Swami Avdheshanand Giri is an Indian Hindu spiritual guru, writer and philosopher. He is the current Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of Juna Akhara. Juna Akhara is the largest Akhara for

Naga Sadhus Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions ** Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong River ** Naga, another name for Bakunawa, an ...

in India. Giri has initiated about one million Naga sadhus. His Ashram is situated at Kankhal, Haridwar. He is the president of Hindu Dharm Acharya Sabha and also a board member of the World Council of Religious Leaders.

Early life

Giri was born in

Khurja Khurja is a city (and a municipal board) in Bulandshahr district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated around 20 km from Bulandshahr and 85 km from Delhi. Khurja supplies a large portion of th ...

Bulandshahr district Bulandshahr district (also spelled Bulandshahar) is a district in the Meerut region in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), situated between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. It is a part of the National Capital Region of India, and Bulandsh ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

family. He said that during his childhood, he often talked about his previous birth. He left home for

Sannyasa ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hinduism, Hindu system of four life stages known as ''ashrama (stage), ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), ''Gṛhastha, grihast ...

at the age of 17. After leaving his house for

, He met Swami Avdhoot Prakash who was an expert and had a great knowledge of the Vedas and scriptures. Giri learned Vedant philosophy and

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

from him. He went to Himalayas for meditation and penance. After deep meditation and penance, Swami Avdheshanand Giri came out of the Himalayan caves in the year 1985 and met his Guru- The former

Shankaracharya Shankaracharya (, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive line of te ...

Swami Satyamitranand Giri. He took diksha from Swami Satyamitranand Giri and entered Juna Akhara under the name of Avdheshanand Giri. In the Kumbh of Haridwar, in 1998, all the saints of Juna Akhara together appointed Giri as ''Acharya Mahamandaleshwar''. He is also the member of Sri Amarnath Shrine Board. Currently, he is the President of the prestigious Samanavya Seva Trust, Haridwar, which has many branches in India and abroad. This trust includes the world famous

Bharat Mata Mandir Bharat Mata Mandir (meaning "Mother India Temple") is located on the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith campus in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Instead of traditional statues of gods and goddesses, this temple has a huge map of Akhand Bharat ca ...

, Haridwar. He is referred as "Junapeethadhiswar Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand Giri" in the Akhara by his disciples.

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

also used the same for him in his Twitter account and in the telephonic conversation.

International

Giri has presided over several international conferences on climate change, brotherhood across different sects and has been invited to several international forums. He is a board member of the World Council of Religious Leaders. He was the chief speaker at UNO for the “Responsible Leadership Summit” held in May 2019, which was attended by around 200 representatives from various sections of the society from across the world. In 2011, he also participated in the ‘2010 Interfaith G8 Summit’ which was held in

Winnipeg, Canada Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. He was the keynote speaker at the “ Parliament of the World’s Religious (Vishwa Dharma Mahasabha)” held in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in 2009. In the same year, he participated in the ‘Hindu Jewish Summit (Hindu Yahudi Shikhar Sammelan)’ in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. In 2008, he also participated in the Israel’s Presidential Conference - “Facing Tomorrow”. In August 2017, Giri participated in the “Samvad II: Global Initiative on Conflict avoidance and Environmental Consciousness” which took place

Yangon, Myanmar Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

. The conference was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Governor

Ram Naik Ram Naik (born 17 April 1934) is a veteran Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party who served as the 19th Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Political career Ram Naik was a member of the 13th Lok Sabha and was Minister of Oil and Natural Gas ...

and concluded by

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Yogi Adityanath Yogi Adityanath (born Ajay Mohan Singh Bisht; 5 June 1972) is an Indian Hindu monk and politician. He is currently serving as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh since 19 March 2017, became the first to hold the office for two consecutive ter ...

