Distribution of Agarwâlas by the Census of 1891.

District. Hindus. Jainas. Total.
Dehra Dûn 2,109 234 2,343
Sahâranpur 26,448 5,988 32,436
Muzaffarnagar 28,237 9,029 37,266
Meerut 37,792 16,307 54,099
Bulandshahr 26,272 1,053 27,325
Aligarh 16,083 9 16,092
Mathura 27,323 1,196 28,519
Agra 22,439 1,447 23,886
Farrukhâbâd 2,281 122 2,403
Mainpuri 2,350 157 2,507
Etâwah 2,048 137 2,185[[25]]
Etah 2,518 69 2,587
Bareilly 7,401 4 7,405
Bijnor 12,222 779 13,001
Budâun 1,968 3 1,971
Murâdâbâd 10,968 255 11,223
Shâhjahânpur 1,065 33 1,098
Pilibhît 2,255 11 2,266
Cawnpur 6,004 70 6,074
Fatehpur 543 543
Bânda 860 … 860
Hamîrpur 1,542 … 1,542
Allahâbâd 3,340 … 3,340
Jhânsi 3,482 14 3,496
Jâlaun 1,907 1,907
Lalitpur 119 119
Benares 2,833 3 2,836
Mirzâpur 1,920 … 1,920
Jaunpur 263 … 263
Ghâzipur 1,067 26 1,093
Ballia 510 … 510
Gorakhpur 1,539 40 1,579
Basti 277 277
Azamgarh 1,049 1,049
Kumâun 260 260
Garhwâl 1,755 1,755
Tarâi 1,348 36 1,384
Lucknow 2,831 422 3,253
Unâo 149 8 157[[26]]
Râê Bareli 140 23 163
Sîtapur 266 124 390
Hardoi 106 … 106
Kheri 276 … 276
Faizâbâd 1,022 … 1,022
Gonda 802 … 802
Bahrâich 292 30 322
Sultânpur 205 … 205
Partâbgarh 295 … 295
Bâra Banki 500 887 1,387
Grand Total 269,761 38,516 308,277

Agastwâr.—A sect of Râjputs found principally in Pargana Haveli of Benares. They claim to take their name from the Rishi Agastya, who appears to have been one of the early Brâhman missionaries to the country south of the Vindhya range, which he is said to have ordered to prostrate themselves before him.

Aghori, Aghorpanthi, Aughar.[21]—(Sanskrit aghora “not terrific,” a euphemistic title of Siva), the most disreputable class of Saiva mendicants. The head-quarters of the sect are at Râmgarh, Benares. The founder of it was Kinna Râm, a Râjput by caste, who was born at Râmgarh, and was a contemporary of Balwant Sinh, Râja of Benares. When he was quite a boy he retired to a garden near Benares and meditated on the problems of life and death. He became possessed of the spirit and his parents shut him up as a mad-man. When they tried to wean him from the life of an ascetic and marry him, he made his escape and retired to Jagannâth. Some time after he was initiated by a Vaishnava Pandit from Ghâzipur. Then he went to Ballua Ghât at Benares and began to practise austerities. Some time after one Kâlu Râm came from Girnâr Hill, and Kinna Râm attended on him for some years. One day he announced his intention of making a second pilgrimage to Jagannâth, when Kâlu said,—“If I bring Jagannâth before your eyes here will you give up [[27]]your intention?” Kinna Râm agreed, and then by his supernatural power Kâlu Râm did as he had promised to do. This shook the faith of Kinna Râm and he abandoned the Vaishnava sect and was initiated as a Saiva. From that time he became an Aughar or Aghori. Kâlu Râm gave him a piece of burning wood which he had brought from the Smasâna Ghât or cremation ground at Benares, and ordered him with this to maintain the perpetual fire. After this Kâlu Râm returned to Girnâr and Kinna Râm went to the garden where he had stayed at the opening of his life and erected a monastery there. He performed miracles and attracted a number of disciples out of his own tribe.

2. Some time after his own Guru who had initiated him into the Vaishnava sect came to see him. Kinna Râm directed him to go to Delhi, where a number of Sâdhus were then suffering imprisonment at the hands of the Muhammadan Emperor for their faith, and to procure their release by working miracles. The Guru went there and shared their fate. Long after when the Guru did not return Kinna Râm went himself to Delhi in order to effect his release. Kinna Râm, on his arrival, was arrested and sentenced to work on the flour-mills. He asked the Emperor if he would release him and the other Sâdhus, if he was able, by his miraculous power to make the mills move of themselves. The Emperor agreed and he worked the miracle. The Emperor was so impressed by his power that he released the Sâdhus and conferred estates on Kinna Râm. The Sâdhus whom he had released became his disciples, and he returned to Benares, where at Râmgarh he established the Aghori sect and became the first leader. He lived to a good old age, and was succeeded by one of the members elected by general vote of the society.

