Hindu priest pierces a worshipper with a trident in a form of self sacrifice worship to the goddess Mariamman, Tamil Nadu, India


Mariamman is a form of the Hindu Godess Kali and believed to have the ability to cure illnesses. Devottees perform acts of self sacrifice in order to appease her and ensure good health. Many devotees go to the temple and have small tridents pierced through their tongues. Others have large spears pierced through both cheeks.


Size: 3387px × 4950px
Photo credit: © Louise Batalla Duran / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: adult, belief, beliefs, bhavani, ceremony, crazy, devotee, extreme, faith, faiths, gory, hindu, hinduism, hurt, india, indian, lady, lbduran, mad, mariamman, pain, pierce, piercing, religion, religions, religious, ritual, sacrific, sacrifice, stupid, suffering, trident, trindent, trishula, woman, worship, worshipping