Hindu deevotes washing their clothes at Bagmati river after having a holy bath.
Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal./
Hindu devotees wait in line before dawn to enter the main Shiva temple at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, Nepal. This temple, dedicated to Shiva as lord of the animals and Nepal’s patron god, was built in 1696, but the site was sacred long before that. It towers above the sacred Bagmati River, lined with bathing and cremation ghats, or platforms, and hundreds of smaller temples, dedicated to Shiva  and other Hindu deities.

Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal (edition 1/20)
Thomas L. Kelly 
Museo Silver Rag (Color Digital Print)
Dimension: 24X16
US$750
(Sadhu book Pg no# 2-3)
Moksha, perfect inner freedom-is the soul's release from samsara, the cycle of birth and death, attained after dynamic and personal yogic realization of Parasiva and resolution of all seed karmas.  Having known the Absolute, there is no fuller realization, no greater   knowing, no higher "experience." Even when God realization is attained, the soul body continues to evolve in this and other worlds until it merges with the Primal Soul as a drop of water merges with its source, the ocean. -Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Thomas L. Kelly
Shiva Moon, Nepal (edition 1/20)
Museo Silver Rag (Color Digital Print) 
Dimension: 30X20
US$ 750
(Sadhu book Pg no# 4-5)
Shiva lingams sit inside yonis, symbolizing the unity between male and female energies. The lingam is Shiva in his universal form and is a bestower of fertility.
Kathmandu, Nepal.
Shiva lingams sit inside yonis, symbolizing the unity between male and female energies. The lingam is Shiva in his universal form and is bestower of fertility. Each shrine is covered with red colored powder showing they have been worshipped.Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal.
A group of sadhus engage in an austerity called the panch-agni-tapasya, or five fire practice, in which pieces of burning cow dung are placed around the Sadhu as he meditates or performs hatha yoga. Over a cycle of eighteen years, the Sadhu increases the number of fires from five at the beginning to a full ring complete with a pot of burning cow dung on the head by the end. During this austerity, usually practiced during the height of summer heat, the Sadhus ability to remain focused on his chosen mantra and deity is severely tested.Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal.
A group of sadhus engage in an austerity called the panch-agni-tapasya, or five fire practice, in which pieces of burning cow dung are placed around the Sadhu as he meditates or performs hatha yoga. Over a cycle of eighteen years, the Sadhu increases the number of fires from five at the beginning to a full ring complete with a pot of burning cow dung on the head by the end. During this austerity, usually practiced during the height of summer heat, the Sadhus ability to remain focused on his chosen mantra and deity is severely tested.Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal.
A group of Sadhu preparing their materials at the beginning of Pancha Agni Tapasya.Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Aside from a life of simplicity and focus on the Divine, many sadhus engage in a diverse array of practices both internal and external in order to attain higher states of awareness and consciousness. This Sadhu has chosen hatha yoga and shows off the results--a well-disciplined, strong body--while holding the kukkuta asana, or cock posture.Pashupatinath; Kathmandu; Nepal.
A group of sadhus engage in an austerity called the panch-agni-tapasya, or five fire practice, in which pieces of burning cow dung are placed around the Sadhu as he meditates or performs hatha yoga. Over a cycle of eighteen years, the Sadhu increases the number of fires from five at the beginning to a full ring complete with a pot of burning cow dung on the head by the end. During this austerity, usually practiced during the height of summer heat, the Sadhus ability to remain focused on his chosen mantra and deity is severely tested.Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal.
A group of sadhus engage in an austerity called the panch-agni-tapasya, or five fire practice, in which pieces of burning cow dung are placed around the Sadhu as he meditates or performs hatha yoga. Over a cycle of eighteen years, the Sadhu increases the number of fires from five at the beginning to a full ring complete with a pot of burning cow dung on the head by the end. During this austerity, usually practiced during the height of summer heat, the Sadhus ability to remain focused on his chosen mantra and deity is severely tested.Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal.
A group of sadhus engage in an austerity called the panch-agni-tapasya, or five fire practice, in which pieces of burning cow dung are placed around the Sadhu as he meditates or performs hatha yoga. Over a cycle of eighteen years, the Sadhu increases the number of fires from five at the beginning to a full ring complete with a pot of burning cow dung on the head by the end. During this austerity, usually practiced during the height of summer heat, the Sadhus ability to remain focused on his chosen mantra and deity is severely tested.Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal.
See photo in original gallery.