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Nepal court rules Naga sadhus’ nudity is tradition, not obscenity
The Island
|August 30, 2025
Supreme Court dismissed petition arguing their public nudity disturbed other devotees at Pashupatinath temple
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(UCAN) Nepal's Supreme Court has ruled that naked Hindu holy men need not wear clothes to attend a revered temple, declaring that their age-old tradition of nudity is not obscenity.
The ash-smeared and dreadlocked ascetics known as Naga sadhus — devotees of the Hindu deity Shiva who renounce their family and worldly possessions, including clothing — said on 27 August that they welcomed the top court decision.
This story is from the August 30, 2025 edition of The Island.
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