By 1979, Rajneesh was already a cult figure and his ashram at Pune was virtually taken over by wealthy westerners where allegedly sexual orgies abounded. Drugs smuggling, bioterrorism and prostitution - the god was omnipresent everywhere with feet of clay, of course. Simmering resentment and opposition from the otherwise, conservative locales of Pune saw him being thrown out of his Pune ashram. Rajneesh fled to America to find his fortune, which he did.

The fortune: A 65,000 acre of Big Muddy Ranch in eastern Oregon, diamonds as gifts from disciples and a fleet of not less than 18 BMW sedans.

However, he was soon to fall from the grace of local administration and was deported to India in 1985.

He had already made his booty in the US and then, grandly declared that in the US he was a "Jesus crucified by Ronald Reagan's America."

Rajneesh's unorthodox often bizarre thoughts and practices always courted controversies.

His Oregon headquarters, Rajneeshpuram, and the sensational experiment with sex and de-conditioning provoked antagonism and heightening his notoriety. Lurid confessions of sexual harassement have come from his disciples who claimed to have been abused and used by the Sex Guru.

Years after his death, Rajneesh's rich and famous disciples have ensured that his creed survives and flourishes.


Osho cassettes, Osho books, the sprawling ashram at Koregaon in Pune which is a more of a tourist resort - Osho has become among the most successful commercial brands in the market today.