Hi Bob. I suspect the statuette isn’t based on any particular individual but rather a typical naked sadhu. The Naga Babas, or naked sadhus of India, were and are known for their ganja smoking. This is a photo I took of a statuette belonging to Chris Bennett, the focus of the post. If you want to pursue your enquiry further, I suggest you write to Chris. freeshiva@hotmail.com.

You might also be interested in a book called “Sadhus: Holy Men of India” by Dolf Hartsuiker. It has many great colour photos of sadhus, though I don’t recall many with chillams to their lips.