Anand Giri was a self-proclaimed Indian spiritual leader and yoga expert who was famous for traveling the world wearing saffron attire and enjoying a lavish lifestyle – in contrast to the ascetic lives of other seers. Most of Anand’s followers are believed to belong to the list of followers of former state chief Mahant Narendra Giri of Akhil Bhatia Ahara Parishad. Anand has also been serving as the Mahant of Bade Hanuman Temple and Math Baghambri Gaddi in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh till 2021 became the face of controversy. The Hindu religious leader has been arrested twice and is believed to have managed to escape due to his strong political connections.
Wiki/Biography
Anand Giri, born Ashoka Chotia, was born in Brahamon ki Sareri village in Asind tehsil, Bhilwara, Rajasthan. His real age is yet to be determined. According to some sources, he was born in 1985 (36 years old; as of 2021), while some other sources claim that the yoga guru was born in 1983 (38 years old; as of 2021). Anand Giri’s official website claims that he graduated from Banaras Hindu University of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and also holds a doctorate in Yoga Tantra.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family and caste
Anand Giri belongs to a lower-middle-class Brahmin farming family.
Parents and siblings
Anand’s father, Rameshwar Lal Chotia, was a farmer. His mother passed away in May 2021. According to Anand’s brother, he was very close to his mother and sat with her body for hours after her death. Anand is the youngest sibling. He has three brothers, the eldest Bhanwar sells vegetables with a cart, and Anand’s other two brothers run a scrap business in Surat.
Anand Giri family members
wife and children
A dervish, Anand Giri was unmarried and had no children.
religion
Anand Giri is a Hindu prophet.
Profession
Priesthood
Anand Giri’s family claims that when Anand Giri was around 12 years old and studying seventh standard, Anand Giri (then known as Ashoka) fled the village around 1997 to Haridwar joins the clergy. Later, top seer Narendra Giri, the saint of Niranjani Akhada, took him as his disciple. In 2004, when Mahant Narendra Giri was transferred to Baghambari Mutt in Prayagraj, Anand Giri followed him for spiritual training. According to Anand, after leaving his ancestral home, he spent several years in Kidal and in Tunnath, Rudranath and Kalpeshwar in the Himalayas. In 2007, Anand formally joined Narendra Giri’s Shri Panchayati Akhara Niranjani. At the time, Anand’s family was unaware of his clergy until they saw him speaking in a program aired on the Sanska TV channel. Soon, Anand returned to the village in 2012 to visit his family and was accompanied by Mahant Narendra Giri, who conferred upon Anand in front of his family De (Ashoka) Diksha, Ashoka officially changed his name to Anand Giri. Mahant also awarded him the title of “Swami”.
life in akara
Anand Giri was appointed as the ‘Mahant Swami’ of the Akhil Bharatiya Niranjani Akhada in Prayagraj and he also became the Mahant of the Bade Hanuman Temple. Mahant Swami, but was fired from his post in 2021 after a dispute with his mentor Narendra Giri.
gorgeous lifestyle
This “social media savvy” godman is no ordinary prophet. He lived a non-ascetic lifestyle which became the talk of the town after he hit the headlines for his alleged involvement in the suicide case of his mentor Narendra Giri. In Anand’s pictures circulating on social media, he can be seen traveling around the world, riding luxury cars and bikes, and enjoying a lavish lifestyle in luxury hotels and beaches. According to Anand’s yoga website, the seer has traveled to the United States, the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, Europe, Kazakhstan and Turkey. As of September 2021, his Facebook page has more than 86,000 fans, and the page interacts with fans through Anand’s regular live broadcasts.
