TYPES OF SADHUS
Sadhu In Haridwar There are several million sadhus belonging to several thousand schools or sects in India. Most sadhus are males. The few females ones are called “sadvin” (the feminine of sadhu). The most conservative sadhus, the “nagas”, wear only a loin cloth and have long stringy locks of hair that resemble dreadlocks. Some have nicknames like "Long Haired Man" in honor of locks that if uncoiled would reach the ground.
There are several types and groups of Sadhus. Thirteen akharas (group/ school/institution of sadhus) — including Juna, Nimrohi, Digambar, and Nirvani — participated at the month-long Maha Kumbh Mela held in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh in April and May, 2016, Of these akharas, seven followed Shavism (a Shiva sect), three followed Panchayati and three were Vaishnavite (Vishnu followers). [Source: Debobrat Ghose, First Post, Apr, 23 2016]
The main types of sadhus at Simhastha were: 1) Naga sadhus, naked sadhus who smear their bodies with ash and have long matted hair; 2) Shirshasinse, who remain standing, sleeping with their heads resting on a vertical poles, and meditating standing on their heads; 3) Kalpvasis, who remain by the river banks and devote their time to meditating, performing rituals, and bathing numerous times a day; 4) Urdhwavahurs, who have emaciated bodies from rigid spiritual practices; and 5) Parivajakas, who who have taken a vow of silence. Constant exposure to the weather makes the Naga sadhus resistant to temperature extremes. Their eyes are bloodshot from constantly smoking charas (marijuana), which they believe aids enlightenment.
Naga Sadhus
Sadhus who reside in the mountains are called Naga sadhus, the word Naga mean mountain. Sandhya Vandan posted in Quora.com: Most of the time they live in caves or mountains and come outside only during Kumbha Mela, and after that they will return to their places, they are trained warriors and also eat non veg.” The movement began with Jagadguru Aadi Shankaracharya, who started the Akharas during 8th century. “ Akharas give training to people like sadhus for their self defence, after some years of training one become a Naga sadhu, that's why Naga sadhus were able to defend themselves and also fought to protect Hinduism during Muslim attacks. [Source: Sandhya Vandan, Agricultural B.Sc. from Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University]
If one want to become a Naga sadhu I think it's possible only during kumbhamela, one has to register in any Akharas there are 14 Akharas, In the akhara the person has to undergo difficult training they will have a guru and also they should accomplish the task assigned by guru, and different person should pass examinations, if guru satisfies with your capabilities then only you will be allowed to become a Naga sadhu, it takes 4–12 years tough training period.
Sarita Gupta posted on Quora.com in 2022: I met some Naga Babas [People belonging to a certain sect in North India, who wander naked with Vibuthi smeared on the body even during the coldest winter seasons of the Himalayas] in a place just above Kedarnath and stayed with them for two days. They had run out of money; they were hungry and cold. For two days, I took care of their food and spent time with them. I only had a little woollen in-shirt and a T-shirt. Fortunately, somebody had given me a shawl, which was a big blessing. If the shawl hadn't been there, I would have frozen. It was so cold that even my insides were shivering. I could literally feel the stomach bag shiver.
These Babas are naked sadhus who aren't supposed to wear anything that is stitched. They wrapped something like a shawl over themselves, because it was too cold. They weren't even wearing footwear and they didn't even have money for tea. They were saving the little they had to go to the Kumbha Mela (a major spiritual and religious festival) that was more important for them than having something to eat. When I asked them what their sadhana was, they said they were doing nothing. They just roam about like the nagas, the snakes. Their Guru had told them to spend twelve years in the Himalayas and then he would initiate them. When one is so unidirectional that he can wait twelve years, being oblivious to harsh weather and difficult living conditions and just wait for his initiation, reaching the highest can't be denied to him.
