A devout Hindu ascetic known as Daulat Giri Ji Maharaj has captured the world's attention after spending five years standing continuously without ever sitting or lying down, part of a gruelling 12-year vow to summon a divine vision of Lord Shiva.
In harrowing video footage circulating online, the shirtless sadhu can be seen propped up by a makeshift wooden harness and ropes around his upper body, his eyes closed in apparent exhaustion or meditation as volunteers tend to his grotesquely swollen and blackened legs.
His lower limbs, coated in a shiny ointment, appear massively distended and discoloured from years of immobility, with blood pooling due to chronic venous insufficiency, a condition where gravity and lack of movement prevent proper circulation.
Temple volunteers, including one man in a red cap, are shown crouching at his feet on a small mat, carefully massaging thick ointment into the sadhu's feet and ankles from a metal bowl in a desperate bid to provide some relief.
According to devotees, Daulat Giri Ji Maharaj, also referred to as Dulal Giri or a Naga Sadhu, abandoned university life to dedicate himself to this extreme form of Khada Tapasya, or standing penance, an ancient Hindu practice of self-denial aimed at achieving spiritual enlightenment and 'darshan' – a personal glimpse of the deity Mahadev (Shiva).
He sleeps upright, supported by the sling, and carries out all daily activities, eating, and even basic bodily functions, while remaining on his feet. After completing the full 12 years, he believes he will receive an 'inner energy' powerful enough to force Shiva to manifest before him.
The practice is rooted in Hindu traditions of tapasya, intense austerity believed to build spiritual power through physical sacrifice. Similar ascetics have become famous in India, such as those who keep one arm raised for decades.
But medical experts and online observers have expressed horror at the visible toll. The sadhu's legs show signs of severe edema, skin darkening (likely hemosiderin staining), and potential risks including ulcers, infections, blood clots, and even amputation or sepsis. Some fear his joints may have fused, leaving him unable to walk even if he ends the vow.
Despite the alarming condition, devotees at the temple treat his legs daily and hail his unwavering commitment as a profound act of faith. The sadhu himself has reportedly not appeared before cameras for several years before this viral footage.
Daulat Giri Ji Maharaj's extreme penance highlights the enduring, and often body-destroying, traditions among India's sadhus, who push the boundaries of physical endurance in pursuit of the divine. Whether he will complete the remaining seven years remains to be seen, but for now, he stands as a living symbol of unwavering, if devastating, devotion.
