Express News Service
LUCKNOW: The sudden demise of Mahant Narendra Giri, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad has evoked concerns about his life, times, and the assets of Baghamabri Gaddi Muthh which he was heading.
Moreover, the arrest of his closest disciple Anand Giri, whom he has held responsible for pushing him to suicide, has led to speculations about the huge property over which the two were engaged in an intense dispute.
Anand Giri has alleged that the seer was being pressurised by many forces over land deals involving the Akhara.
As per the informed local sources, Baghambari Muthh, owned by Niranjani Akahara to which Mahant Narendra Giri originally belonged, has expansive land holdings spread across 5-6 bigha (one bigha equals to 0.3 acres) between Prayagraj and Allahpur in Uttar Pradesh.
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This Niranjani Akhara, besides owning and operating a school and cowshed in the area, also has land in Prayagraj’s Daraganj area.
The temple of Bade Hanumanji along the Triveni At Sangam is also owned by Baghambari Muthh. This temple attracts lakhs of devotees from across the country each year resulting in a huge amount of ‘chadhava’ (offerings) running into crores.
At the same time, the Niranjani Akhara owns 100 bigha of land near Manda in Prayagraj and another 400 bighas of land in Mirzapur’s Mahuari. This includes 70 bighas of land in Mirzapur’s Naidi and another 70 bighas in Sigda.
Besides owning a temple and 50 bighas of land in Noida, the Niranjani Akhara has land holdings in Varanasi also. The sources said that if added together, the total assets, including the land owned by Niranjani Akhara in UP is worth over Rs 300 crore.
Outside Uttar Pradesh, the Niranajani Akhara, believed to be quite prosperous has properties in Haridwar over which a dozen temples and ashrams are built.
Similarly, in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, the Akhara owns a number of ashrams on 100 bighas of land. In Nashik, Maharashtra, the Akhara has over 100 bighas of land besides 125 bighas of land in Vadodara (Gujarat), Jaipur (Rajasthan), and Mount Abu (Rajasthan).
