Bishram, 70, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his face, poses for a picture outside his house in the village of Arjuni, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. Denied entry to temples and forced to use separate wells, low-caste Hindus in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh first tattooed their bodies and faces more than 100 years ago as an act of defiance and devotion. Ramnamis wrote the Hindu god Ram's name on their bodies as a message to higher-caste Indians that god was everywhere, regardless of a person's caste or social standing. While discrimination on class grounds has lessened and most young Ramnamis today avoid full-body tattoos, elderly devotees are still proud of the indelible message their bodies have carried for decades. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Visually-impaired Kartik Ram Sadhu, 67, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his body, bathes in a pond in the village of Arjuni, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Tiharu Ram, 70, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his face, walks with his cattle in a field in the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Tiharu Ram, 70, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his face, poses for a picture outside his house in the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Tiharu Ram, 70, and his wife Phirtin Bai, 61, (R) followers of Ramnami Samaj, who have tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on their faces, pose for a picture outside their house in the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





An elderly woman walks past the followers of Ramnami Samaj in the village of Arjuni, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 14, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Jhingur Ram, 76, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his entire body, poses for a picture outside his house in the village of Chandai, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Sumitra Devi, 70, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on her entire face, stands inside her house in the village of Chapora, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Phirtin Bai, 61, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on her entire face, poses for a picture outside her house in the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Female followers of Ramnami Samaj welcome the priests and elders (unseen) of their religious movement as they arrive to attend a prayer meet at a house in the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Dhani Ram, 52, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his entire face, talks on his mobile phone outside his house in the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. The writing on the wall reads, "Ram Ram". (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Mahettar Ram Tandon, 76, (C), a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his full body, watches a religious movie on a computer with his wife and son (R) inside his house in the village of Jamgahan, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 17, 2015. “It was my new birth the day I started having the tattoos”, Tandon said. “The old me had died”. Denied entry to temples and forced to use separate wells, low-caste Hindus in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh first tattooed their bodies and faces more than 100 years ago as an act of defiance and devotion. Ramnamis wrote the Hindu god Ram's name on their bodies as a message to higher-caste Indians that god was everywhere, regardless of a person's caste or social standing. While discrimination on class grounds has lessened and most young Ramnamis today avoid full-body tattoos, elderly devotees are still proud of the indelible message their bodies have carried for decades. “The young generation just don't feel good about having tattoos on their whole body”, he said. “That doesn't mean they don't follow the faith”. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Mahettar Ram Tandon, 76, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his full body, poses for a picture at his house in the village of Jamgahan, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Punai Bai, 75, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on her entire body, poses for a picture outside her house in the village of Gorba, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





An earthen oil lamp is seen on grains after harvesting the crop as part of a ritual in the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Visually-impaired Kartik Ram Sadhu, 67, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, and who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his body, bathes in a pond in the village of Arjuni, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Jhingur Ram, 76, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his entire body, sits outside his house in the village of Chandai, in the eastern Indian state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Chanda Ram, 72, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his entire face and head, poses for a picture inside his house in the village of Chapora, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





A picture of a Hindu deity and the holy book "Ramayana" are seen inside the house of a Ramnami Samaj follower in the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 17, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Visually-impaired Kartik Ram Sadhu, 67, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his full body, poses for a picture inside his house in the village of Arjuni, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Sumitra Devi, 70, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on her entire face, poses for a picture outside her house in the village of Chapora, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Chanda Ram, 72, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his entire face and head, poses for a picture inside his house in the village of Chapora, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Jhingur Ram, 76, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his entire body, poses for a picture outside his house in the village of Chandai, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Dhani Ram, 52, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his entire face, stands outside his house at the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Sumitra Devi, 70, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on her entire face, poses for a picture outside her house in the village of Chapora, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Mahettar Ram Tandon, 76, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his full body, poses for a picture inside his house in the village of Jamgahan, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 17, 2015. "It was my new birth the day I started having the tattoos," Tandon said. "The old me had died." "The young generation just don't feel good about having tattoos on their whole body," he added. "That doesn't mean they don't follow the faith". (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Gularam, 43, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on his forehead, poses for a picture outside his house in the village of Chandlidi, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. "The colour of our blood is red and we all have the same (blood)," said Gularam. "If somebody has white blood then I can accept him as an upper caste". (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Punai Bai, 75, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on her full body, poses for a picture outside her house in the village of Gorba, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Punai Bai, 75, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on her entire body, poses for a picture outside her house in the village of Gorba, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 15, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Punai Bai, 75, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on her entire body, carries vegetables to cook inside her house in the village of Gorba, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. Bai spent more than two weeks aged 18 having her body tattooed using dye made from mixing soot from a kerosene lamp with water. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)





Punai Bai, 75, a follower of Ramnami Samaj, who has tattooed the name of the Hindu god Ram on her entire body, sweeps outside her house at the village Gorba, in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh, India, November 16, 2015. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)