A Hindu holy man looks at a decoration on the ghats of the river Saryu as part of preparations for the groundbreaking ceremony of a temple to the Hindu god Ram in Ayodhya, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Monday, August 3, 2020. As Hindus prepare to celebrate the groundbreaking of a long-awaited temple at a disputed ground in northern India, Muslims say they have no firm plans yet to build a new mosque at an alternative site they were granted to replace the one torn down by Hindu hard-liners decades ago. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

A Sadhu, Hindu holy person, prepares himself by smearing ashes on his body during the Maha Shivaratri festival at the Pashupati Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, 11 March 2021. The Maha Shivratri festival, which is celebrated on 11 March, sees Hindu devotees, from across the country and neighboring India, gather to celebrate the birthday of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and destruction, by offering special prayers and fasting. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA/EFE)

A group of sadhus (holy men) participate in a religious rally to mark the Mahashivaratri festival at Pashupati Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, 06 March 2024. The festival celebrated on 08 March, sees Hindu devotees from across the country and neighboring India gather to fast and offer special prayers to celebrate the birthday of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and destruction. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA/EFE)

A woman prays during a Sarwan Brata (fast) offering to Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of creation and destruction, at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, 21 July 2025. Nepalese Hindu women wearing red, yellow and green attire, flock to temples during Sarwan month to pray for a long and prosperous life for their husbands, or to find a good husband. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

Believers bathe in the icy water during a traditional Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino near TV Tower in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Across Russia, the devout and the daring are observing the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany by immersing themselves in frigid water through holes cut through the ice of lakes and rivers. Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God through his baptism in the River Jordan. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

The main feature of the Mitsuyama Taisai Festival, three 18 meters tall “mountains”. are displayed at the Itate Hyozu Shrine on March 31, 2013 in Himeji, Japan. The festival is held once in 20 years since 1593, Priests of Itate Hyozu Shrine welcome to all the gods across the country for top of the three mountains and treat with food seven days from today as to pray for peace and prosperity. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

Non-Hindus carry nets as they wait on the edge of the crater to catch offerings cast down by Hindus during the Kasodo ceremony at Mount Bromo, Probolinggo, Indonesia, August 12, 2014. The Kasodo ceremony is a way of Tengger Hindus to express their gratitude to God for good harvest and fortune. The offerings range from vegetables to chickens, from fruits to goats, from money to other valuables. (Photo by Fully Handoko/EPA)

A Pakistani feeds his goat wearing the words “Eid Mubarak” or “Eid Greeting”, to be slaughtered on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice”, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. Muslims all over the world are celebrating Eid al-Adha by sacrificing sheep, goats, cows and camels, to commemorate the Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, on God's command. (Photo by Anjum Naveed/AP Photo)