The seven major types of Naraka are: raurava, Maha raurava, atishita, nikrintana, apratishtha, Asipatravana and taptakumbha. Among these rourava is considered as the most important one. Rourava is for those who lie or bear false witness. The hell is filled with huge pits and these are full of burning coal. The sinner is let loose at one end and made to walk to the other end in hell. It is natural he keeps falling into the pits and gets burnt severely. He is relieved from rourava when he reaches the other end of the hell. If there are other sins to be accounted he goes to other type of hell.
Maha rourava is the other type of hell that is covered with burning sands. This hurts the eyes of the sinners. His hands and feet are tied and are thrown into the hell thereafter where he burns. The hell is filed with fierce crows, vultures, wolves, mosquitoes and scorpions. These bite and sting him and eat his flesh as he burns. The sinners are released after spending several years.
Atishita is extremely cold unlike the above two mentioned hells. Everything is in complete darkness. Heat is generated if sinners can cling on to each other`s bodies. There is no food to eat. In order to satisfy their hunger, the sinners end up eating each other`s flesh, blood and bones.
Nikrintana is different from all these. Sinners are tied to stakes and their bodies are sliced with the help of sharp chakras. The slicing starts from the feet and then move up the body to the head and then again starts with the feet. The sinners do not die in the process and continues to tolerate the misery for a thousand years.
Apratishtha Naraka is a place where sinners are whirled round and round unless they begin to vomit blood and their intestines come out of their mouths.
Asipatravana naraka is a huge stretch. The edges of this hell are hot and in the centre there is a grove of trees. The centre is cooler. The sinners let loose at the edges and they suffer so much from the heat that they hurry towards the centre. Asi refers to sword and patra is the blade of a sword. Vana means a forest. Naraka is so named as the trees in the grove have leaves that are like the blades of swords. When sinners dash into the grove their flesh is sliced with the sword like leaves of the trees. The grove is also full of fierce dogs that eat the flesh.
Taptakumbha has hot pots which are filled with boiling oil. Sinners are hung upside down inside these pots and are roasted. While they are being boiled in oil, vultures tear apart whatever portions of their bodies are exposed.
