Osho, the Bhagwan
One of India's most popular and flamboyant and the most controversial spiritual heroes was Bhawan Shree Rajneesh (1931-’90) or Osho. He followed no philosophy and his criticism and dismissal of various religious and political leaders made him many enemies all over the world. An advocacy of sensuous pleasure as a path to enlightenment earned him the epithet ‘sex guru’ from the Indian press.

He  set  up an agricultural  commune  and  Ashram of Rajneeshpuram in Oregon at USA in 1981. The Ashram drew the attention of the international media and eventually with rumors and local paranoia about the Ashram’s activities running wild, the military and police turned up on the doorstep. The Bhagwan was charged with immigration fraud, fined USD 4,400,000 and deported to India on 1985. Thousands of foreigners came to attend his meditation courses. Rajneesh used a blend of Californian pop psychology and Indian mysticism to motivate his followers. He began to lean towards Zen Buddhism in the years before his death and at one point even declared himself to be the Buddha. From early 1989 until his death, Rajneesh reverted to silence as he had done so once in America.

Bhagawan rajneesh’s famous Ashram is at 17 Koregao Park is a leafy northern suburb of Pune. It has continued to prosper since the Bhagwan’s death in 1990 and attracts thousands of visitors every year.