Hindu man sitting on a bed of spikes to seek religious merit, Vārānasi , India, ca. 1920between 1915 and 1925"A "holy man" on his bed of spikes. By torturing himself in this way, he believes he will go to the Hindu heaven without repentance for sin." A man dressed in rags with a necklace around his neck sits on a bed of spikes. This photograph is from an album prepared by W. K. Norton of The Pilgrims Mission, Benares [Vārānasi].still image