The Aghori are a monastic order of ascetic Shaivite sadhus based in Uttar Pradesh, India. They are followers of a Hindu sect believed to be 1000 years old, and they seek spiritual liberation through intense practices that are considered unorthodox and extreme by many Hindus. Here are some key beliefs and practices of the Aghori:

• Monism: The Aghoris are monists who seek moksha from the cycle of reincarnation or saṃsāra. They believe in the realization of the selfs identity with the absolute, and maintain that all opposites are ultimately illusory.

• Worship of Shiva and Kali: The Aghoris worship Shiva or Mahakala, the destroyer, and Shakti or Kali, the goddess of death. They believe that if pleased by their worship rituals, Kali will bestow supernatural powers on them.

• Living near cremation sites: The Aghoris are usually found residing near cremation sites, most famously in Varanasi. They believe that the cremation grounds are the holiest places, and that by living there they can come closer to Shiva and Kali.

• Extreme rituals: The Aghoris are known for their extreme rituals, which include shava samskara or shava sadhana (ritual worship incorporating the use of a corpse as the altar) to invoke the mother goddess in her form as Smashan Tara (Tara of the Cremation Grounds). They also practice healing through purification as a pillar of their ritual, and their patients believe the Aghoris are able to transfer health to, and pollution away from, patients as a form of "transformative healing".

• Belief in karma transfer: According to Aghori belief, pollution must be moved into another person. In some cases, Aghoris make the claim that human or animal sacrifice is necessary to successfully complete a healing. Some aghori scholarship calls this process the transfer of karma.

The Aghoris are both abhorred and revered by society for their mysterious, dark, and unique ways of life. Although their practices are a source of horror for many, the fact that they claim to possess magical healing powers has led people living in rural areas of India to seek their help to heal them from disease, bad health, or ill fortune.