Why do sadhus have long hair

Long before I'd heard of Bob Marley, the dreadlocks of Indian sadhus had fascinated me. My photography-enthusiast dad frequented the Gangasagar mela, which is similar to the Kumbh, though much smaller. He'd tell me about how the 'jata' is integral for a sadhu. It took me a trip to the ardh-kumbh and several conversations with ash-smeared ascetics to understand why.

Draped in a saffron shawl and a saffron loin cloth, one said it took him over 30 years to get his eight-foot-long dreadlocks. They almost fit like a conical crown which was too big for his face. I wondered out loud if he could open it and he gladly unwound his locks and then again proudly put it back in place. Another woman sadhu, from Nepal, had traveled all the way to the Sangam city Prayagraj to wash away her sins in the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the legendary river Saraswati.

She claimed that if she didn't obey the norms of her religion, there is nothing left to live for. Her locks went past her shoulders and complemented her plump smiling face. Treasures Along the Path. The Education for Life Philosophy. Living Wisdom K — 12 Schools. Check our help guide for more info. Your Spiritual Questions Answered.

Apart from appearance, is there any other significance? Yes, there is a deeper yogic significance to long hair. Wild or not, long hair is definitively a good yogic tradition. Joy, jayadev. Online Class. Register now. Ananda Worldwide. Kriya Yoga. Online Classes, Events, and Community. In order to transform their hair into thick strands of hair, they seek help from their fellow sages.

A few segments of hair are taken at a time and then it is rolled. After this, the rolled segment is tied with thread and needles such that it forms a fixed strand of hair. This process goes on until all hair is tied into thick strands. You will be awestruck to see that the one who is getting this hairdo, has to bow down his head for a long time.

Once the entire hair is tied into fixed strands of hair, the sage can't lift his head. Once the strands are made, then the sage can tie his strands into a bun. Now it depends upon the sage if he wants to tie all the strands or some portion of them. Once tied, the hairdo lasts for months. This way the sages don't have to worry about their hair getting dirty, dry, etc. When tied this way, the hair hardly bothers them and thus they can concentrate on meditation and remembering God for the entire time.

Now you may ask why they don't shave their heads. This is because shaving can cause the regrowth of the hair and thus, they would have to go to a barber and get it shaved again and again.