Kathmandu Sadhus

Here's a collection of sadhus' portraits by Ian Winstanley, a commercial photographer based in the UK.  Ian spent time on the banks of the Bagmati river in Kathmandu's holy site known as Pashupathi. The site is considered as one of the oldest and most holy of temples dedicated to Shiva, and sadhus and other Hindu faithful have been drawn to it since the 5th century.

In Hinduism, sadhus are mystics, ascetics, practitioners of yoga and wandering monks. However, many of sadhus are nothing more (or less) than wandering homeless individuals, relying on charity of others to survive.  I've been to Nepal twice and have always enjoyed photographing the sadhus wrapped in their bright saffron robes.