Sadhu

==Festive gatherings==
[[File:Indian sadhu performing namaste.jpg|thumb|250px|A sadhu in [[Madurai]], India.]]

[[Kumbh Mela]], a mass-gathering of sadhus from all parts of India, takes place every three years at one of four points along sacred rivers in India, including the [[holy river]] [[Ganges]]. In 2007 it was held in Nasik, Maharashtra. Peter Owen-Jones filmed one episode of "Extreme Pilgrim" there during this event. It took place again in Haridwar in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/world/asia/15india.html|title=Taking a Sacred Plunge, One Wave of Humanity at a Time|last=Yardley|first=Jim|author2=Kumar, Hari |date=14 April 2010|work=[[New York Times]]|access-date=24 November 2010}}</ref> Sadhus of all sects join in this reunion. Millions of non-sadhu pilgrims also attend the festivals, and the [[Kumbh Mela]] is the largest gathering of human beings for a single religious purpose on the planet. The Kumbh Mela of 2013 started on 14 January of that year at [[Allahabad]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}} At the festival, sadhus appear in large numbers, including those "completely naked with ash-smeared bodies, [who] sprint into the chilly waters for a dip at the crack of dawn".<ref name=geeta>{{cite news|last=Pandey|first=Geeta|title=Kumbh Mela: 'Eight million' bathers on first day of festival|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21017217|newspaper=BBC News|date=14 January 2013}}</ref>