Meet Bhavesh Bhandari, businessman who donated Rs 200 crore of wealth to become monk

It almost seems impossible for one in these days to leave money like Sidhartha and turn into Gautam Buddha but this man has made it relevant in today's means. A wealthy Gujarati businessman and his spouse recently handed up their wealth and properties totaling Rs 200 crore to become monks. Businessman Bhavesh Bhai Bhandari operated companies in Sabarkantha and Ahmedabad and amassed a fortune in the construction industry. 

Who is Bhavesh Bhandari?

Born into a well-to-do family in Sabarkantha, Bhavesh Bhandari had a pleasant childhood. He worked as a builder and carried out business in Sabarkantha and Ahmedabad. The family has an extensive background of interacting with monks and other Jain adherents. Like their son and  19-year-old daughter, who had done the same five years earlier, the wealthy diamond trader and his wife also gave up worldly belongings and became monks.joined the monastic life. The couple's children motivated them to renounce material possessions and adopt an austere lifestyle.

Unbelivable and unwavering dedication!

Earlier in February, Bhandari and his spouse made the decision to lead a life of austere spirituality. During a Diksha ceremony, the couple gave away everything they owned, including jewelry, household appliances, and even cell phones.

A motivator like no other

Thirty-five more people followed the Bhandari couple as they embarked on a 4-kilometer-long march in which they gave away all they owned. Following this opulent donation ceremony, the pair will formally become monks on April 22. The pair will have to give up most material benefits and abandon all familial ties after April 22. They will have to give up all their possessions, go barefoot, and live off alms.

The penultimate sacrifice

The only possessions granted to monks upon their adoption are two pairs of white clothes, a bowl for collecting alms, and a white broom known as a "rajoharan," which they use to clear the area before lying down or sitting. The broom aids monks in upholding the vow of "non-violence" by softly sweeping the insects away rather than hurting them. For the same reason, most Jain monks go bald to avoid lice. Nevertheless, monks pluck each person's hair individually rather than shaving it.

Gujarati roots

There are other wealthy Jain families besides the Bhandari family who have given up their fortune to follow the spiritual path. In a big Diksha ceremony held in Ahmedabad back in 2015, multimillionaire businessman Bhawarlal Doshi—also referred to as the "plastic king of India"—adopted monastic life. As Doshi was received into the monastic order, he gave silver coins to hundreds of people. Under the supervision of Jain Acharya Shri Gunratna Surishwarji Maharaj, he became a monk. Doshi was the 354th person to become a monk under Surishwarji Maharaj and the 108th pupil of the master.