Sadhus, akharas and their unholy battles of succession

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Editor's note: It’d been a little over two weeks since Narendra Giri died. By 5 October, Baghambari math, a spacious ashram in Prayagraj that he lived in and led, was ready to bid farewell. By throwing a feast of aloo and rabdi-poori. They spared no expense. A red carpet marked the entrance. Garlands of bel leaves and marigold draped the sides, hundreds of white and orange balloons formed the canopy. Inside, a large mandap had been erected, complete with a stage and chairs to seat over a hundred people. Outside, dozens of policemen screened visitors. VIPs and media persons were let in through the main gates, others were pointed to a smaller door near the gaushala (cow shelter) next door. The extravaganza was for the shraddhanjali (tribute) to Narendra Giri, the late chief of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), an umbrella body of Hindu seers in India. Giri was also the head of the Lete Hanuman Mandir, a temple at the Ganga-Yamuna sangam (intersection) that attracts millions of devotees every year. His influence, and that of his math, was evident in the …