51 girls who will never marry...I apologise if this photo shocks you!

The site of a naked man in this pix may surprise many. But there were hundreds more around, some you can see in background as thousands watched the great event where 51 girls got their hair torn off and became 'sadhvis'.

Whatever I know about Jainism, the religion that is one of the most esoteric of all faiths in the world, and often seen as sect of Hindus though has nothing in common, the life of the Jain sadhvis (nuns) is the toughest in the world.

The monks of Digambar Jains remain naked wherever they may go. The Shwetambar sect monks wear white robes.

The rules are strict:
*A sadhvi can't take food or water after sunset and before sunrise.
*They have to ask for food from Jain households but not all from one house.
*They walk with bare feet and for hundreds of miles, they can't
move on any vehicle

Several times in a year they have to pluck off their hair, one by one and pain has to be borne silently

*They shun everybody including their family
*They can't touch any one of opposite sex, not even a child

Of course, celibacy and limiting the needs to most bare minimum is the condition
Most after attaining a particular age go for sallekahan or santhara, a fast that ends with death--many non-Jains oppose it and say that it is suicide in the garb of religion.
hinduonnet.com/2003/05/25/stories/2003052503121100.htm)

The shvetambar sadhvis keep their mouths covered with a cloth and laways keep a broom to clear the road so that not even an ant is killed (extreme form of non-violence).

Further, hundreds of other vows, one can't eat the ordinary way and it is so rigorous that explaining it is difficult. Recently a nine-year-old girl was turned into a Sadhvi and there was national outcry. Generally in India these issues are not published because Jains (and Agarwal Jains), the micro-minuscule community owns most of the major newspapers of all languages including Times of India.