INTIMATE PORTRAITS OF HINDU HOLY MEN

COVERING themselves in ash and face paint, these are the holy men who live their lives away from everyday society. Known as sadhus, they shun all home comforts for a life spent inside caves, forests and temples and can be found across India and Nepal. German banker and photographer Mario Gerth decided to find and photograph the sadhu people. The 38-year-old of Erfurt, Germany, says: “I have been obsessed with the sadhus for many years and set off in 2013 to look for them.

Other great stories
CHEEKY SQUIRREL STICKS TONGUE OUT

An adorable little squirrel wakes from a nap and pops out his tongue for the camera .

AUSTRALIAN TOWN LOCATED UNDERGROUND

A mining town in Australia’s outback appears to be completely deserted, but its residents have escaped the scorching heat by living in underground caves .

STUNNING CONTRAST OF ENGLISH SETTINGS

CONTRASTING settings reveal some of England’s most beautiful landscapes in all their glory .

SLEEPING BEAUTIES

Lying angelically with a range of expressions etched on their tiny faces, little bundles of joy are innocently captured in their first few days in these adorable photographs .

EYE-CATCHING TRIBAL HAIRSTYLES

BRAIDED, sculpted and beaded, these are the eye-catching hairstyles worn by the tribal women of Angola .

SUNBATHING MEERKAT MAKES THE MOST OF UK SUN

LYING flat out on his back, this little meerkat makes the most of the English sunshine .

NAKED SLACKLINERS TACKLE NEW CHALLENGES

BALANCING 30 metres above ground, these slackliners take the expression of living dangerously one step further, by tightrope walking NAKED .

AMAZING AURORA BOREALIS

A GLOWING range of greens and blues sweep across the sky in a spectacular display of light .

CHEEKY WHITE TIGER CUB

WITH HIS PAW covering his mouth, this cheeky cub looks amused by something .

HUNGRY HIPPO MISSES OUT ON LUNCH

A hungry hippo is seconds away from catching a bird in its gigantic jaws .

OPEN WIDE! CHEEKY MONKEY GIVES FRIEND AN UNEXPECTED DENTAL CHECK-UP

This cheeky macaque gets up close and personal as he examines the dental hygiene of his fellow primate .

DOG SO CLOSE TO DEATH AFTER SWALLOWING NEEDLE

A dog was SOW close to death after she dangerously swallowed a two-inch NEEDLE-Cute Shih Tzu Daisy could have pierced her intestines after eating the long needle and thread after finding it on the carpet .