Chandraswami
Encyclopedia
Chandraswami is a controversial Indian tantrik (practitioner of Tantra
). He is called a Godman by some people. His father came from Bahrod in Rajasthan
and worked as a money lender. He moved to Hyderabad when Chandraswami was a child. Chandraswami was attracted to the study of Tantra from an early age. He left home when still young to become a student of Upadhyar Amar Muni and the tantrik pandit Gopinath Kaviraj
. He later lived in the jungles of Bihar where he spent time in meditation. He claims that after four years he obtained extraordinary powers called siddhis.
Chandraswami is Jain by religion and a believer in the goddess Maa Kali.
. Chandraswami was said to have been his spiritual adviser. Soon after Rao became Prime Minister in 1991 , Chandraswami built an ashram known as Vishwa Dharmayatan Sanathan in Delhi's Qutub Institutional Area. The land for the ashram had been alloted by Indira Gandhi.
Chandraswami is said to have dispensed sprititual advice to the Sultan of Brunei, Sheik Isha Kaleefa of Bahrain
, actress Elizabeth Taylor
, and business men Adnan Khashoggi
and 'Tiny' Rowland. His loyal supporters include his secretary Vikram Singh and the late Kailash Nath Aggarwal, known as Manaji. Chandraswami's finances have fluctuated with his political fortunes.
. An income-tax raid on his ashram is reported to have uncovered original drafts of payments to Adnan Khashoggi of $11 million. In its report the Jain Commission dedicated a volume to his alleged involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
. Seventeen years after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi the Enforcement Directorate was still investigating his alleged role as financier of the killing.
In May 2009 the Supreme Court granted Chandraswami permission to travel abroad, lifting a ban on overseas travel imposed as a result of his alleged involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi . In June 2010 a court in Delhi acquitted Chandraswami of violating the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act and imposed a fine of Rs 9 crores.
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
). He is called a Godman by some people. His father came from Bahrod in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
and worked as a money lender. He moved to Hyderabad when Chandraswami was a child. Chandraswami was attracted to the study of Tantra from an early age. He left home when still young to become a student of Upadhyar Amar Muni and the tantrik pandit Gopinath Kaviraj
Gopinath Kaviraj
Gopinath Kaviraj was a Sanskrit scholar and philosopher. Kaviraj was the posthumous son of Vaikunthanath, a Bengali scholar of philosophy. He was born in Village Dhamrai, in the district of Dacca, now the capital of Bangladesh...
. He later lived in the jungles of Bihar where he spent time in meditation. He claims that after four years he obtained extraordinary powers called siddhis.
Chandraswami is Jain by religion and a believer in the goddess Maa Kali.
Rise to fame
He first gained fame through his skill as an astrologer but his rise to national prominence came as a result of his association with Prime Minister Narasimha RaoNarasimha Rao
Narasimha Rao or Narasimharao is one of the Indian names.* Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao served as the 10th Prime Minister of India.* Modireddy Venkat Narasimha Rao, is a former Indian cricketer....
. Chandraswami was said to have been his spiritual adviser. Soon after Rao became Prime Minister in 1991 , Chandraswami built an ashram known as Vishwa Dharmayatan Sanathan in Delhi's Qutub Institutional Area. The land for the ashram had been alloted by Indira Gandhi.
Chandraswami is said to have dispensed sprititual advice to the Sultan of Brunei, Sheik Isha Kaleefa of Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, actress Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, and business men Adnan Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi is a Saudi Arabian arms-dealer and businessman. He is also noted for his engagements with high society in both the Occident and Arabic-speaking worlds, and for his involvement in the Iran–Contra and Lockheed bribery scandals, and numerous other affairs...
and 'Tiny' Rowland. His loyal supporters include his secretary Vikram Singh and the late Kailash Nath Aggarwal, known as Manaji. Chandraswami's finances have fluctuated with his political fortunes.
Legal challenges
Chandraswami has been accused repeatedly of financial irregularities. In 1996 he was arrested on charges of defrauding a London-based businessman of $100,000. He has faced charges for repeated violation of the Foreign Exchange Regulation ActForeign Exchange Regulation Act
The Foreign Exchange Regulation Act was legislation passed by the Indian Parliament in 1973 by the government of Indira Gandhi and came into force with effect from January 1, 1974...
. An income-tax raid on his ashram is reported to have uncovered original drafts of payments to Adnan Khashoggi of $11 million. In its report the Jain Commission dedicated a volume to his alleged involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
. Seventeen years after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi the Enforcement Directorate was still investigating his alleged role as financier of the killing.
In May 2009 the Supreme Court granted Chandraswami permission to travel abroad, lifting a ban on overseas travel imposed as a result of his alleged involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi . In June 2010 a court in Delhi acquitted Chandraswami of violating the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act and imposed a fine of Rs 9 crores.