Mystic And The Moolah

How Kalki Bhagwan’s political connections doomed his spiritual empire

- Lakshmi Subramanian And Rahul Devulapalli

The Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh is known for its arid landscape and recurrent droughts. But it has long been fertile ground for bloody political feuds and powerful godmen.

At Puttaparthi in Anantapur district, Satya Sai Baba had celebrities and heads of states queuing up to seek his blessings. Bala Sai Baba, of the neighbouring Kurnool district, also had a large number of followers in India and abroad. Both the controversial godmen are no more, while a third notable name, Kalki Bhagwan, is under the scanner of the income tax department and Enforcement Directorate.

In October, a series of raids on 40 properties in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chittoor revealed that trusts and businesses controlled by Bhagwan had unaccounted income of more than ₹500 crore. The IT department unearthed ₹93 crore in cash and ₹409 crore in other assets. “There was about 2.5 million (approximately ₹18 crore) in US dollars alone,” said a statement issued by the department. “About 88kg of undeclared gold jewellery, valued at ₹26 crore, and diamonds weighing 1,271 carats, worth about ₹5 crore, have also been seized.”

Born Vijayakumar Naidu at Natham in Tamil Nadu in 1949, Bhagwan started his career as a clerk with the Life Insurance Corporation of India. In 1984, he and his close friend Shankar started a residential school at Rajupeta in Andhra Pradesh. Called Jeevashram, the school aimed at “providing alternative education and inculcating spirituality”.

By 1989, he had groomed himself as a godman, calling himself Kalki, after the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu. His philosophy of ‘oneness’ and ‘instant nirvana’ became popular, helping him establish ashrams in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Devotees began referring to his wife, Padmavathi, as Amma Bhagwan.