Painted Faces of Hindu Monks and Priests

July 5, 2017 • Photography & Travel

Blog Image

Hindus wear markings on their forehead for many purposes. Some markings denote the sect they belong to, others tell if a woman is married or not, and some have deeper metaphysical reasons. Hindu priests and monks can often be seen wearing the most elaborate of facial markings. The markings are made of holy ash, sandal paste and a red powder called kunkumam which is made from turmeric or saffron. Here’s a collection of photos of monks and priests with facial markings…including one of myself taken by friend and New York based fashion photographer Andre Schneider.

Hindu monk in Nepal.

 

A 106 year old Hindu monk in Nepal. Photographed in 2010.

 

A Hindu priest that belongs to the Vaishnavite sect.

 

This is me…

Blog Image
Joyous Children

Today I thought I’d share some images that I photographed of smiling and laughing children during my many travels to India. These pictures remind me of my favorite quote from my guru, Gurudeva Subramuniyaswami: “Life is meant to be lived joyously.” Whether you are going through a challenging time...

Read More
Blog Image
The Colored Sand Makers of Tamil Nadu

It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of my photography posts. As many of you know I am passionate about photography. During a recent trip to South India in December last year I drove past a small village in Tamil Nadu, South India, where it looked like the main industry here was making…

Read More
Blog Image
My Visit to Seoul

I recently posted about giving a keynote at the 2017 World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, South Korea. Once that event concluded, I spent a couple extra days exploring this wonderful city. I’m particularly drawn to historical sites and spent most of my time exploring a few of the main palaces wi...

Read More
Blog Image
A Day in the Floating City

I hope to share with you, once or twice a month, one of my passions — photography. I believe it’s so important to make time in life for what you love and who you love. I love photography and always do my best to integrate it into my travels around the world. I’m currently in&hel...

Read More
FREE Weekly Insights
Sign Up for my newsletter and receive insights, teachings and spiritual tools for living a life of purpose and joy.
Subscribe
We promise not to sell your email address to other monks, priests, religious organizations, angels, God or the Devil.
By checking this box you agree to our privacy policy and, terms and conditions.
FREE Weekly Insights
Sign Up for my newsletter and receive insights, teachings and spiritual tools for living a life of purpose and joy.
By checking this box you agree to our privacy policy and, terms and conditions.
Subscribe
We promise not to sell your email address to other monks, priests, religious organizations, angels, God or the Devil.