Powdering the Face with Holy Ash

Vibhuti, also called bhasma, is the sacred ash which is used in Āgamic rituals as ceremonial make-up. It supposedly raises one’s spiritual power and is used as a constant reminder of the Shaivite sadhu’s or devotee’s own mortality. The most powerful sacred ash comes from cremation grounds. If this ash is not available, the next alternative is to use cow dung or rice husk. This is indicative that the body is not the core substance, it is just the husk.

Hindu devotees apply their vibhuti traditionally on their faces, their hair, their beards and all over their bodies, or as three horizontal lines across the forehead to honor Shiva. Three horizontal stripes of vibhuti smeared across the forehead to the end of both eyebrows is often called tripundra.

"Today’s ashes are tomorrow’s soil."

(acc. to Craig D. Lounsbrough)

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Fraternizing with Holed Ears

Gorakhnath was an influential founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement in India. His Shaivite followers are powerful monks and yogis found in India's Himalayan states, the western and central states and the Gangetic plains as well as in Nepal. They are called Gorakhnathis, Darshanis or Kanphatas; they venerate the Hindu deity Shiva and are famous for having been part of India’s warrior ascetic movement since the 14th-century CE, to militarily resist the Islamic and British colonial rule and develop martial arts.

Gorakhnathis are distinguished by their huge earrings which they wear in the hollows of their ears, and their name Kanphata refers to their unique practice of having the cartilage of their earlobes split for the insertion of those earrings. It is said that the tradition of splitting the ears originated with Gorakhnath himself.

In the final stage of their ceremony of initiation a specially chosen guru splits the central hollows of both ears with a two edged knife. The slits are plugged with sticks of neem wood; and, after the wounds have healed, large rings are inserted. These are a distinctive symbol of the yogi's faith. The rings are made of various substances; the rule seems to be that the initiate first wears rings of clay. Some yogis continue to wear earthen rings. But, since these are easily broken, others of more durable substances are usually substituted (e.g. rhinoceros horn and leather, ivory, wood, jade, silver).

High-res portrait photographs with complete exif data, geotags and other specs in Matt Hahnewald's

Flickr Album 2017-02c Fraternizing with Holed Ears