Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a cremation ground, surrounded by corpses and ashes? To eat human flesh, drink from skulls, and practice rituals that defy all norms of society?
If you have, then you might be interested in learning about the Aghoris, a mysterious and fascinating group of ascetics who practice a unique form of Hinduism. Known as the "holy men of the dead", they are notorious for their bizarre and unconventional practices. Despite their unusual ways, the Aghoris are considered to be highly spiritual and are revered by many Hindus.
Topics Covered
- Who are the Aghoris?
- What do Aghoris eat?
- Why do Aghoris eat humans?
- What do Aghoris do with dead bodies?
- Why do Aghoris drink alcohol and smoke marijuana?
- What do the Aghoris believe?
- Who is the God of Aghori?
- What does the term Aghora mean?
- Where can you find Aghoris?
- Is Shiva an Aghori?
- How does Aghoris dress?
- Who is the first Aghori in the world?
- Why do Aghoris practice rituals in filthiness?
- The Wrath of Trailanga Swamy
- Survival in Extreme Weather
- Everyone is born as an Aghori
- No Hatred
- Left Hand of God
- Bizarre Sex Rituals of Aghori Sadhus
- Aghori Mantra
- Meditating on top of Corpse (Shava Sadhana)
- Conclusion
Who are the Aghoris?
Aghoris are a sect of sadhus in Hinduism who worship Lord Shiva, Kali, and Kaal Bhairav, a fierce and destructive form of Lord Shiva. They live in cremation grounds and are known for extreme rituals and unconventional practices such as cannibalism.
 |
| Aghori Smoking Marijuana |
The Aghoris are primarily found in northern India, particularly in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. They are a small and secretive group, and little is known about their history beyond their association with the Kapalika and Kalamukha sects.
What do Aghoris eat?
One of the most notorious practices of Aghori is cannibalism. They eat human flesh, which they either take from the cremation grounds or receive as donations from relatives of the deceased. Aghoris eat them raw and sometimes cooked. They believe that by consuming the flesh of another person, they can absorb their life force and spiritual qualities.
They drink alcohol and take marijuana. They also consume other substances that are considered impure or taboo, such as feces, urine, and rotten food.
Why do Aghoris eat humans?
Aghoris eat human flesh because they believe that it helps them to break down their ego and connect with the divine. They believe in reincarnation, the cycle of life and death. Their ultimate goal is to break this cycle to achieve Moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and death and to attain union with the Supreme Lord).
By cannibalism, they embrace death and reject the material world. They also believe that by doing so they will absorb the wisdom and power of the dead.
What do Aghoris do with dead bodies?
The Aghoris dwell in the cremation ground and practice various rituals that involve human flesh, such as:
- They smear the ashes of human corpses on their body, which they believe gives them spiritual power and protection.
- They use bones from human skulls to make bowls and jewelry, which they use for worship and meditation.
- They eat flesh from human corpses, either raw or cooked, which they believe helps them transcend the duality of life and death.
Why do Aghoris drink alcohol and smoke marijuana?
Aghoris drink alcohol and smoke Marijuana as it helps them to experience an altered state which helps them to feel as if they are not quite grounded and not quite part of the world, bringing them closer to Shiva. It helps them to achieve a "disconnected" sense of spirituality. The purpose is self-realization, to perceive non-duality (Advaita) through an altered state of consciousness and realize the illusionary nature of the universe.
What do the Aghoris believe?
The Aghoris believe that everything in the universe is interconnected and that all living beings are ultimately one. They see the human body as a microcosm of the universe, with each part representing a different aspect of creation. They also believe that the universe is inhabited by a vast array of spirits and deities, both benevolent and malevolent.
One of the core beliefs of the Aghoris is that the body is a temporary vessel for the soul, which is eternal and unchanging. They believe that by embracing death and decay, they can transcend the limitations of the physical body and achieve spiritual enlightenment. This is why they are known as the "holy men of the dead".
