An Aghori drinking water using a human skull. In Indian tradition Aghoris are expected to keep company of the ghosts and reside in the Shamshans which is where the dead bodies are burnt. The Aghoris distinguish themselves from other Hindu sects and priests by their alcoholic and cannibalistic rituals. The corpses, which may be either pulled from a river (such as the Ganges) or obtained from cremation grounds, are consumed both raw and cooked on open flame, as the Aghoris believe that what others consider a “dead man” is, in fact, nothing but natural matter devoid of the life force it once contained. Therefore while for ordinary people cannibalism may be seen as primitive, barbaric and unclean, for Aghoris it is both a spiritual resource and a subversion of taboos. In the Aghori view, nothing is profane nor separate from God, who is hailed to be all and in all. In fact, the Aghoris see it as a scientific approach in trying to discover how matter converts from one form to another.

An Aghori drinking water using a human skull.

In Indian tradition Aghoris are expected to keep company of the ghosts and reside in the Shamshans which is where the dead bodies are burnt. The Aghoris distinguish themselves from other Hindu sects and priests by their alcoholic and cannibalistic rituals. The corpses, which may be either pulled from a river (such as the Ganges) or obtained from cremation grounds, are consumed both raw and cooked on open flame, as the Aghoris believe that what others consider a “dead man” is, in fact, nothing but natural matter devoid of the life force it once contained. Therefore while for ordinary people cannibalism may be seen as primitive, barbaric and unclean, for Aghoris it is both a spiritual resource and a subversion of taboos.

In the Aghori view, nothing is profane nor separate from God, who is hailed to be all and in all. In fact, the Aghoris see it as a scientific approach in trying to discover how matter converts from one form to another.