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Photos: Politics, power and religion as mantras for Sadhus in Madhya Pradesh

It’s not unusual for the lines to blur between church and state in Madhya Pradesh. Going back hundreds of years, this was part of a larger region dotted with princely states governed by local royalty, with a priest or two on the panel of advisors or in key positions. After Independence, religious leaders continued to win positions in government. When they weren’t standing for office, they were helping bring in the crowds, offering advice and performing yagnas for politicians looking for an election win, a good monsoon or the fall of a foe.

Updated on: Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM IST

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Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati at his ashram in Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh. A true sage doesn’t need to be photographed with ministers; doesn’t go out looking for support, the head of the Dwarka Sharda Peeth said. But enter towns like Ujjain, Jabalpur and Bhopal and they seem dotted with ashrams and compounds of religious leaders who count the state’s power elite among disciples and followers. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM

Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati at his ashram in Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh. A true sage doesn’t need to be photographed with ministers; doesn’t go out looking for support, the head of the Dwarka Sharda Peeth said. But enter towns like Ujjain, Jabalpur and Bhopal and they seem dotted with ashrams and compounds of religious leaders who count the state’s power elite among disciples and followers. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Bhaiyu Maharaj at his ashram in Indore. Maharaj, formerly Uday Singh Deshmukh was born to a zamindar and a homemaker in Madhya Pradesh’s Shujalpur in 1968. He said his switch to spirituality occurred at age 23. When asked about his rumored wealth, his Bentley and Rolex watches, Maharaj had responded, ‘If you don’t know how to earn wealth, how you will guide others on that path.’ (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM

Bhaiyu Maharaj at his ashram in Indore. Maharaj, formerly Uday Singh Deshmukh was born to a zamindar and a homemaker in Madhya Pradesh’s Shujalpur in 1968. He said his switch to spirituality occurred at age 23. When asked about his rumored wealth, his Bentley and Rolex watches, Maharaj had responded, ‘If you don’t know how to earn wealth, how you will guide others on that path.’ (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Ujjain is one of the ‘religious centres’ of Madhya Pradesh; others include Maheshwar, Khandwa and Amarkantak. “You cannot count the number of godmen in Ujjain. There’s one in every area,” said Vijay Sharma, a travel agent. While the state BJP government’s relationship with Babas is the most extensive, the Congress, when in power, appointed and offered tickets to religious leaders too. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM

Ujjain is one of the ‘religious centres’ of Madhya Pradesh; others include Maheshwar, Khandwa and Amarkantak. “You cannot count the number of godmen in Ujjain. There’s one in every area,” said Vijay Sharma, a travel agent. While the state BJP government’s relationship with Babas is the most extensive, the Congress, when in power, appointed and offered tickets to religious leaders too. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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A cowshed at Bharthari Gufa ashram in Ujjain. Rawatpura Sarkar has had chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visit his ashram to perform yagnas. Swami Avdeshanandji Maharaj of Ujjain is known to be close to senior BJP leaders Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Chouhan. Politicians, for their part, organise bigger and bigger kathas or readings of scriptures, and bhandaras or religious feasts. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM

A cowshed at Bharthari Gufa ashram in Ujjain. Rawatpura Sarkar has had chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visit his ashram to perform yagnas. Swami Avdeshanandji Maharaj of Ujjain is known to be close to senior BJP leaders Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Chouhan. Politicians, for their part, organise bigger and bigger kathas or readings of scriptures, and bhandaras or religious feasts. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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A banner advertises a religious gathering in Indore. In April this year, five godmen were offered minister-of-state-level berths in the state. Politicians in the state don’t shy away from wearing their relationships with spiritual leaders on their sleeves. It is an accepted culture, said Rasheed Kidwai, writer, political author and visiting fellow at Observer Research Foundation. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM

A banner advertises a religious gathering in Indore. In April this year, five godmen were offered minister-of-state-level berths in the state. Politicians in the state don’t shy away from wearing their relationships with spiritual leaders on their sleeves. It is an accepted culture, said Rasheed Kidwai, writer, political author and visiting fellow at Observer Research Foundation. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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On March 31, religious leaders in the state announced a Narmada Ghotala Yatra that would “expose the state government’s false claims of conservation of the Narmada river.” On April 3, five spiritual leaders were offered positions on a committee to conserve the Narmada; on April 4, the march was called off. Mahant Chandrama Das Tyagi (front) was one of them. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM

On March 31, religious leaders in the state announced a Narmada Ghotala Yatra that would “expose the state government’s false claims of conservation of the Narmada river.” On April 3, five spiritual leaders were offered positions on a committee to conserve the Narmada; on April 4, the march was called off. Mahant Chandrama Das Tyagi (front) was one of them. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Yogi Peer Ramnath, head of a 20-acre temple compound said he started a group called Hindu Vahini, “which will defend any attack on the Hindu religion”. Another baba in Indore, Radhe Radhe Baba, who moved here from UP and now heads a temple complex, spends hours in his inner chamber, watching fairly unchanging CCTV footage of the complex and the streets outside. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM

Yogi Peer Ramnath, head of a 20-acre temple compound said he started a group called Hindu Vahini, “which will defend any attack on the Hindu religion”. Another baba in Indore, Radhe Radhe Baba, who moved here from UP and now heads a temple complex, spends hours in his inner chamber, watching fairly unchanging CCTV footage of the complex and the streets outside. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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Archana Sarmandal describes herself as a ‘housewife, mother, astrologer and religious leader.’ All it took for her to turn a religious leader was a moment when “her eyes were opened to her own potential”, as she sat outside a temple. Of her visitors, she said, “Some come to me with health problems, other for help with their careers... What do people give me in return? That is out of their own happiness.” (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM

Archana Sarmandal describes herself as a ‘housewife, mother, astrologer and religious leader.’ All it took for her to turn a religious leader was a moment when “her eyes were opened to her own potential”, as she sat outside a temple. Of her visitors, she said, “Some come to me with health problems, other for help with their careers... What do people give me in return? That is out of their own happiness.” (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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One cannot become an ascetic because one has lost in one kind of life and wants to try another, said Baba Laxman Das Maharaj. It’s not about ascetics entering politics, he added. “Vinoba Bhave, known for his contributions to land reforms, was a sage. We call Mahatma Gandhi a saint.” According to Laxman Das if a saint enters politics for personal gain, he is a danger to everyone, including himself. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 19, 2018 12:08 PM

One cannot become an ascetic because one has lost in one kind of life and wants to try another, said Baba Laxman Das Maharaj. It’s not about ascetics entering politics, he added. “Vinoba Bhave, known for his contributions to land reforms, was a sage. We call Mahatma Gandhi a saint.” According to Laxman Das if a saint enters politics for personal gain, he is a danger to everyone, including himself. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)

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