There's not much for the Guru to do, whether he has something to give or not, these guys will get it anyway because of the very way they have made themselves. They don't need a Guru. If a man has that much patience and stamina that he can stay twelve years, not knowing when or if the next meal is going to come, just waiting in that terrifying cold in a queue to be initiated, he will get it anyway. That itself is a sadhana. The Guru knows that if he initiates someone the same day the person comes to him, it will be wasted on the man. He will waste the whole opportunity. So he sends hundreds of people to the mountains like this every year. Maybe only some of them make it - many run away because it's a very difficult path. It's very tough to stay in such conditions. When a person is willing to do this, whether he does it or not, that's not the point. If he's willing to go to any length, that man gets it. It is that simple.
Sadhus That Live in Monasteries and Shrines
Many sadhus live in monasteries (called asrama, matha, or maudira) if they have chosen a sedentary lifestyle or at pilgrimage shrines as temporary residents. Each sect usually maintains at least one of these religious centers. [Source: Hugh R. Page, Jr.,“Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 3: South Asia,” edited by Paul Paul Hockings, 1992 |~|]
The monastic lifestyle is austere, with emphasis placed on cultivating self-control and discipline. The daily routine at the monastery includes exercises aimed at purifying the physical body, enhancing mental capacity (e.g., through the reading of sacred literature), and facilitating ecstatic experiences (e.g., through corporate prayer). Additionally, the monastery provides spiritual counsel to its lay patrons (who support it primarily through bhetapuja, or 'honorific offerings') through preaching and teaching. |~|
Monasteries are organized around a specific teacher (acarya) who first codified the belief system of the order. Monastic affiliation is usually indicated by symbols on specific bodily parts, clothing color, and additional items in the ascetic's possession, such as a rosary, water pot, and staff. |~|
Sadhu Feats and Acts of Penitence
Hindu acetic do things like spend years with their left hand raised into the air, standing on one leg or lying on a bed of cactuses. Often have a blanket next to them to collect coins or food. Some bury themselves neck-deep in sand, pierce their tongues with spikes, stare at the sun, sleep standing up, mediate for hours while suspended from a rope, lay between fires, live in trees and refuse to talk for years. Hindus believed that severe penance will liberate them from the endless cycle of death and rebirth. Many of sadhus smoke marijuana or hashish to ease their suffering.
Sadhus sometimes bury their head, a feat of breath control that requires mastery of yoga techniques. In 1837, a yogi named Hari Das war buried alive without air, food, liquid or any attention, After being excavated he was easily revived and went on to live a long life.
rolling BabasOne sadhu at the Pushkar Fair became famous for lifting a 35-kilogram brick with his penis. Some sadhus are said to have the ability to talk with monkeys. Sometimes they are sought out by people for help keeping monkeys from raiding their gardens.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the silent Indian “fakir” Mastram Bapu stayed in the same spot by a road in the village of Chitra for 22 years, from 1960 to 1982. Swami Maujgiri Maharaja stood for 17 years (from 1955 to November 1973) performing “Tapasya” (penance) in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. When sleeping, he leaned against a plank
According to the Guinness Book of Records, Radhey Shyam Prajapati stood motionless for world record of 18 hours, 5 minutes and 5 seconds in January 1996. Rajikumar Chakraborty did the static wall sit (Samson'c chair) for 11 hours and 5 minutes at the Panposh Sports Hostel in April 1994.
In the old days, some a Hindu mystics wore sandals with rows of nails pointed upwards into the feet meant to prove the wearer’s piety. On a fire walker that wore such shows, Melville Chater wrote in National Geographic in 1931: “Indian mystics will tell you that by self-inflicted tortures the soul reaches through flesh-numbing ecstacy toward higher states of being that lie between it and the Absolute.” The nails may have also toughened up the feet for firewalking through embers so hot “spectators must shelter their faces from it.” A look at the soles of the feet of the firewalkers revealed “ash, dust, but no burns.”
Rolling Baba
To gain merit Hindus sometime roll sideways through the dirty, cobblestone streets of Kathmandu while in a praying position. Followed by a procession of saffroned-robed devotees the rollers sometimes keep it up for hours.♀
Mohan Das, the Ludkan Baba (“Rolling Baba”), drew international attention in 2004 when he rolled over 1,300 kilometers between Agra and Lahore to promote good relations between India and Pakistan. He wore bandages on his legs and sweat bands on his arms and was able can move at a fast walking pace and cover 30 kilometers a day. On a typical day he rolled from 7:00am to noon and 3:00pm to 7:00pm, stopping occasionally for a rest or to give blessings. On some down hill sections he said he reached speeds of 15mph. Devotees swept glass and other obstacles out his way but he rolled through cow dung and garbage. One of his biggest obstacles was pavement that melted in the 50 degree C heat. At night he slept in camps with his devotees.
