Praying with holy dogs

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Swami Surya Pratibha is known as 'the dog sadhavi' in India. A sadhavi is a woman who has renounced all worldly possessions and has chosen to live away from society to pursue a spiritual path in life. She lives in utmost simplicity, wearing a shorn head and a loose-fitting, saffron cotton gown. Pratibha does her seva - or service - to her wild dogs. She lives in a remote jungle hermitage which she believes is protected by them. To reach it requires great determination and danger; not only do you have to drive up a river bed to find her shack, but it's surrounded by snakes and leopards. Photo credit: Oliver Saurabh Sinclair