Indian ascetics

[Nobumi Iyanaga]

Dear list members,

I have a very naive question about the Indian ascetics: we see on many
photographs of Indian streets naked mendicant ascetics coated with ash,
etc.  Do these people belong to some particular sect?  Can we say that most
of them belong to the Naatha sect, for example?

Thank you very much in advance for any enlightenment.

Best regards,

Nobumi Iyanaga
Tokyo,
Japan