Rashtra Sant will be remembered for generations as a pioneer of social harmony and a key leader of 'Shri Ram' temple movement
CM Yogi to preside over condolence meeting on Wednesday on 12th death anniversary, saints and religious leaders from across the country to participate
Gorakhpur, September 2026 : The week-long tribute program organized at Gorakshpeeth to mark the 57th death anniversary of Yugpurush Brahmalin Mahant Digvijaynath Ji Maharaj and 12th death anniversary of Rashtra Sant Brahmalin Mahant Avaidyanath Ji Maharaj will conclude on Wednesday, September 30. On the occasion of Ashwin Krishna Chaturthi, Gorakhpeethadhishwar and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will pay tribute to his revered Guru, Brahmalin Mahant Avaidyanath Ji Maharaj. Prominent saints and religious leaders from across the country will also attend the condolence meeting at the Mahant Digvijaynath Memorial Auditorium at the Gorakhnath Temple.
The life of Brahmalin Mahant Avaidyanath remained dedicated to Ramkaj and the establishment of social harmony. Mahant Avaidyanath, who made social harmony the objective of his life, was among the prominent saint-leaders of the Shri Ram temple movement. Carrying forward the welfare-oriented tradition of the Nathpanth, he played an active role in politics along with religious and social activities. He represented the Maniram Assembly constituency five times and the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency four times. He will be remembered for his role in taking the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple construction movement to a decisive stage.
Born on May 18, 1919, in the village of Kandi, Garhwal, Uttarakhand, Mahant Avaidyanath Ji had a deep inclination toward religion and spirituality from childhood. At Gorakshpeeth, he came under the guidance of Mahant Digvijaynath Ji Maharaj. On February 8, 1942, he formally received initiation at Gorakshpeeth. Following the Chirasamadhi of Mahant Digvijaynath Ji Maharaj in 1969, he became the Mahant and Peethadhishwar of Gorakhnath Temple on September 29. As a Peethadhishwar well-versed in yoga and philosophy, he carried forward his Guru's ideals of public welfare and social harmony. He continued this mission until he attained Chirasamadhi on Ashwin Krishna Chaturthi in 2014.
The contribution of three generations of Gorakshpeeth towards the construction of a temple at the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya has been significant. After Mahant Digvijaynath Ji Maharaj, Mahant Avaidyanath Ji Maharaj took charge of the temple movement. Under his leadership, the Shri Ram temple movement took a wider form in the 1990s and reached villages across the country. Mahant Avaidyanath worked to bring religious leaders from different sects and traditions onto one platform. In this sequence, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti Yagya Samiti was formed at Valmiki Bhawan in Ayodhya on July 21, 1984, and Mahant Avaidyanath Ji was unanimously elected its president. He remained the president of the committee throughout his life. As president of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti Yagya Samiti and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nirman Uchchadhikar Samiti, he helped connect saints, politicians, and common people with the movement. The construction of the Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya was completed during the tenure of his disciple and present Gorakshpeethadhishwar and CM Yogi Adityanath.
Mahant Avaidyanath made social harmony the principal objective of his life. He continuously campaigned to eliminate untouchability and discrimination based on high and low status in Hindu society. As president of the Akhil Bharatvarshiya Avadhoot Bhesh Barahpanth Yogi Mahasabha, he also associated saints from across the country with this campaign. He was deeply concerned by the incident of mass conversion of members of the Dalit community in Meenakshipuram in South India. Thereafter, he placed special emphasis on removing social evils and caste divisions in Hindu society and uniting society. He started the tradition of Sahbhoj in Dalit settlements, where people from all communities ate together without caste-based discrimination. By sharing a meal at Dom Raja's home in Kashi with saints and members of the Sadhu community, he conveyed a message of social harmony. Dalit Kameshwar Chaupal's laying of the first foundation stone during the Bhoomi Pujan of the Ram temple is also seen as connected to this message of social harmony. He continued to convey the message of social unity through Sahbhoj at the homes of Dalits and the deprived throughout his lifetime. Mahant Avaidyanath was known for his clear views on social unity and was vocal against untouchability and social discrimination.
According to Dr. Pradeep Kumar Rao, a scholar of Nathpanth and Gorakshpeeth and a researcher of the life of Mahant Avaidyanath, Mahant Avaidyanath conveyed the message of social harmony through simple examples. He explained the strength of unity in society through episodes associated with Lord Shri Ram and Devi Durga. Mahant Ji explained that Lord Shri Ram ate the berries offered by Shabari, embraced Nishadraj, personally performed the last rites of Giddhraj Jatayu, and befriended the forest-dwellers during his exile. According to him, these episodes reflected the spirit of a harmonious society. Similarly, citing the example of Devi Durga's eight arms, he described the unity of the four varnas as a symbol of strength. His message was that different sections of society can come together to create collective strength.
In education, too, Mahant Avaidyanath Ji Maharaj carried forward the efforts of his Guru, Mahant Digvijaynath Ji Maharaj. Through his dedication, long years of penance and experience, he gave Maharana Pratap Shiksha Parishad a broad institutional form. Under Maharana Pratap Shiksha Parishad, educational and training institutions ranging from primary to higher education, as well as medical and service institutions, are operated. Along with traditional educational institutions, many students also receive education at institutions related to technical and health education.
Mahant Avaidyanath also had a long political career. He represented the Maniram Assembly seat in 1962, 1967, 1969, 1974 and 1977. Thereafter, he served as Member of Parliament from the Gorakhpur Sadar parliamentary seat in 1970, 1989, 1991 and 1996. He was also active as the vice-president and general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha. During his political life, he emphasized issues such as national unity and integrity, cultural nationalism, the re-establishment of Indian culture, educational renaissance, and the unity of Hindu society. The tribute program organized on the 12th death anniversary of Mahant Avaidyanath will provide an opportunity to remember his religious, social, educational and political contributions. Saints and religious leaders arriving from Gorakshpeeth and across the country will pay tribute to him on the occasion.
