Aghori 

Aghori is a Hindu sect which is believed as a part of Kapalika (a group worshiped Lord Shiva in his extreme form) and Kalamukhas (Black faces). They live in South Asia mainly in Varanasi and Kashi, India.

They believe in Lord Shiva, whom they see as the supreme god. Because they believe that Shiva created everything – they consider nothing to be bad. For this reason they engage in a variety of sexual practices, they drink alcohol, take drugs.

Aghoris believe themselves as a part of Lord Shiva. Most of the Aghoris don’t wear anything other than ash. Some wear only a small piece of cloth around the hip just to cover their private parts and garland of skulls. Also they use the skull as begging-bowl.

An aghori lives in the cremation ground – his clothing comes from the dead, his firewood from the funeral pyres, and food from the river. When a person is cremated, an aghori will coat himself in the ashes of the body and meditate on the dead.

They pull the half burnt bodies from water or find the bodies from the cremation grounds and pray for the dead one’s soul. Once it is over, they cut the parts of the body and have it raw or cooked on open flame.

Nothing is considered taboo by them. Aghori Sadhus are very rarely to be found. There are only about a handful of 1500 in the total 1.2 Billion population of India. Most Hindus are afraid of them. Their association with human bodies places them outside the traditional system and they seem to embrace their outcaste status.  They don’t hurt or kill anyone. By inspiring fear in the minds of men, they keep them at bay and do austerities in secret. An Aghori tries to destroy all fear, hatred, fondness, greed, anger present inside the mind.

Legends surrounding the most famous Aghori mystics attribute them with the power to transform any poisonous or polluted substances they consume (including human flesh).   They are also said to be able to communicate with spirits and use their abilities to learn about the invisible world.

Strange or just different, you decide?