Dhirendra Krishna Shastri was an Indian spiritual orator (kathavachak) and self-proclaimed godman. As of 2023, he is the chief priest and Peethhadhwar of Bageshwar Dham, a religious pilgrimage site in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh.
Wiki/Biography
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, popularly known as Bageshwar Dham Sarkar or Bageshwar Dham Maharaj or Bageshwar Baba, was born in Gada village in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. According to some sources, he was born on Thursday, July 4, 1996, while according to Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’s official YouTube channel, he was born on Wednesday, July 10, 1996 (26 years old; as of 2022). His zodiac sign is Cancer. He attended a public school in the village. Due to financial difficulties, he was unable to further his studies.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
His father Ram Karpal Garg was a Katawachak. His mother, Saroj Shastri, used to sell milk from cows and buffaloes. He has two younger brothers named Shaligram Garg Ji Maharaj (kathavachak) and Saurabh Garg. He has a sister.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri’s father’s photo
Mother of Dhirendra Krishna Shastri
wife
As of January 2023, he is not married.
other relatives
His grandfather Pandit Setu Lal Guruji alias Shri Shri 1008 Dada Guru Ji Maharaj alias Bhagwan Das Garg was a Katavachak.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri’s grandfather
Relationships/Affairs
In 2022, there were rumors that he was in a relationship with Indian Katavachak Jaya Kishori. However, he denied the rumors and said that Jaya is like a sister to him and it was some YouTubers who spread these rumors. He further revealed that he will have an arranged marriage.
Jaya Kishore
religion
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri followed Hinduism.
caste
He was born into a Saryupariya Brahmin family.
Become Bageshwar Dham Sarkar
Dhirendra was born into a poor Katawachak family. In their village, there is a small temple of Lord Shiva. His grandfather had decided to build a Hanumana temple in Gada village in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh and a Hanumana temple near the Shiva temple. Gradually, the temple came to be known as ‘Balaji Temple’ or ‘Bageshwar Dham’ and attracted the attention of the villagers.
Bageshvardham temple
At the age of 9, Dhirendra began accompanying his grandfather in various spiritual activities. Since the family’s financial situation was not good, his grandfather suggested that he start teaching mantras to support his family starting from Dakshina. In an interview, he said that when he was a teenager, he dreamed of doing the sadhana of agyaat vaas.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri as a teenager
He then talked about his dream with his family and began practicing under the guidance of his grandfather. Later, he went on to learn spiritual practices under the guidance of his vansh guru, Sadhguru Sanyasi Baba. He first narrated Shrimad Bhagwat Katha in 2009 in a village near his home. Later, Dhirendra started preaching mantras in Bageshwar Dham and gradually became popular among the people. According to sources, Dhirendra had organized a press conference in local media to promote the Bhageshvardham temple. He then partnered with a spiritual TV channel to broadcast his spells on their channel. Soon people from other states started attending his spiritual events at Bageshwar Dham. In an interview, his devotees said they had deep faith in him because Dhirendra wrote their questions on a piece of paper before listening to them. They even called him antaryami for this and claimed that Dhirendra Krishna Shastri removed people’s negative energies without even touching him.
His mantras and pravachas are aired on various Hindi spiritual channels.
dispute
illegally acquire property
After Bageshwar Dham gained popularity, the land prices there increased significantly and the rent of shops reached over Rs 1 lakh per month. Dhirendra Krishna Shastri and his associates reportedly used this as an opportunity to acquire more land under Bageshwar Dham. Dhirendra allegedly illegally encroached on the village’s crematorium, pond and hill and through his influence on his superiors, legal documents were prepared for this purpose. Dhirendra also acquired community buildings that had been constructed earlier with panchayat funds. He also reportedly threatened some villagers with expropriating their land. His associates even used JCB on the houses of some villagers who refused to hand over their land to him. He was allegedly able to do so because of his connections with many Indian politicians in Madhya Pradesh.
