LILASHAH.

▮ Identity sealed · POCSO §23

Other, Spiritual leader / guru of Asaram

Gandhidham, Gujarat

“Lilashah (1880–1973) was a prominent Hindu spiritual leader and guru who accepted Asaram Bapu as a disciple in the mid-1960s. Lilashah later expelled Asaram from his Gandhidham ashram for violating discipline, which led Asaram to establish his own independent network.”

Sant Lilashahji Maharaj was a widely respected Sindhi spiritual leader who established several ashrams, schools, and charitable trusts across Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Sindh (now in Pakistan) during the mid-20th century. Known for his simple lifestyle and focus on education and social reform, Lilashah had a large following among the Sindhi Hindu community that migrated to India after the 1947 Partition.

In the mid-1960s, a young Asaram (then known as Asumal Harpalani) met Lilashah in Nainital and became his disciple, receiving initiation and the spiritual name 'Asaram'. Asaram spent several years studying at Lilashah's ashrams in Gandhidham and Jetpur, learning administrative skills and spiritual practices. However, tensions developed between the guru and the disciple over Asaram's ambition and his commercial approach to spiritual teaching.

According to investigative reports by senior journalist Basant Rawat in *The Telegraph*, Lilashah ultimately expelled Asaram from his Gandhidham ashram for violating ashram discipline and attempting to establish a personal power base. Following his expulsion, Asaram moved to Ahmedabad and established his own independent, highly commercialized spiritual project in Motera, using his guru's name to attract followers while operating under a completely different administrative model.

Lilashah passed away in 1973, leaving behind a respected spiritual legacy that his disciples continue to manage. Asaram Bapu's trust has consistently claimed a close connection to Lilashah's legacy to build spiritual authority, but independent researchers have highlighted the split as a defining moment that led to the creation of Asaram's independent, controversial empire. Lilashah's original teachings stand in sharp contrast to the commercial and criminal activities that later marked his former disciple's organization.