Nick Meo wrote in the Times, “Rolling Baba’s matted dreadlocks slap against the sweltering tarmac of National Highway No. 2 as incredulous drivers beep and swerve to avoid him. Every few miles traffic comes to a complete stop when villagers swarm on to the road to seek the holy man’s blessing, forming a chaotic scrum with an entourage of hymn-chanting pilgrims trailing in his wake.” Paul Watson wrote in the Los Angeles Times, “He lies flat on the ground, turning himself over and over like a runaway log, limbs flailing as he bumps across potholes, splashes through mud puddles and falls deeper into a spiritual trance.”
Rolling Baba said he became a sadhu at the age of 12 after he touched a drying boy and saved his life. He said he lived for several years in a cave and ate nothing but grass and spent seven years standing up, leaning against a swing when he slept. He began rolling in 1983 as a way to earn more merit by making his journeys from one pilgrimage site to another more demanding. n 1994, he rolled 2,500 miles across India. By 2004, he figured he had rolled more than 320,000 kilometers.
On his trip to Lahore, Das often rolled with cigarette in his mouth. He smoked five packs of cigarettes a day and got energy from drinking countless cups of tea. He told the Los Angeles Times, “I move during cyclones, during blazing summers and cold winters. I think of God. I think of Mother Earth and then I roll and roll and roll. I don’t get dizzy. I don’t consume any food just tea and cigarettes. At night I eat fruits, roti, whatever I can lay my hands on.”
Aghoris: Extreme Sadhus
an Aghori sadhu, smoking a chillum
The most extreme sadhus, the aghoris , turn normal rules of conduct completely upside down. Rajesh and Ramesh Bedi, who have studied sadhus for decades, estimate that there may be fewer than fifteen aghoris in contemporary India. In the quest for great spiritual attainment, the aghori lives alone, like Lord Shiva, at cremation grounds, supping from a human skull bowl. He eats food provided only by low-ranking Sweepers and prostitutes, and in moments of religious fervor devours his own bodily wastes and pieces of human flesh torn from burning corpses. In violating the most basic taboos of the ordinary Hindu householder, the aghori sadhu graphically reminds himself and others of the correct rules of social behavior. [Source: Library of Congress]
To become an Aghori, each member of the sect has to spend at least 12 years learning and practicing from his personal guru. One Aghori, Baba Ram Mahesh, is the guru of Pandi, who has been learning from him for almost five years in 2017. [Source: May-Ying Lam and Tamara Merino, Washington Post, Jun 16, 2017]
Modern Aghori trace their roots to 17th-century puritan Baba Kinaram, who is said to have lived to the age of 170. According to The Telegraph: The Aghori shun material belongings and often walk around unclothed. This encourages detachment from what they see as earthly delusions and better signifies the human body in its purest form. The monks use a combination of marijuana, alcohol and meditation to help them reach a disconnected state of heightened awareness and bring themselves closer to revered Hindu god The Aghori also believe that by immersing themselves without prejudice in what others deem taboo or disturbing, they're on course to achieving enlightenment. [Source: The Telegraph]
Associated Press reported: There are about 70 Aghori sadhus at a given time, and they remain with the sect for 12 years before returning to their families. Unlike other Hindu holy men, most of whom are vegetarian teetotalers, the Aghoris consume alcohol and meat. But it is their consumption of human flesh — a practice whose origins remain a mystery — which has earned them the condemnation of other Hindus and relegated most Aghori sadhus to living around crematoriums in the hills around the holy city of Varanasi. [Source: Associated Press, October 27, 2005]
Aghoris That Eat the Dead
Aghori holy men in Varanasi drink whiskey from human skulls, have sex with corpses and eat the charred remains of the dead from funeral pyres on the banks of the Ganges. They eat corpses in the belief that ingesting dead flesh will make them ageless and give them supernatural powers. By breaking humanity's strict taboos they claim to transcend society and come closer to enlightenment. They say human meat tastes good and identify the brains as the best part. [Source: Richard Grant, Washington Post, July 30, 2008]
