Portrait of Sadhu Aghori Baba smoking his chillum. (2017) Photography by Dmitry Ersler

Portrait of Sadhu Aghori Baba smoking his chillum. Varanasi,India. The Aghori are ascetic Shaiva sadhus. The Aghori are known to engage in post-mortem rituals. They often dwell in charnel grounds, have been witnessed smearing cremation ashes on their bodies, and have been known to use bones from human corpses for crafting kapalas (skullcups which Shiva and other Hindu deities are often iconically depicted holding or using) and jewelry. Because of their practices that are contradictory to orthodox Hinduism, they are generally opposed by other Hindus.
No Aghora would ever abstain himself from smoking Marijuana because they believe it is marijuana that helps them concentrate on religious mantras and the strenuous yogic practices they perform by routine. In spite of being under the effect of marijuana all the time they appear very sober and calm. When asked by curious visitors that whether they consume weed for pleasure, they abruptly deny the assertion. The delusion and hallucinations provided by weeds are taken as religious ecstasies and heightened spiritual experiences.
The modern world is an accumulation of technologies, a fast rhythm, communication in the Internet. It is difficult to imagine that somewhere on earth there are still such people who are so different from us. But over the years, they become less and less.

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IndiaVaranasiHinduShivaAghori