Form of initiation. 3. The form of initiation into the sect is as follows:—The candidate for initiation places a cup of liquor and a cup of bhang on the stone which covers the tomb of Kinna Râm. It is said that those who wish to become Aughars without losing caste drink only the bhang, while those who desire to be fully initiated drink both the bhang and spirits. Some say that when the candidate has perfect faith, the cups come to his lips of themselves. Then a sacrifice is performed in which various kinds of fruits are thrown into the fire which has been kept alight since it was first lighted by Kinna Râm, and an animal, usually a goat, is sacrificed. It is believed that the animal thus [[28]]sacrificed often comes to life again when the function is over. After this the hair of the candidate is moistened in urine, by preference that of the head of the sect, and shaved. Subsequently the candidate has to meditate on the precepts and teaching of Kinna Râm, which are recorded in a book known as the Bîjaka. Those who are illiterate have these read over to them by other Aughars. The initiation ceremony ends with a feast to all the disciples present, at which spirits and meat are distributed. This is followed by a probation term of twelve years, during which the initiated eats any kind of filthy food, the flesh of corpses being included. Their life is spent in drinking and smoking intoxicating drugs, and they are most abusive to those who will not give them alms. When they go to beg they carry a bottle either empty or full of spirits. They demand alms in the words Jây Kinna Râm ki (Glory to Kinna Râm). It is said that after leading this life for twelve years they abandon the use of spirits and only eat filthy food.

4. A great resort of this class of ascetics is the Asthbhuja hill near Bindhâchal in the Mirzapur District. According to Lassen, quoted by Mr. Risley,[22] the Aghoris of the present day are closely related to the Kapâlika or Kapâladhârin sect of the middle ages who wore crowns and necklaces of skulls and offered human sacrifices to Châmunda, a horrible form of Devi or Pârvati. In support of this view it is observed that in Bhavabhuti’s Drama of Mâlati Mâdhava, written in the eighth century, the Kapâlika sorcerer, from whom Mâlati is rescued, as she is about to be sacrificed to Châmunda, is euphemistically described as an Aghorakantha, from aghora, “not terrible.” The Aghoris of the present day represent their filthy habits as merely giving practical expression to the abstract doctrine of the Paramahansa sect of the Saivites that the whole universe is full of Brahma, and consequently that one thing is as pure as another. The mantra or mystic formula by which Aghoris are initiated is believed by other ascetics to be very powerful and to be capable of restoring to life the human victims offered to Devi and eaten by the officiating priest. Not long since a member of the sect was punished in Budaun for eating human flesh in public. Of the Panjab Mr. MacLagan[23] writes:—“The only real sub-division of the Jogis which are at all commonly recognised are the well-known sects of Oghar and Kanphattas. The Kanphattas, as their name denotes, [[29]]pierce their ears and wear in them large rings (mundra) generally of wood, stone or glass; the ears of the novice are pierced by the Guru, who gets a fee of Re. 1–4–0. Among themselves the word Kanphatta is not used; but they call themselves Darshani or ‘one who wears an ear-ring.’ The Oghar, on the contrary, do not split their ears, but wear a whistle (nâdha) of wood, which they blow at morning and evening and before meals. Kanphattas are called by names ending in Nâth, and the names of the Oghar end in Dâs. The Kanphattas are the more distinctive sect of the two, and the Oghars were apparently either their predecessors or seceders from their body. One account says that the Kanphattas are the followers of Gorakhnâth, the pupil of Jalandharanâth, who sometimes appears in the legends as an opponent of Gorakhnâth. Another account would go further back and connect the two sects with a sub-division of the philosophy of Patanjali.” The difference between the Aughar and Aghori does not seem to be very distinct; the Aghori adds to the disgusting license of the Aughar in matters of food the occasional eating of human flesh and filth.

Distribution of Aghorpanthis and Aughars by the Census of 1891.[24]

District. Aughar. Aghori including
Kinnarâmi. 		Total.
Dehrà Dûn 86 … 86
Muzaffarnagar 1,235 … 1,235
Meerut 1,646 … 1,646
Bulandshahr 49 … 49
Agra 32 13 45
Etah 8 … 8
Bijnor 821 … 821
Budâun 15 … 15
Morâdâbâd 52 … 52
Pilibhît 16 9 25
Cawnpur … 8 8
Bânda … 6 6
Hamîrpur 14 9 23
Allahâbâd 1 17 18
Jhânsi 2 … 2
Benares 186 … 186
Ghâzipur 9 100 109
Ballia … 67 67
Gorakhpur … 260 260
Basti … 96 96
Azamgarh 7 … 7
Kumâon 5 … 5
Tarâi 54 … 54
Lucknow 6 29 35
Râî Bareli … 3 3
Unâo 1 … 1
Sîtapur 12 … 12
Faizâbâd … 13 13
Gonda 45 … 45
Sultânpur 15 … 15
Grand Total 4,317 630 4,947

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