The Aghori are known for their extreme and outlandish violations of typical Indian and other social mores, as well as their unorthodox, taboo rituals which have caused many mainstream Hindus to condemn them as non-Hindu.[3] They are, for instance, known to engage in post-mortem ritual cannibalism (necrophagy), urophagia and corprophagy; they also 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 skull bowls (which Shiva and other Hindu deities are often iconically depicted holding or using) and jewellery.
Many Aghori gurus command great reverence from rural populations as they are supposed to possess miraculous healing powers gained through their intensely eremitic rites and practices of renunciation and tápasya.