Controversial Godman Chandraswami Dies At 66

Hyderabad: Controversial tantrik Chandraswami, who was close to former Prime Minister late PV Narasimha Rao and several other politicians, died of renal failure on Tuesday. He was 66.

Born to a Jain family in Rajasthan, he moved to Hyderabad along with his family as a child. Self-styled Godman learnt astrology and later had risen to national prominence after he became close to several politicians, including PV Narasimha Rao.

During the Ayodhya issue in 1993, Chandraswami had organised a vedic sacrifice 'Soma Yagam' by gathering thousands of sadhus at the site in an attempt to loosen VHP's grip over Ayodhya issue.

He was arrested several times for financial irregularities and for repeated violations of Foreign Exchange Regulations.