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.
“This village will accommodate 1,000 families and will be developed within the premises of Bageshwar Dham."Bageshwar Baba in his video message