. The conference was organized by Vivekanand International Foundation (India), Sitagu International Bodh Academy and University, Myanmar and Japan Foundation in collaboration with Hindu Dharm Acharya Sabha. In September 2019, Giri participated in “Samvad III: Global Hindu-Buddhist Initiative on Conflict Avoidance” which was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. From India, Sushil Modi (

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

MP), S. Gurumurthy (Chairman of VIF) and

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hin ...

along with the High Ambassadors of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

also participated in the event. In May 2022, he was invited to the

Muslim World League The Muslim World League (MWL; ) is an international Islamic non-governmental organization based in Mecca, Saudi Arabia that promotes what it calls the true message of Islam by advancing moderate values. The NGO has been funded by the Saudi gov ...

convention held In

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

Social initiative

In Haridwar, an old age home and a physiotherapy center are running under the Samanavya Seva Trust. Shiv Ganga Project is an educational and water conservation project going on

Bhopal Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

. In order to early and prematurely end the Haridwar Kumbh in April 2021 during the second wave of

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

(

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

spoke to Giri on a phone call and appealed to keep the Kumbh symbolic, after which, Giri, on behalf of Juna Akhara announced the formal completion of Kumbh.

Philosophy and preaching

Giri has deep knowledge of Vedant and ancient Indian philosophy subjects. He is a graduate in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and was awarded the honorary degree of

D. Litt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

from

Vikram University Vikram University is located in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. The university was named after the ruler Vikramaditya. It was established in 1957. It was evaluated by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council and was awarded B++ gra ...

Ujjain Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...

in March 2008.

Spirituality

Giri is a regular speaker on various major TV channels like Sanskar TV and Aastha TV and at many major events such as

Kumbh Mela Kumbh Mela (, ; ) is an important Hinduism, Hindu pilgrimage, celebrated approximately every 6 or 12 years, correlated with the partial or full orbital period, revolution of Jupiter. It is the largest peaceful gathering of people in the w ...

, and programs such as the

Encyclopedia of Hinduism ''Encyclopedia of Hinduism'', 1st ed., 2012, is a comprehensive, multi-volume, English language encyclopedia of Hinduism, comprising ', a Sanskrit phrase, meaning "the eternal law", or the "eternal way", that is used to refer to Hinduism, Buddhis ...

and the Vivekanand International Foundation. Giri also writes articles as a columnist in several newspapers. Giri has many high profile people. Several Bollywood actors and politicians have been visiting his Harihar Ashram in Haridwar. In October 2019, the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

, Sri

Ram Nath Kovind Ram Nath Kovind ( ; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the president of India from 2017 to 2022. He is the first person from Uttar Pradesh to serve as the president. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Pa ...

visited Harihar Ashram when he had gone to attend the convocation ceremony of

IIT Roorkee The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT- Roorkee or IIT-R) is a technical university located in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India. It is the oldest engineering institution in India. It was founded as the College of Civil Engineering in 1847 d ...

. In 2018,

Home Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...

Amit Shah Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 32nd Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Minister of Home Affairs since May 2019 and the 1st Ministry of Co-operation, Minister of Co-operat ...

and

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS,, ) is an Indian right-wing politics, right-wing, Hindutva, Hindu nationalist volunteer paramilitary organisation. It is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar ( ...

chief

Mohan Bhagwat Mohan Madhukar Rao Bhagwat (; born 11 September 1950) is the sixth and current '' Sarsanghchalak'' (Chief) of the nationalist social organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since 2009. Early life Mohan Madhukar Bhagwat was born in a M ...

also visited Harihar Ashram. He was again invited to the

Rashtrapati Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, ISO: ''Rāṣṭrapati Bhavana''; ; formerly Viceroy's House (1931–1947) and Government House (1947–1950)) is the official residence of the President of the Republic of India at the western end of Rajpath, Rai ...

in 2019.

Selected bibliography

* * * *

Awards and honors

• He was awarded for his efforts in the field of harmony and spiritual awakening. The award was presented by former President of India

Bharat Ratna The Bharat Ratna (; ) is the highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distin ...

Shri

Pranab Mukherjee Pranab Kumar Mukherjee ( ; born, 11 December 1935 – 31 August 2020) was an Indian statesman who served as the president of India from 2012 until 2017. He was the first person from West Bengal to hold the post of President of India. In a pol ...

at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. •

SIES South Indian Education Society (SIES), founded in 1932, is one of Mumbai's oldest and most esteemed educational institutions. SIES encompasses a high school, a diverse group of arts, science, and commerce colleges, as well as various academic and ...

National Eminence Award, 2019 • Hindu Renaissance Award, 2008 in

California, USA California () is a state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the sout ...

(This award is given by Hindustan magazine to those personalities who are a source of inspiration for Hindu religion and strengthen it)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swami Avdheshanand Giri 1962 births Living people People from Bulandshahr district Indian Hindu religious leaders Indian Hindu saints Indian Hindu spiritual teachers