The exiled Aghori monks of Varanasi also drink urine from human skulls, chew the heads off live animals and meditate on top of cadavers. They reside among India's cremation sites — where Lord Shiva and goddess Kali Ma are said to dwell — and feed on what others throw away when human flesh is not available. The Aghori believe that flesh and blood are transitory and that the body is ultimately inconsequential. This belief is expressed through dwelling in cemeteries and surrounding themselves with death and decay Italian photographer Cristiano Ostinelli captured their life. He told The Telegraph: "There is a great mystery around them and the Indians fear them, they say they can predict the future, walk on water and do evil prophecies." [Source: The Telegraph]
In a story on “Feeding on the Dead,” a 10-minute documentary about the Aghori sect by director Sandeep Singh, Associated Press reported: Singh and three cameramen waited with an Aghori sadhu — whose name is not mentioned in the film — for 10 days in June before finding a floating corpse. Hindus generally cremate the dead, but bodies are sometimes ceremonially disposed of in the Ganges. “The body was decomposed and bluish in color, but the sadhu was not afraid about falling sick,” Singh said. “He sat on the corpse, prayed to a goddess of crematoriums and offered some flesh to the goddess before eating it.” Singh said the sadhu ate part of the corpse’s elbow, believing the flesh would stop him from aging and give him special powers, like the ability to levitate or control the weather. Singh did not see any of those powers on display. [Source: Associated Press, October 27, 2005]
According to Washington Post: The Aghor get the flesh from corpses floating down the river (never directly off a burning pyre at a ghat), which family members push into the Ganges River if they don’t have enough money for cremation. And under the privacy of the new moon, they chant mantras, make offerings to Shiva, and consume it. They reside at the Harishchandra ghat cremation ground, one of the two cremation grounds in Varanasi, which runs 24/7 year-round. It burns around 100 bodies a day. [Source: May-Ying Lam and Tamara Merino, Washington Post, Jun 16, 2017]
Book: “Among the Cannibals: Adventures on the Trail of Man's Darkest Ritual” by Paul Raffaele (Smithsonian, 2008).
Sadhus in Rajasthan
Aghori Rituals
According to the Washington Post: Baba Chintaharan has belonged to the Aghor sect for over 20 years, teaching and passing the philosophy to new members. He takes part in a ritual at Varanasi’s Kali’s temple that gives his blessing to everyone who reaches it. Baba Chintaharan earlier had picked up ashes from a body that was burned at a cremation ground in Varanasi and later spread the ashes all over his face and body. [Source: May-Ying Lam and Tamara Merino, Washington Post, Jun 16, 2017]
Aghor adherents are more active during the nighttime, when they perform their rituals and ceremonies. On the Ganges River in Varanasi, lies a white sand beach, where Aghors perform rituals during the new moon. Baba Ram Mahesh and his disciple Pandi perform the Puja, a ritual based on chanting mantras and offering alcohol and cannabis to the sacred fire, as their god, Shiva, used to do. Later they rest in Kali’s temple after a long night of performing rituals. They chanted mantras and made offers to the gods and sacred fire. Baba Ram Mahesh has lived and performed his rituals for five years.
Kali is the goddesses of death in the Hindu religion and protector of the cremation grounds. She is responsible for liberation, or cutting the link between life and death and ending the cycle of reincarnation. Fires are lit to honor and worship Kali. At 3 a.m. after the ritual the Kali temple, Pandi went to the funeral pyres on the other side of the Ganges and carried wood from the pyres to the beach where he performs specific rituals and ceremonies during the new moon.
Baba Bambam performs an exorcism on a man possessed by an evil spirit. An Aghor is said to be a master of many spiritual powers, able to cure and save people from mental and physical illnesses. Baba Bambam rubs his eyes with the skull figures on his necklace as part of his daily spiritual routine in Varanasi.
