Sadhus are Hindu holy men and women of India and Nepal who have left behind a worldly life and all attachment to family, property, and material possessions. They follow a ruggedly ascetic life, living in ashrams within an urban setting, in huts at the edge of a village, or in remote mountain caves. Some live as perpetual pilgrims, moving from one holy place to another. Widely respected for their holiness, it is thought that the austere practices of the Sadhus benefit society by helping to burn off karma. A day begins with a ritual cold bath followed by prayers, chants, and meditation. Sadhus hold a unique and important role in Hindu society, giving religious instruction, dispensing cures and blessings, conducting marriages, and settling disputes within the local community. They are living reminders of the Divine, or spiritual illumination and of liberation from the cycle of birth and death, which is the ultimate goal of a Hindu