Accused of promoting untouchability
In 2022, one of his YouTube videos went viral on social media, in which a man named Jeevan was seen trying to touch Dhirendra’s feet. However, Dhirendra rejected him and said:
Don’t touch us, we are untouchables. “
One of his associates then took the man away from Shastri. After the video went viral on social media, netizens started criticizing him for promoting untouchability and started #ArrestDhirendraShastri trending on Twitter. On May 27, 2022, Bageshwar Dham Sarkar (official) shared on Twitter that the video has been morphed. The tweet read,
Conduct misleading propaganda by publishing edited videos. “
promote religious discrimination
In 2022, during a spiritual event, he incited devotees to boycott the Hindi film Pathaan. He related it to religion and said:
I swear to you, to all the people of India. You have a vow. Who is against Sanatan, whether he is a leader or an actor. See, you boycotted the actor’s movie and then everyone started tying kalava and applying tilak. I swear today that I will not raise my hands to watch movies made by people like this. “
In another of his spiritual activities, he was seen targeting Muslims and Christians. He said,
Stay away from Chadar and father. “
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdIyW1YipWo
Accused of practicing black magic and promoting superstition
In January 2023, Shyam Manav, president of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, challenged Dhirendra over her spiritual event ‘Divya Darbar’ in Nagpur, Maharashtra ” and “Pret Darbar” where his magical powers are demonstrated. In the challenge, Shyam asked Dhirendra to name something he had placed in another room. Shyam even said that he will reward Dhirendra with Rs 30 lakh if he wins the challenge. Later, the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti lodged a complaint against him for promoting superstition. In an interview, when Dhirendra was asked the same question, he said:
I have nothing to prove. I just do what he (Bageshwar Balaji) inspires me to do. I was just a servant at the feet of Bhageshwar Balaji. I do what he inspires me to do. “
Following this, the Maharashtra Dhirendra spiritual event, which was scheduled to end on January 13, 2023, ended prematurely on January 11, 2023. Later, Shyam was asked about challenging Dhirendra. He said,
Dhirendra Shastri organized Ramkarta in Nagpur and at the same time he announced the establishment of a holy court. Before that, divine courts were held in many places. Its videos are also available on YouTube. There are things in Maharashtra that promote superstition. I carry all these videos with me. I have also given them to the police. Superstition and black magic are illegal in Maharashtra. Spreading it is also a crime. In this crime, the penalty can range from six months to seventy-seven. “
Dhirendra accepted the challenge and asked Shyam to travel to Raipur and his spiritual functions are scheduled for January 20, 2023 and January 21, 2023. Talking about this in an interview, Dhirendra said,
I was in court for seven days just now, but you didn’t come. If I have the chance, I will come again. But now, I accept your challenge. You are welcome to Raipur from January 20th to 21st. I will hold court there. I’ll pay for your ticket. “
He further said that he was helping people under the guidance of Lord Hanumana and he did not have any supernatural powers.
Controversial church in Bihar
During his five-day rally in Patna, Bihar, from May 13, 2023 to May 17, 2025, he said:
The fire of Hindu President will be lit from Bihar. “
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar slammed Shastri for the remark and said people like him were not even born when the Indian Constitution came into being. Nitish Kumar further said that the state government will not interfere with anyone’s beliefs. Shastri once again sparked controversy by calling his followers “pagal” during the ‘Divya Darbar’ session as he had to cancel the ‘aarti’ after the venue was overcrowded beyond its capacity. Later, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tej Pratap Yadav slammed Shastri’s ‘Pagal’ remarks and said :
This baba was abusing the Biharis and calling them “infidels”. The political purpose is to divide the country. ”
net worth
As of January 2023, he earns around Rs 3.5 lakh per month.
Facts/Trivia
- Some sources claim that his real name was Dhirendra Krishna Garg.
- His followers call him Shri Dhirendra Krishna Ji Maharaj.
- One of his mentors was Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Ji Maharaj.
- In an interview, he revealed that he used to walk 5 kilometers to school. During her childhood, Dhirendra lived in a room in the Kacha House with four other family members. Later, his family built a two-story puka house on the same site.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri’s home
- Dhirendra Krishna Shastri organizes various ‘ghar wapsi’ events. He once shared that Garva Psi is for those Hindus who have converted to other religions and inspires them to stick to the religion they were born into. He said,
During our lifetime we will ensure maximum number of “Ghar Wapsi” and stop religious conversions. We must focus on unity among Hindus and resist those who oppose Sanatana Dharma. “
- On June 28, 2019, his colleagues started his official YouTube channel Bageshwar Dham Sarkar, where videos of his spiritual activities were uploaded. As of January 2023, his channel has approximately 3.71 million subscribers.
Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’s YouTube channel
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri YouTube play button
- Dhirendra Krishna Shastri is involved in various social services. He opened Annapurna Kitchen in Bageshwar Dham to provide free food to people. He has always been dedicated to the welfare of the poor and animals.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri worships a cow
- In an interview, when a reporter called him Baba, he said that he was neither sannyasi nor baba, but just a kathavacak or shastri.
- On June 12, 2022, his name was inscribed in the London Book of Records for his unparalleled contribution to the narrative of the Bhagwat Geeta story.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri receives London Book of World Records certificate
- On 14 June 2022, he received a Certificate of Appreciation from Shant Shiromani at the House of Commons in London in recognition of his work in various communities.
Certificate of Appreciation from Dhirendra Krishna Shastri
- In 2022, his name was also entered in the European Book of World Records for his unparalleled contribution to spreading religious awareness.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri European World Records Certificate
- Dhirendra has a large following among committed individuals, but many have expressed concerns about his actions, statements and claims, including claims that he can cure cancer through his blessings and medicines.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education