India’s ‘godmen’ face questions about wealth

The rising wealth of India’s ‘godmen’: For centuries, India’s gurus and spiritual leaders were the picture of asceticism and simple living. Now, many are powerful figures who control vast empires.

By Simon Denyer,
WashPost
Updated: Tuesday, July 12, 4:50 AM

PUTTAPARTHI, India — For centuries, their image was as barefoot ascetics who spent their lives in solitary Himalayan meditation.

But now India’s gurus, “miracle workers” and spiritual leaders, often collectively known as “godmen,” have become savvy, powerful figures who control vast philanthropic and business empires, dabble in politics and manipulate the media.

With that power and wealth, however, have come questions about the business of religion, fueled in recent months by the discoveries of hoards of gold, silver, diamonds and cash, the declaration of assets running into hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars, and accusations of money laundering.

The godmen range from “miracle-workers” and “living gods,” such as Sathya Sai Baba, the diminutive holy man with a black Afro who left behind a secret trove of gold, silver and cash when he died in April, to yoga gurus like Baba Ramdev, a television star who joined a popular campaign against official corruption, only to be investigated for tax evasion.

(More here.)