Sadhus & Aghoris

How many of you remember him… a very well known face if you follow Discovery or National Geographic documentaries.
Sadhus, the dreadlocked holy men, usually seen in Hindu temples of India & Nepal. Very common in Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, one of the most important Shaiva pilgrimage site. They are followers of Shiva, who also called “God of Phallus”, sits at one of the Himalayan peak & whose hair is the source of mighty Ganges.
Saudhus live a solitary lives, always on move, owing only what they carry, they wear Shiva emblems Trishul, Damru, a necklace of Rudraksha seeds & a Conch shell. They also smear themselves with ashes, symbolizing Shiva as destroyer.
Some of Sadhus of Gorakhnath cult follow the “Left Hand Path” to free themselves of sensual & physical world. One of the most notorious of these spiritual exercises is to tying a heavy stone to the Penis to destroy the erectile tissues & helping to tame the distractions of sexual desire. The most extreme practitioners of this cult are Aghoris, cremation point of Pashupatinath are effectively their temples. They are rumoured to ingest human flesh, all in pursuit of the liberation of the soul.
Like Shiva they also use intoxicants as a path to spiritual insight, or Nirvana. It was Shiva who supposedly discovered the transcendental power of Ganja (cannabis). They also consume Bhang in Liquid form, smoke charas using a clay pipe known as chilam, & with each intake they intones Bam Bam bhole or Bam Bam Shankar.