An Indian sadhu (Hindu holy man) sits on the banks of Sangam – the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers – on the auspicious bathing day of 'Maghi Purnima' during the Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad on February 19, 2019. Millions of Hindu pilgrims took the plunge in holy rivers on the most auspicious bathing days of the Kumbh Mela festival, led by naked, ash-smeared holy men and accompanied by chants from Hindu holy texts. (Photo by Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo)

The chariot of God Bhairab is pulled through the city centre of Bhaktapur near Kathmandu during the Bisket festival April 10, 2015. The festival, which runs for more than a week and coincides with the Nepalese New Year, involves devotees offering prayers and the pulling of two chariots, one carrying the idol of God Bhairab and the other with the idol of Goddess Bhadrakali, around the ancient city of Bhaktapur. Devotees participate in the festival with the belief that they will be blessed with good health, fortune and harvest for the coming year. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A devotee of the Chinese Samkong Shrine walks with flowers pierced through his cheeks during a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand, October 16, 2015. The festival, featuring face-piercing, spirit mediums and strict vegetarianism celebrates the local Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

A woman receives a traditional cleansing in the church of San Simon in Iztapa, Chimaltenango, Guatemala, October 28, 2015. People in Guatemala revere San Simon, also known by his Mayan name Maximon o Ry Laj Man, on October 28 annually. For some devotees, San Simon is synonymous with prosperity and happiness, while others associate him with witchcraft, paganism and a protector for drunkards. Since the 19th century, devotees have offered money, liquor or tobacco in exchange for his blessings. (Photo by Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters)

Naga Sadhus or Hindu holy men, smeared with ash, drink tea inside their makeshift camps near the confluence of river Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, ahead of Makar Sankranti festival at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata January 13, 2015. Hindu monks and pilgrims are making their annual trip to Sagar Island for the one-day festival of “Makar Sankranti” on Wednesday. (Photo by Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters)

A man holds an idol of Hindu God Ganesha before immersing it in the Bay of Bengal during Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Chennai, India, Sunday, September 20, 2015. The festival marks the birth of Ganesha who is widely worshiped by Hindus as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. (Photo by Arun Sankar K./AP Photo)

A Hindu holy man shouts religious slogans during a procession to mark 'Krishna Janmashtami' in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, August 19, 2022. Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of Hindu god Krishna. (Photo by Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo)

A devotee of the Chinese Ban Tha Rue shrine walks with guns pierced through his cheeks during a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand, October 17, 2015. The festival, featuring face-piercing, spirit mediums and strict vegetarianism celebrates the local Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)