Dhirendra Shastri's full name is Dhirendra Krishna Shastri. He is the chief priest of Bageshwar Dham Sarkar in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, and is popularly known as Bageshwar Dham Maharaj. He narrates religious stories at gatherings.
Shastri was born on July 4, 1996, in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh. He comes from an ordinary, modest family. He received his early education from a government school.
Dhirendra Shastri was challenged by a group opposing superstition to demonstrate his miraculous abilities at an event in Maharashtra. It is said that he did not attend this event. Shyam Manav of the Akhil Bharatiya Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti in Nagpur challenged Shastri at his divine court and questioned his spiritual powers. Manav also accused Shastri of promoting superstition. When the controversy began in the media, Shastri invited Manav to his divine court and asked him what he wanted to know. Several prominent Hindu religious leaders, including Swami Ramdev, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Rambhadracharya, Sadhvi Prachi, Pragya Thakur, and politician Giriraj Singh, came out in his support.
He is known for converting around 300 Christians to Hinduism in Chhattisgarh. On January 20, 2023, nearly 500,000 people attended his divine court. On January 22, 2023, several Hindu organisations protested at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in Shashtri's support.
A multi-storey building collapse in south Delhi's Satya Niketan has resulted in seven fatalities, prompting the arrest of the building owners under charges of culpable homicide and negligence.
A major controversy has erupted in West Bengal after Bageshwar Dham's Dhirendra Shastri labelled Bengali people 'pakhandi' for consuming meat and fish during Durga Puja and Navratri at a sabha in Howrah. Shastri's remarks have drawn sharp criticism, as offering fish and meat to deities is an age-old ritual at prominent temples like Kalighat, Dakshineshwar, and Tarapith. The Congress has lodged a police complaint against Shastri for hurting the sentiments of Bengalis, with the Trinamool Congress and CPIM also condemning his statement. Meanwhile, BJP leaders including Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, and Shamik Bhattacharya defended Bengali traditions, affirming that people have no food restrictions during Durga Puja and Kali Puja.
A controversy over food and faith has erupted in West Bengal ahead of the Durga Puja festive season following remarks by Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Shastri during his Hanuman Katha in Howrah's Liluah. The preacher questioned the practice of eating non-vegetarian food near Durga idols and pandals during Navratri, calling on devotees to boycott such practices. West Bengal BJP leaders pushed back against the remarks, asserting that the state's traditional food habits cannot be dictated and noting that non-vegetarian offerings and mutton consumption remain part of traditional rituals like Navami and Ma Kali worship. Meanwhile, fresh directives for this year's Durga Puja celebrations have been announced in the state, which include a ban on liquor sales on Maha Ashtami, prohibiting DJ music during idol immersion processions, and scrapping the Durga Puja carnival on Kolkata's Red Road. Eligible Durga Puja committees are also set to receive a financial grant of one lakh rupees alongside free electricity.
Bageshwar Baba, known for his mass appeal and ‘divya darbars,’ isn’t a typical renunciate. He inaugurates wrestling matches with chants of Jai Shree Ram, moves with private security, and has millions of followers hanging onto his words—whether spiritual or political.
A stampede-like situation occurred during an event by Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Krishna Shastri in Thane's Mankoli Naka.
While speaking to India Today TV's Rahul Kanwal, self-styled godman Dhirendra Krishna Shastri aka Bageshwar Baba said that every Indian harboured a devotion to Lord Ram, adding that a 'Ram wave' was present in the country.
A video of Saurabh Garg alias Shaligram, the younger brother of Peethadhishwar Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of Bageshwar Dham, is going viral. In the video, Shaligram can be seen abusing and assaulting a Dalit family. Garg was also seen threatening the victims with a gun in an inebriated state. According to media reports, the family had refused to attend the mass marriage function organised by Shastri. The incident reportedly took place on February 11.
Former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath reached Bageshwar Dham on Monday. He offered prayers at Balaji's court in Bageshwar. It is being said that Kamal Nath will also meet Peethadhishwar Dhirendra Shastri of Bageshwar Dham.
You’ve probably seen this man everywhere. Bageshwar Dham Sarkar, aka Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, is the head priest of Bageshwar Dham temple. The self-styled Godman claims to solve the woes of people and tell about their pasts in his Satsangs. Here's why he's going viral.