Anand Giri rides luxury bike
Disagreeable with his mentor
Anand Giri had a serious fallout with his mentor and ABAP president Mahant Narendra Giri – after Narendra Giri allegedly After the suicide, the dispute surfaced in the media. The guru and his disciples first got into a land dispute in 2004-2005 when Anand accused Narendra Giri of selling the Baghambari Gaddi Mutt ) of land – a piece of land of 8 bigha, allegedly sold for Rs. 400 million rupees. The dispute broke out again in May 2021 when Baghambari Mutt’s land lease was cancelled. According to reports, the land was where a petrol pump was proposed and was leased in the name of Anand Giri; however, Mahant canceled the lease on the grounds that the petrol pump could not operate there. The incident upset Anand Giri who then accused Mahant Narendra of wanting to sell the land. Furthermore, Anand was expelled from Baghambari Mutt and Akhara in May 2021 following a complaint filed by Narendra Giri, following which Anand retaliated against him and charged him with various charges. The disciple posted his video accusing his mentor of selling Bagombari Mutt’s properties and of large-scale financial irregularities in the monastery. Anand has also reportedly written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, demanding an investigation into the death of Niranjani Ahara’s former secretary Ashish Giri An investigation was conducted and the body of the man was found at the Ahara Ashram in November 2019. Anand implicated Narendra Giri in the case and claimed that Narendra Giri and his close aides posed a threat to his life. The 13-day feud ended with Anand sitting at the feet of Narendra Giri and begging his guru for forgiveness. It is said that the Guru forgave his closest disciple and allowed him access to Akhara and Mutt. However, it has not been confirmed whether Anand has returned from the expulsion.
dispute
arrested for sexual assault
During a six-week tour of Australia, Anand Giri was arrested in Sydney on May 7, 2019, accused of sexually assaulting two women on two separate occasions. The two women, both of South Indian origin, reportedly already knew Anand. Bail was refused when he appeared at Parramatta Bail Court on 5 May 2019 and he was remanded in custody to appear before Mt Druitt Local Court on 26 June 2019. In a formal statement, ABAP president Narendra Giri said “his people” had submitted an application for bail.
expulsion
Anand Giri, who was the Mahant of Bade Hanuman temple in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, was killed by Shri Panchayati Akhara Niranjani on May 14, 2021 Dismissal from Baghambari Mutt and Niranjani Akhara. The action was taken after his mentor Narendra Giri lodged a formal complaint against Anand for maintaining a relationship with the family in violation of the established norms of the Akhara seer. Mahant further accused Anand Giri of misappropriating funds from the Badhanuman temple for his family.
Arrested in Narendra Giri suicide case
After news of the mysterious suicide of his mentor Narendra Giri emerged in the media, Swami Anand’s name emerged in the media as the prime accused in the case. On September 20, 2021, he was arrested for allegedly abetting Mahant to commit suicide. Narendra Giri mentioned Anand’s name in a handwritten suicide note in which he wrote that Anand Giri “blackmailed” him over a “deformed photo of a girl.” Anand Giri was later linked to the suicide case. The guru also accused Anand in a minute-long video found by the police and apparently recorded by Mahant before his death. An FIR was lodged against Anand on the same day and he was arrested from Haridwar the next day. After his arrest, Anand Giri was interrogated for 12 hours by the 18-member SIT team investigating the suicide case. It is said that during the interrogation, Anand firmly denied all the accusations against him and repeatedly claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him. On September 22, he was sent to Naini Central Prison for 14 days of judicial custody.
Facts/Trivia
- After Anand Giri received the title of “Swami” from Narendra Giri, he started calling himself Swami Anand Giri.
- Anand claims on his official website that he is well versed in Sanskrit grammar, Ayurveda and Vedic philosophy.
- When Anand served as the Mahan of the Bade Hanuman temple in Prayagraj, he was popularly known as “Chhote Maharaj”; however, he was dismissed due to a dispute with his guru , he lost his title.
- The spiritual guru has served as a guest lecturer at several universities and is frequently invited to lecture at various schools and colleges. He also conducts yoga classes for Army personnel and executives from private companies.
Anand Giri doing yoga poses
- Swamy also claimed to lead the ‘Ganga Seva’ movement under the ‘Sri Maa Ganga Nirmal Sanrakshan Samiti’, which worked towards cleaning the Ganga and making it pollution-free.
- During the 2013 Kumbh Mela, Anand Giri published his debut book Swarn Bhoomi Prayag, in which he talked about the history of the town of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, its culture meaning and its transformation.
- During the investigation into the Narendra Giri suicide case, an audio tape of an alleged conversation between Mahant Narendra Giri and Mahant Swami Om Bhatti of Brahmachari Kuti was released on September 2021 It was leaked on March 22, in which two people talked about Anand Giri. In the recording, Narendra Giri said that he was apparently fed up with Anand’s “politics”, while Om Bharti added that he was trying to file a police complaint against Anand Giri. Anand Giri), but failed due to Anand’s strong political influence. Swamy also revealed in the tape that Anand allegedly used his power to own a Brahmachari Kuti in 2020, which was spread across 12 Bigha of Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
Anand Giri arrested for abetting Narendra Giri’s suicide
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education