The Aghori Clan, A Deviant Sect of Hinduism

The Aghoris are a sect of ascetic Shaivite sadhus who practice a unique and extreme form of Hinduism. They are known for their bizarre and unconventional rituals, such as dwelling in cremation grounds, smearing ashes on their bodies, and using human skulls as utensils. Aghoris are devotees of Lord Shiva and his fierce incarnate Bhairava. They practice rituals that can be termed Magic. Connected with this word are the Black arts or Black magic. These black arts date to ancient times and many are laced with religion. These are pagan beliefs and are prevalent all over the world.

One aspect of black magic is practiced in India by the Aghori clan. They are a part of the Hindu faith and are believed to have split off from the Kapilka order around 1000 AD, but the practices and beliefs go back to 4000 BC or the Vedic age. The Aghoris are one of the principal Indian traditions and the most extreme and fascinating form of the Tantra.

The Aghori are worshippers of the God Shiva. They are an extremely secretive community and use sex as part of their rituals to achieve supernatural powers. The use of sex is part of the belief that orgasm and sex in the company of the dead will give rise to superpowers. It is a form of channelizing sexual energy and forms a part of tantra sex. Acharya Rajneesh propagated this and many Westerns are influenced by it.

The Aghori is derived from the Sanskrit word Aghora. They are a small group of ascetic Shaiva sadhus. They engage in tantric rituals and women also form part of their Tantric rituals.

Many Hindus consider their practices and rituals as opposed to orthodox or pristine Hinduism. Despite this many Aghori Gurus are much venerated and revered by the mass of Hindus. They are supposed to possess healing powers perfected through rituals and Tapasya( Prayer and penance).

The Aghori clans perform tantric sex in a graveyard or Hindu crematorium. The ritual involves smearing a nude woman with the ashes in the graveyard and consummation of the act to the beat of drums and recitations of mantras. These mantras are the one that helps release sexual energy and lead to powers like ESP. There is no scientific proof of this, but the belief is omnipotent and some results have appeared which defy scientific logic.

In the sex act, the man and woman take the form of Shiva and his consort Shakti. In many cases, the ritual involves sex with menstruating women and the subsequent release of sexual energy. This clan has its headquarters at Varanasi in Utter Pradesh. Many foreigners flock to this ashram hoping to achieve ESP and other powers. Though this part of the act of developing superpowers through sex is not substantiated, the fact remains that many men of this Aghori clan do have subtle powers that cannot be explained.

Aghoris believe that it is Goddess Kali who demands satisfaction through meat, alcohol, and sex. Under normal circumstances, these three aspects of life are banned for sadhus but not for the believers and Aghoris.

Ritual

Aghoris in addition to other rituals focus on a highly secretive ritual for sexual intercourse. The belief is that sex amid the dead can give rise to supernatural powers. In the dead of the night, in a graveyard, amidst the ashes of the cremated, the Aghori clans unite to perform this ritual. The women involved in this act are smeared with the ashes of a departed, and the consummation is carried out along the beats of drums and recitation of mantras.

One aspect of this ritual is that there has to be no force involved and the women have to take an equal part which is usually carried out in the dead of night. The ritual is fairly elaborate and lasts for over an hour from the time of undressing the woman in the center of the graveyard to the final act and orgasm. The man must delay orgasm until the ritual is completed. Many tantric philosophies have refined this process for common and everyday use.

Some aspects of the powers of the Aghoris are almost unreal. They claim that they have medicines to treat some of the diseases which have no cure in modern science. Their claims have not been verified by scientists.

The Aghoris refer to the medicines as ‘human oils’ and they are distilled from the ashes of the human body. The babas claim that these medicines are very effective in curing all diseases. However, the authenticity of their claim has never been tried and tested by the scientific community. There is however a need to carry out a scientific evaluation of the claims of the Aghoris.

Some women from the west who had been unable to conceive and declared barren have surprisingly conceived after a tantric ritual in the graveyard. I recollect meeting an American woman from Chicago who was desperately trying to have a child and she was referred to the Aghoris and came down to India with her husband and with the concurrence of a husband the ritual was carried out in the graveyard by another sadhu and surprisingly she conceived.

The healing powers of Aghori Sadhus are said to come from their expertise in Black magic. Their philosophy is that that by intense practice of rituals they absorb the diseases and deficiencies that affect the victims. They say that the more they please Lord Shiva and goddess Kali, the more the powers they develop.

The Aghori is a small cult of Vamacharic ascetic Shaiva sadhus. They engage in post-mortem rituals. Their rituals are weird but have the sanctity of a distant philosophy that has carried on for almost 3000 years. The rituals which these sadhus indulge in are part of Tantra and one of the 4 paths outlined to achieve Moksa or salvation. Kaal Bhairov, the fierce form of Shiva is part of their belief. Nobody has tested the effect of the incantations and rituals indulged in by this sect including sex in the graveyard, yet some people have reported uncanny results.

With the spread of education and modern ideas, the clan is slowly being pushed into oblivion. But there are a few diehard believers who still carry out the rituals and keep the philosophy alive. I can only say this is another wonder of wisdom inherent in Hinduism and needs greater study.