The Aghoris follow two fundamental principles that are also found in broader Shaiva beliefs. Firstly, they believe that Shiva is perfect, possessing all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful qualities. Secondly, they believe that Shiva is responsible for everything that happens, including all causes, conditions, and effects. This means that everything in existence is inherently perfect, and to deny this perfection would be to deny the sacredness of all life and the Supreme Being.
 |
| Aghori Baba in cremation ground |
According to the Aghoris, every person's soul is Shiva but is obscured by eight major bonds known as Astamahapasa. These bonds include sensual pleasure, anger, greed, obsession, fear, and hatred.
The Aghoris engage in practices aimed at eliminating these bonds, such as performing Sadhana on cremation grounds to conquer fear, engaging in sexual practices with certain restrictions to overcome sexual desire, and being naked to overcome shame. Once all eight bonds are released, the soul becomes Sadasiva and achieves Moksha.
Who is the God of Aghori?
Hindus who prefer to worship Shiva are called Shaivites. Aghoris are Shaivites who worship different manifestations of Shiva such as Mahakal, Bhairav, Virabhadra, and Avadhuta.
 |
| Kal Bhairav |
They also worship the female deities, the ten Mahavidyas (wisdom of goddess) primarily Tara, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, and Bhairavi.
 |
| Tara Ma |
What does the term Aghora mean?
In Sanskrit Ghora means “terrific, frightful, terrible". The term "A" means not. So together Aghora means not-terrific, not-frightful, not-terrible.
 |
| Sadashiva |
Sadashiva has five faces - Ishana, Tatpurusha, Vamadeva, Aghora, and Satyojata. Aghora refers to the southern face of Sadashiva which literally means not-terrific but also symbolizes the destruction of the obscurity of ignorance. Therefore the term Aghora means light, absence of obscurity, and awareness.
Aghori tradition renounces the obscurity of ignorance and embraces the non-duality principle (Advaita).
Where can you find Aghoris?
Aghories prefers to live in a location where ordinary people will seldom travel such as cremation ground and other places where most people don’t willingly choose to venture. In holy cities like Varanasi, they can be found in cremation grounds or on the banks of the river Ganges. They also travel across India and sometimes abroad, seeking alms and spreading their teachings. Aghoris live on the margins of societies, choosing to make places with extreme weather conditions - deserts, caves, the mountains in the Himalayas - their homes.
Is Shiva an Aghori?
No, Shiva is not Aghori. Shiva is the god of Aghoris.
How does Aghoris dress?
Aghoris roam naked in an attempt to destroy the shame. Aghoris smeared with the ashes from the cremation grounds. Sometimes they cover themselves.
Aghoris have their hair disheveled or in matted dreadlocks.
Aghorisuse human skulls for the consumption of water, milk, alcohol, rituals, and also for alms.
 |
| An Aghori in Varanasi |
Aghoris wear garlands of skulls, bones, and teeth. Aghoris often wear black clothes since black is the dissolution of all colors. They wear clothes made from human skin, which they obtain from the corpses they find in the cremation grounds. They believe that by wearing the skin of another person, they can transcend their own identity and become one with Shiva.
Aghoris use bones because bones contain the realization experience of the deceased and by using it in rituals they can gain those experiences.
Who is the first Aghori in the world?
According to the legend Baba Keenaram is the first Aghori in the world who lived for about 150 years in the 17th century. He was buried in the holy city of Varanasi, where the Keenaram temple was constructed in his honor.
 |
| Baba Keenaram |
The temple is the most sacred site for Aghoris, who follow his teachings and practices.
Why do Aghoris practice rituals in filthiness?
The Aghoris practice filthiness as filth is a temporal thing of the mortal world and by concentrating on God in extreme conditions they find union with God.
The Wrath of Trailanga Swamy
 |
| Trailanga Swamy |
At Hanuman Ghat in Varanasi a woman used to worship Lord Shiva daily seeking blessing for the cure of her husband's stomach ulcer. One day she got infuriated after seeing Trailanga Swamy naked. Thinking in obscene terms she condemned him for his nudity. Trailanga Swamy ignored her and did not utter a word.
