E-Paper
Akhada to take final call on Mahant Giri’s successor
Though Giri, in his purported suicide note, named his disciple Balbeer Puri as his successor, many top seers said that the Shri Panchayati Akhada Niranjani, to which Narendra Giri belonged and was its secretary, would take a final call in this regard
PRAYAGRAJ A decision on who would head the Baghambari Gaddi Math is eagerly awaited even as a probe is on into the death of Akhada Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri.
Though Giri, in his purported suicide note, named his disciple Balbeer Puri as his successor, many top seers raised doubts over the authenticity of the letter while maintaining that the Shri Panchayati Akhada Niranjani, to which Narendra Giri belonged and was its secretary, would take a final call in this regard 16 days after Giri’s death.
Whoever heads the Baghamabri Gaddi Math automatically gains control over property of the math worth crores.
“The math was earlier part of Shri Panchayati Akhada Niranjani and its funds were used in upkeep of the Bade Hanuman Temple near Sangam. Later, Narendra Giri fought a legal battle following which the math was separated from Niranjani Akhada and it evolved as a separate entity. He later became the Pithadhishvar of the math and Bada Hanuman temple,” informed a senior seer of the akhada.
He said the math owns huge plots (around 30 acres) in Manda tehsil besides around 25 acres in Shankargarh in Prayagraj. “It is said that land at Shankargarh produces silica sand, which is used in manufacturing of glass,” he added.
The math, located in Allahpur locality of the city, is spread over an area of around 10 acres. It also has Mahant Vicharanand Sanskrit Mahavidyalay, a gaushala, open field and a fleet of vehicles. It is said that a few years back, Giri had sold some 20 bigha land of Bhardwaj Puram and developed the math, said another saint of the monastic order.
The math has a long history of controversies and some of the Pithadhishvars and office bearers had also died under mysterious circumstances earlier. These include Mahant Vicharanand, who had played a crucial role in protecting the land of Bade Hanuman temple and had purchased the land for Baghambari Gaddi through contributions and donations. He was found dead while travelling on a train to Haridwar in 1980.
