Death as a celebration of spiritual liberation

Performed rituals after one’s death in India are as diverse as the country itself. Like every other religion, the Hindus have a particular tradition of sending off their dead and helping them to attain moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death). Sādhus (ascetics) are known for renouncing material possessions and living a life of prayer and austerity to pursue moksha . The Aghorīs, a sect of ascetic Shaiva Sādhus, have a distinct perspective on death and moksha , which has led to controversy. A key Aghorī death ritual, which this chapter addresses, is their consumption of the deceased’s flesh after the soul has been considered to have departed from the body. While the purpose of this ritual is to transcend worldly attachments and achieve spiritual liberation, this ritual raises questions underpinned by social, political, religious, and ethical debate. This chapter addresses Aghorī death rituals, thereby demonstrating its purpose as a process of attaining moksha . In review of recorded documentation, this chapter explores the Aghorīs’ communally constructed traditions, which, performed on cremation grounds with the remains of the dead, are central to the core doctrines upheld by the Aghorīs. In doing so, it addresses questions concerning the moral panics surrounding their controversial death rituals.