That night in her dream Lord Shiva revealed himself as an incarnation of Trailanga Swamy. The next day she went to Trailanga Swamy seeking forgiveness. Trailanga Swamy politely and happily blessed her and gave her some ashes to apply to her Husband. Miraculaly her husband was cured immediately after applying the ash which bewildered every.
Trailanga Swamy is noted for innumerable miracles. You can check out this article for more details.
Survival in Extreme Weather
They live in places having extreme weather conditions as it is very hard to do rituals in these conditions and it shows their devotion to God.
Everyone is born as an Aghori
They believe that a child is born as an Aghori. A newborn child is innocent and does not have any discrimination. As the child grows up due to social influences the child makes decisions based on materialistic objects and is by obscured by eight major bonds known as Astamahapasa. These bonds include sensual pleasure, anger, greed, obsession, fear, and hatred.
No Hatred
They embrace non-duality (Advaita) and hence consider everyone to be union with the ultimate Reality. Due to this reason, they renounce any kind of discrimination and have no hatred towards anyone.
Left Hand of God
In Hinduism, the purpose of life is the self-realization of God. In essence, it means to realize the non-duality (Advaita). There are two major ways to achieve this - the right-hand path that involves karma yoga, raja yoga, etc. Then, there is the left-hand path – which is Tantra.
 |
| Pancha Makaras needed for Tantric Practice |
The Tantric path is a very potent and extreme path that accelerates this process of union of the causal body with the ultimate consciousness. Tantric rituals involve the use of mantras, yantras, mudras, and sexual intercourse. They believe that by harnessing the power of sexual energy, they can achieve a state of bliss and union with Shiva.
Bizarre Sex Rituals of Aghori Sadhus
According to Aghoris the Goddess demands satisfaction through sex, they will have to find an appropriate corpse and have sexual intercourse with it. They claim to get supernatural power from this.
Another bizarre practice is to have consensual sexual intercourse with menstruating women in the middle of the cremation ground. They smear the women with the ashes of a corpse and while this act is carried out mantras are chanted and drums are beaten.
Aghori Mantra
There are many Aghori mantras, each with different purposes and meanings. One of the most common Aghori mantras is:
ॐ अघोरेभ्योऽथ घोरेभ्यो घोर घोर तरेभ्यः सर्वेभ्यस् सर्व सर्वेभ्यो नमस्तेऽस्तु रुद्र रूपेभ्यः
oṃ aghorebhyo'tha ghorebhyo ghora ghora tarebhyaḥ sarvebhyas sarva sarvebhyo namaste'stu rudra rūpebhyaḥ
This mantra means: "My salutations to those who are not terrible, to those who are terrible, and to those who are both terrible and not terrible. Everywhere and always I bow to all Rudra forms."
Meditating on top of Corpse (Shava Sadhana)
Aghoris sometimes perform a ritual known as Shava (fresh corpse) sadhana, which means to meditate on top of a corpse, and chant mantras to invoke the Smashan Tara (goddess of the cremation grounds), who will bless the Aghori with supernatural powers if the ritual is done in the right manner.
 |
| Shav Sadhana |
Conclusion
The Aghoris are not your average holy men! They are often misunderstood and feared because of their unconventional ways, but let me tell you, they are far from evil or harmful. These spiritual warriors are not interested in material pleasures or power, but rather in attaining spiritual enlightenment and liberation. They are not enemies of society, but rather friends of humanity!
The Aghoris have a powerful message for the living. They believe that death is not something to fear, but rather a gateway to eternal life. They urge us to let go of our attachment to the physical body, for it is the source of suffering. They tell us not to be bound by society's rules, for they are the chains of illusion. And most importantly, they urge us not to be ignorant of the truth, for it is the light of Shiva that will lead us to true freedom and happiness.
