Pair of fakir's sandals, India, 1871-1920

Pair of fakir's sandals Pair of fakir's sandals Pair of fakir's sandals

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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Pair of fakir's sandals
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Pair of fakir's sandals
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Pair of fakir's sandals
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Pair of fakir's sandals, with iron spikes through soles and wooden toe pegs, Indian, 1871-1920

Studded with nails, these sandals were worn by a fakir, a Muslim or Hindu religious figure in India who lives solely off donations and leads a life of fasting, prayer and abstinence. The sandals are worn to show the power of the fakir’s spirit to conquer physical pain. By overcoming the sensation of pain, through many years of practice, fakirs hope to achieve spiritual enlightenment.

Details

Category:
Asian Medicine
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A23375
Materials:
wood and spikes, iron
type:
sandals
credit:
Wellcome Trust (Purchased from Stevens)