Why the Aghori Do What They Do
There are fewer than 100 Aghori. According to The Independent: They believe they can remove the bonds of shame and fear by recognising that all oppositions are ultimately illusory, and their rituals aim to break taboos around body fluids, sexual practices and the dead. Their extreme devotion to the deity Shiva is said to earn them the respect of rural Hindu populations around Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh. However, such practices have no place in mainstream Hinduism some say. [Source: Matt Broomfield, The Independent, 10 March 2017]
Freelance photographer Tamara Merino spent one month with the Aghori in Varanasi. She told the Washington Post: “They are people that have so much love and respect for people, animals and nature … it’s just as beautiful as any other religion is.” They worship and hold rituals for their god Shiva, the god of destruction that dwells in the cremation grounds.[Source: May-Ying Lam and Tamara Merino, Washington Post, Jun 16, 2017]
According to to Washington Post: The traditions of the Aghor stem from the belief that everything is beautiful and a creation of the gods. So they rail against discrimination and the remnants of the caste system, which historically separated Indians into rigid social strata. Eating human flesh and excrement are also meant to prove that nothing is base. Merino never captured an Aghor eating another person’s flesh. Although she spent time with Aghor adherents who had been asked to eat human flesh on camera by TV producers, she was told that the practice is so sacred that a true Aghor would not agree to it.
The desire for spiritual research is the primary reason people choose to follow the Aghor path. Aghor adherents spread the ashes all over their face and body to be purified and protected by them. They use human skull bowls, or kapala. to eat, drink and perform rituals. It reminds them that everything is beautiful and pure, because the god Shiva is present in everything. Aghors perform their ceremonies with wood that burned on the funeral pyres because it helps them connect with their god Shiva. Baba Anil meditates at the Harishchandra ghat cremation ground. For Aghors, the cremation ground is a pure and peaceful place, were they can meditate with the flames of the funeral pyres.
CNN Condemned Its Aghori Piece
In 2017, CNN television presenter Reza Aslan ate a human brain on camera while filming with the Aghori, earning him condemnation from members of the Hindu mainstream. The host of Believer, an Iranian-born religious studies scholar, went to Varanasi and met to meet the Aghori and also drank from a human skull and was pelted with feces by a guru.[Source: Matt Broomfield, The Independent, 10 March 2017]
The Independent reported: The footage prompted a backlash from critics who accused him of painting a false and extreme picture of Hinduism, with America's only Hindu Member of Congress tweeting: "I am very disturbed that CNN is using its power and influence to increase people’s misunderstanding and fear of Hinduism."
Filming with the Aghori gurus, he also smeared the ash of a cremated body on his face and drank from a human skull. After Mr Aslan fell out with one of the hermits, the devotee of Shiva began eating his own faeces and hurling it at the presenter, yelling: "I will cut your head off if you keep talking so much".
The Aghori were described as "cannibals" by CNN when promoting the documentary, though they only eat the flesh of people who have died of natural causes. Member of Congress for Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard said on Twitter: "Aslan apparently sought to find sensationalist and absurd ways to portray Hinduism... Aslan and CNN didn't just throw a harsh light on a sect of wandering ascetics to create shocking visuals — as if touring a zoo — but repeated false stereotypes about caste, karma and reincarnation that Hindus have been combating tirelessly.CNN promotional materials and trailers that included a scene showing a group of Hindus under a caption “CANNIBALS,” perpetuated bizarre and ugly impressions of Hindus and their religion."
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); “Encyclopedia of the World’s Religions” edited by R.C. Zaehner (Barnes & Noble Books, 1959); “Encyclopedia of the World Cultures: Volume 3 South Asia “ edited by David Levinson (G.K. Hall & Company, New York, 1994); “The Creators” by Daniel Boorstin; “A Guide to Angkor: an Introduction to the Temples” by Dawn Rooney (Asia Book) for Information on temples and architecture. National Geographic, the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Times of London, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Compton’s Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.
Last updated December 2023