India is a land of various sect and religions.

Out of its vastness of belief, the sect known as Aghori or Aghori sadhus (sadhu means sage) is unique, mysterious and secretive. Normally, Aghori adhu is associated with cannibalism and rituals using human skulls and animal sacrifices. Aghoriss are distinguished from other !indu sects by their alcoholic and cannibalistic rituals. Aghoris in India are beyond human imagination with their rituals and mysterious "ractices. A "lace considered dreadful by others is home for Aghoris, the !indu cremation ground. #he term $Aghori% is derived from the anskrit word & $Aghor% which has various meanings. Aghor means not to forget or non'terrible in one "ers"ectives. It also means absence of darkness. Aghor im"lies a sim"le and natural state of consciousness in which there is no fear or disgust. (ut on the contrary, the Aghoris have rituals that are seen as re"ulsive and feared by common "eo"le. As for the Aghori sect, the true meaning of the term Aghori is the one who is fearless and who does not discriminate. #he Aghori are haivites, ascetic sadhus devoted to hiva. #hey believe the !indu god of transformation through death and destruction is the u"reme (eing, embracing death and devoting their lives to living in filth. #hey often live in or near cremation sites, covering themselves in ashes of the dead, and use bones to make bowls and )ewelry. !uman remains for the Aghori rituals are gathered from the sacred *anges river, where the ashes and bones of cremated dead are thrown. till today, the bodies of holy men, "regnant women, "eo"le bitten by snakes, "eo"le who have committed suicide, the "oor, and children under + are not cremated at the ghats but weighted down in the *anges. #he bodies eventually come loose and float down the river. #he cor"ses are used as alters or consumed to serve as a reminder of mortality and the challenge to transcend the duality of life and death. ,or an Aghori sadhu, they are symbolic of himself. #he Aghori "ilgrimage "lace is in -aranasi and their stories is "o"ular in every hamlet of India and Ne"al. .ost significantly, any cremation ground or haunted houses is regarded as holy by the Aghoris where they meditate and "erform sadhana. #heir worshi" methodology is gruesome and do not get sur"rised if you ha""en to see them indulging in im"urities. #he whole "ur"ose of their tantras, mantras and "ractices is to attain non'duality and self'reali/ation in life. #he flesh is eaten raw or cooked over an o"en flame. 0rinking alcohol from a human skull, known as ka"ala, is another common tradition in Aghori ritual. ome "eo"le believe that Aghori sect is full of "eo"le doing black magic but that1s not true. It is also believed that they have su"ernatural "owers with which they can control nature and change the direction of the winds. #hey are unclean most of the time bathed with ash and mostly roam about without clothes. #he Aghoris wea"on is a human skull that they hold in the left hand and a bell in the right. (eing devotees of hiva they often chant "owerful mantras for attaining moksha ' liberation from the cycle of life and death. A tilak on their forehead and a chanting rosary made of bones is another limelight. #ourists from around the world come to India to see and believe the Aghori culture. Aghoris have attracted so many "hiloso"hers and researchers to make documentaries, movies and write books as well. Although akin to the 2a"alika ascetics of medieval 2ashmir, as well as the 2alamukhas, with whom there may be a historical connection, the Aghoris trace their origin to 2ina 3am, an ascetic who is said to have lived 4+5 years, dying during the second half of the 46th century. 0attatreya the avadhuta, to whom has been attributed the esteemed non'dual medieval song, the Avadhuta *ita, was a founding adi guru of the Aghor tradition.

