Inside Bageshwar Baba's 'Hindu Only' Village in Madhya Pradesh
Gadha has a large Hindu population. But there's also a huge presence of Dalits, OBCs, and tribal communities.
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Located around 350 km from Bhopal, Gadha was once a sleepy, dusty village in the Bundelkhand region of Chhatarpur. Today, it has got a saffron makeover, earning itself the dubious new moniker of being the "first Hindu village" of India. And its star and MVP is Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, better know as Baba Bageshwar Dham Sarkar, or simply Bageshwar Baba.
About five years ago, Gadha had a population of roughly 3,300, mostly dependent on agriculture and tourism in nearby Khajuraho, just 20 km away. Today, it is a bustling temple settlement and at the centre of it all is Bageshwar Baba.
Popular for his Divya Darbars (divine courts) and religious discourses, Shastri laid the foundation stone for what he calls “the first Hindu village” in Gadha, which falls under the state's Rajnagar tehsil, on 2 April. Bageshwar Dham, known for the Balaji temple, is also located in the same area.
After the foundation-laying ceremony, Shastri released a video declaring that the dream of a Hindu nation begins with a Hindu home. He said the concept of a Hindu Rashtra can only be realised after the creation of Hindu homes, Hindu villages, Hindu districts, and ultimately, Hindu states.
Bageshwar Baba at the inauguration ceremony of 'Hindu village'.
(Photo: Special Arrangement)
The move is in line with Shastri's overall advocacy for turning India into a "Hindu Rashtra", a nation of Hindus. By laying the foundation stone, he seems to have taken a step in that direction, at least for his followers.
He added that before building a Hindu nation, the process of nurturing devout Hindus in every household and village must begin. “This campaign starts this month. Teams have already been dispatched from Bageshwar Dham for this mission,” he announced.
A Village for Hindus
The phenomenal rise of Dhirendra Shastri changed the village’s fortunes. With a surge in devotees, business opportunities also grew. Shops, restaurants, and hotels began to spring up. “Now it’s a bustling town,” Ricky Singh, a disciple of Shastri, told The Quint. “On average, Baba’s Annapoorna Kitchen feeds over 15,000 people every day.”
The sarpanch of Gadha, Satyanarayan Pathak, said the "Hindu village" will be developed over approximately 20 acres of land and is expected to be completed in two years. He also noted that land for the village and an upcoming cancer project was donated to the Bageshwar Dham Jan Seva Samiti.
Interestingly, land prices in Gadha have also risen significantly in recent years. The growth of Bageshwar Dham has boosted tourism and business in both Khajuraho and Chhatarpur town. Many devotees have expressed desire to spend more time in Gadha, which seems to have inspired the idea of a “Hindu village,” a senior revenue officer in Chhatarpur observed.
While laying the foundation stone, Shastri said:
Incidentally, the area also has Muslims, and according to sources close to Shastri The Quint spoke with, one of his "best friends" is Muslim. His name is Sheikh Mubaraq, and he reportedly accompanies him when he tours. Sheikh does not live in Gadha but is a resident of Churaran, a tiny village in Chhatarpur about 10 kilometers away, where Shastri originally lived and spent most of his life before moving to Gadha about 10 years ago.
The Quint tried to reach out to Sheikh but he did not respond. Not much data is available about the total number of Muslims in the village itself, though locals claim there are none.
Sandeep Pathak, a resident of Gadha, told The Quint that only Hindus lived in the village and temple vicinity.
Baba showacases plans for Hindu village.
(Photo: Special Arrangement)
While Gadha does have a large Hindu population, there is also a significant presence of Dalits, Other Backward Castes (OBC), and tribal communities in the area. Despite the spike in religious tourism and the subsequent generation of employment opportunities, a sizable number of individuals belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes continue to migrate to metros in search of work.
Nevertheless, Shastri's plan is well-liked locally, who all speak his tongue.
"I liked Baba's logic", Pathak said. "There is no village in India identified as a "Hindu village, although it is possible that many such villages exist. This would be the first to be formally recognised as such," he said with pride.
Most locals The Quint spoke with were earnestly in support of Shastri's move, and if there were any who disagreed, they chose to keep it to themselves, much like some of the ruling class.
'No Comment'
India’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion under Article 25, allowing individuals to practice, profess, and propagate their religion. Any form of religious segregation or discrimination is unconstitutional. Articles 14, 15, and 21 ensure equality before the law and protect citizens from discrimination based on religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.
The Constitution and Indian law promote communal harmony and discourage efforts to create religious divisions.
But in an era where divisive communal politics dominate the narrative, this development received little attention—neither from the administration nor from any political party. If they were aware, they seemed to ignore it.
When asked for a comment, Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress, Vivek Tankha, was dismissive.
Tanka, who's also a Supreme Court lawyer, was speaking in Bhopal during an event organised by Congress MLA Arif Masood. “And then,” Tankha added, “whatever you name it (Hindu village), it hardly matters. But the government cannot do this.”
Senior government officials at both the district and state levels declined to comment, saying, “It is a political matter.”
MP's Very Own Hindutva Poster Boy
The massive popularity of Bageshwar Baba extends beyond just MP.
(Photo: Special Arrangement)
Dhirendra Shastri’s stature in Hindutva politics has risen sharply in recent years. Wearing a pagri (turban) reminiscent of 18th-century Peshwas and often seen in colorful attire, Shastri initially held small discourses in Chhatarpur’s villages, near the famous Khajuraho temples.
He has since gained immense popularity, especially among political parties like the BJP. He commands millions of followers on Instagram, X, and Facebook. His followers claim he possesses divine powers, including mind-reading and healing abilities. People flock to his Divya Darbars for advice on everything from health to business matters.
He has also become a TV and social media sensation, especially popular in rural areas across Hindi-speaking states like Bihar, MP, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
Noticing his popularity, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to find common ideological ground with Shastri. “Politicians quickly began using his events to bask in his glory,” a senior BJP leader remarked.
They started inviting him to their constituencies. In the last Assembly elections, even senior Congress leader Kamal Nath attended one of his events in Chhindwara. Baba Bageshwar is also known to be close to the Ambani family and attended Anant Ambani’s wedding.
Modi laid the foundation stone for a 100-bed cancer hospital to be developed by Baba, on the same site as the proposed Hindu village. The President attended a mass wedding of 250 girls organised by Shastri. At the foundation ceremony, Modi referred to Baba as his "brother".
“After divine blessings, you now get blessings for health also,” the Prime Minister told the crowd.
Flight to Bihar
It was thus not altogether a surprise when, within a week of launching the “first Hindu village,” Shastri flew to Bihar, where Assembly elections are due later this year. His visit spiced up the political scene with a heavy dose of saffron. At a Divya Darbar in Gopalganj, police struggled to manage the massive crowds. As expected, his sermons focused on Hindu Rashtra.
“Bihar will be the first Hindu state of India. The trumpet of Hindu Rashtra will be blown from Bihar,” he declared.
The statement sparked political reactions. Jan Suraj leader Prashant Kishor said, “India is governed by the Constitution, not the diktats of babas. Everyone has the right to express views in a democracy, but laws are made in Parliament, not by babas.”
Other political parties also responded critically. Still, Shastri promised the people of Bihar, “I’ll be back again with even bigger events.”
It seems Bageshwar Baba has attempted to set the tone for Bihar’s upcoming elections. The politics of Hindutva in the state may now revolve around the themes of the "Hindu village", "Hindu Bihar", and "Hindu Rashtra".
(The author is a senior journalist based in Madhya Pradesh.)
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