires great inner fortitude. They look like they are knwoledgable in their study of nirvana.
Very good photo’s …..
fotograffer
3 Apr 2013I believe most all are very sincere in what they are doing.
Gigi Galore
3 Apr 2013Oh I have so many questions, like … How close were you accidentally standing in order to take these shots? Hehehe! 🙂
fotograffer
4 Apr 2013Generally, they were happy to be photographed or they were oblivious to my presence. But my, what a cast of characters!
Debesh
7 Apr 2013It isn’t easy to understand religion, more so a religion as complex and deep as Hinduism. The license for the sadhus or mendicants to smoke hashish stems from their belief in Shiva. It is not so much about getting high to “clear” their minds. If I may suggest a few searches for Shiva, part of the Hindu Trinity, and some reading on Him, it might be clearer as to what their beliefs are and why these sadhus do what they do.
I wonder if you saw my series from there Ron: http://debeshsharma.com/photography/incarnations/
I wish we’d connected before you went there – for all you know, we might have been standing adjacent to each other!
Thank you for sharing.
Paula
16 Apr 2013Fantastic portraits, Ron 🙂