Top 10 painful religious practices of the world

New Delhi: There are many religions in the world. Every religion has its own code of conduct, practices, customs which are different in their own way. Some of the practices are painful, but still practiced by ardent followers of the religion.Here are some of the religious practices in the world that are most painful:1. Sokushinbutsu It is a practice of Buddhist monks that involves self mummification. According to the ritual, the monk survives on a special diet for three years and exercises a lot for the body not to decay after death.They then eat only bark and roots for another three years and drink a poisonous tea made from the sap of the urushi tree, normally used to lacquer bowls. Finally, the self mummifying monk locks himself in a stone tomb where wherein he would not move from the lotus position.His only connection to the outside world was an air tube and a bell.Each day, he rang a bell to let those outside know that he was still alive.When the bell stopped ringing, the tube was removed and the tomb sealed. 2. Circumcision A part of religious practice in Islam, Coptic Christianity and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, it involves removal of the foreskin in genitals of males and females.In males, it is the removal of foreskin from the penis. Whereas, in female circumcision, the skin covering the clitoris or the clitoris itself is removed.Various theories have been proposed as to its origin, including as a religious sacrifice and as a rite of passage marking a boy's entrance into adulthood. 3. Sky Burials A religious practice of the Mongolians and Tibetans, they dissect and scatter the dead bodies on mountain tops for the scavengers to eat.This is done because they do not believe in preserving the dead bodies. 4. Aghoris They are a sect of Hindus and a re known for their cannibalistic and alcoholic rituals.They eat left over from human dead bodies on the banks of river Ganges.They drink in a bowl made of human skull. They apply ash from the human pyre. They are the followers of Hindu God – Lord Shiva. 5. Okipa Ceremony A practice of the Mandan religion, Performed by Mandan Indians the ceremony initiates with a Bison Dance and continues till four days.During these four days, the young men are not allowed to eat, drink or even sleep.They are lead to small huts where wooden skewers are inserted in their chest and shoulders which slit their skin.And during this tormenting act, they are supposed to sit with a smiling face.Later these men are hung from the roof of lodge until they faint after which they are pulled down. Finally the awakening of these men proves the approval of spirits. 6. Scarification The act of scarification may include scratching, etching, burning or cutting into skins.But for a tribe living in Papua New Guinea, scarification is a ritual which every boy has to undergo in order to be treated as a man.The young boys are required to be cut in their back, chest and buttocks in order to give their body a crocodile like pattern.They believe that this would make the boys physically and psychologically tough. 7. Flagelation Flagelation, the devotional ceremony performed by many religious groups mostly Judaists and Islamic, is another method of self-harm.In Judism flagellation is a corporal punishment, whereas in Islam, people willingly indulge themselves in act of methodical beating and whipping.This is done to mourn the sufferings and martyrdom of Hussain and you can see Shia Muslims flogging themselves with knives, blades and chains on the day of Moharram. 8. Sun Dance Sun Dance is a part of many cultures' ceremonial protocols.The Native Americans, the First Nations People and many other contemporary cultures indulge in this practice in order to offer self sacrifice, as they believe this prospers the family of the doer and the whole community.Sun Dance is performed differently by each tribe but flesh offering is a common feature that every tribe indulges in.At a traditional Sun Dance ceremony, drums are played, prayers with pipes are made and fasting is done.But the agonizing part of this ceremony is skin offering.Young men who participate in this get their chests pierced by skewers causing extreme pain and they are supposed to break free of these skewers by tearing them through their skin. 9. Baby ThrowingThis might be the ultimate bizarre tradition.Babies in Karnataka are tossed from about three storeys from a temple roof off the ground. Locals in the village of Nagrala believe the ritual brings health and good luck to the children.Most of the children are less than 2 years of age.Children are tossed by a man from the temple roof into the blankets below. 10. Teeth Chiselling This is a ritual which is practiced by the Mentawaian Tribe of Indonesia and is specifically for the women.The tribe believes that by chiselling or sharpening the teeth of young women, they become more attractive and a balance develops between the body and the soul.Its procedure is undergone by using a crude blade which sharpens the teeth, carves the corners of teeth and at last they are filed to give the desired shape.