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India: A Hindu sannyasi resting on a bed of nails, Varanasi, 1907

India: A Hindu sannyasi resting on a bed of nails, Varanasi, 1907

Herbert Ponting's 1907 photograph is captioned 'a fakir in Benares' (Varanasi), India. However, it is far more likely this depicts a Hindu sannyasin since Varanasi is the holiest city in Hinduism where large numbers of ascetics gather.