(aba 2eenaram was held to be an incarnation of hiva, as have been each of his successors. Aghoris also hold sacred the 7ord 0attatreya as a "redecessor to the Aghori #antric tradition. 0attatreya was believed to be an incarnation of (rahma, -ishnu, and hiva. 0attatreya is revered in all schools of #antrism, which is the "hiloso"hy followed by the Aghora tradition, and he is often de"icted in !indu artwork and its holy scri"tures of folk narratives, the 8uranas, indulging in Aghori 9left'hand9 #antric worshi" as his "rime "ractice. In !indu iconogra"hy, #ara, like 2ali, is one of the ten .ahavidyas (wisdom goddesses) and once invoked can bless the Aghori with su"ernatural "owers. #he most "o"ular of the ten .ahavidyas who are worshi"ed by Aghoris are 0humavati, (agalamukhi, and (hairavi. #he male !indu deities "rimarily worshi"ed by Aghoris for su"ernatural "owers are manifestations of hiva, including .ahakala, (hairava, -irabhadra, Avadhooti, and others. #he life of an Aghori adhu is not easy, to become like them one has to meditate about twelve years and com"lete certain rituals under the guidance of an Aghori guru in order to enhance one s"iritual strength. Aghoris use woods from "yre, clothes from dead bodies, and ash of burnt bodies for the various rituals. #here are certain rules one must follow to become an aghori. ,irstly an Aghori must find a teacher and do what the teacher tells him to do. And Aghori must find a human skull known as $ka""ala%. And use only this as a ritual tool before initiation. An Aghori must a""ly "yre on his body to symbolically show the nature of the 7ord hiva. #he final "art of ritual requires eating of rotten human flesh and also meditating sitting on a dead cor"se. It symboli/es the rise from avak (human nature) to iva. Aghori follows the sim"le rule that the universe recites in them. And they try to attain enlightenment by self'reali/ation. .any of the Aghoris roam around naked re"resenting the true human form and their detachment from the world of mortals who according to them live in the world of illusion ($maya% in anskrit). #hrough this they transcend human feelings of love, hatred, )ealousy and "ride. Aghories belief the *od e:ists in everything so nothing is unholy or inaus"icious, but everything is sacred. #hey believe true Aghori should break all ties with families, friends and all earthly "ossessions and should live entire life at the cremation ground and eat and drink only through the human skull. In !induism, $there is no evil, everything is emanated from ;(rahman1, so how could anything in this universe be im"ure%< #his is the kind of "hiloso"hy the aghori babas follow. According to them everything is the manifestation of god itself, so everything is as "ure, so abandoning anything is like abandoning god itself. !ingla) .ata is the 2uladevata ("atron goddess) of the Aghori. #he main Aghori "ilgrimage centre is 2ina 3am=s hermitage or ashram in 3avindra"uri, -aranasi. #he full name of this "lace is (aba 2eenaram thal, 2rim'2und. !ere, 2ina 3am is buried in a tomb or samadhi which is a centre of "ilgrimage for Aghoris and Aghori devotees. 8resent head (Abbot), since 4>?6, of (aba 2eenaram thal is (aba iddharth *autam 3am. According to 0evotees, (aba iddharth *autam 3am is reincarnation of (aba 2eenaram himself. A"art from this, any cremation ground would be a holy "lace for an Aghori ascetic. #he cremation grounds near the yoni "ithas, +4 holy centers for worshi" of the !indu .other *oddess scattered across outh Asia and the !imalayan terrain, are key locations "referred for "erforming sadhana by the Aghoris. #hey are also known to meditate and "erform sadhana in haunted houses. #he Aghori is a human symbol of lord hiva himself. #here have been many aghoris in the "ast. ome of them being 0attatreya, 2inaram, #ailanga swamy, Aghoreshwar .aha"rabhu (aba

(hagwan 3am. 0es"ite their terrifying re"utation the Aghori are charitable and have set u" a le"er colony where they have cared for and cured >>,5@+ "atients with full le"rosy and 4@?,+5A with "artial le"rosy. 7et1s take a look at some interesting stories of Aghoris... #ailanga wami of (enaras was a very "owerful Aghori, and "erha"s the only one who "erformed worshi" of hiva at the 2ashi -ishwanath tem"le using his own waste. #he "riest who saw #ailanga wami doing such 9things9 sla""ed him and ordered him out. On the same night, hiva a""eared in the dream of (enaras1 king and e:"ressed his anger over the insult of #ailanga wami, who=s hiva=s very essence. #he 2ing set out to find the "riest and "unish him, but the "riest was mysteriously found dead. #his is a famous folklore in .adhya 8radesh. #here used to be an old (aba in (urhan"ur (near 2handwa, .8) whom "eo"le used to call 0huni wale baba. #here is a samadhi of 0hune wale baba in 2handwa where "eo"le still throng in large numbers to worshi" him. !e used to stay there, roamed in the ad)oining areas and use to eat whatever came his way. !e used to utter obscenities if anyone talked to him or disturbed him even while he seemed to be doing nothing. 0huni wale baba used to stare into the sky for hours and talk to himself. 8eo"le believed that if he curses you then your "roblem is bound to get solved. #here were many other instances when the (aba uttered obscenities, "eo"le used to still go behind him. ,eared by many, cast out from society and living amongst the dead, these sim"le holy men re"resent some of the most e:treme forms of living to be found anywhere on the "lanet. #hey also dis"lay some of the most e:treme levels of religious and s"iritual devotion as well. .any "eo"le believe that Aghoris are able to transfer "ollution and health to and from "atients as a form of 9transformative healing9, due to the believed su"erior state of body and mind of the Aghori.