Yogi Adityanath had once declined an invitation by Mahant Avaidyanath to become his disciple, a recent report by Amar Ujala has said. The report details the circumstances under which the current Mahant of Gorakhnath Muth consented to become his Guru’s disciple.
Mahant Avaidyanath was still in search of a disciple he could delegate his duties to in his absence. After him, that disciple was to pick up the mantle and carry forward the proud tradition of the Gorakhnath Muth.
In October 1993, Mahant Avaidyanath was admitted to a hospital receiving treatment for issues related to his heart. It was then that Yogi Adityanath, then Ajay, went to meet the saffron robed monk. He was 21 years old then. When his soon to be Guru saw the young Ajay standing before him, he looked at him expectantly.
Mahant Avaidyanath told him that he had dedicated his life towards the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement but still had not been able to choose his disciple. What would happen to the movement if something untoward were to happen to him, the 74-year old Mahant asked the young man
Hearing the sagely man speak, Yogi Adityanath told him that he would visit Gorakhpur soon and assured the monk that he will recover quickly. When the young Ajay told his mother that he was going to Gorakhpur, his mother assumed that he was traveling there for some job. His family came to know about it only six months later.
Mahant Avaidyanath played a critical role in ensuring the success of the Ram Janmabhoomi Movement. His predecessor, Mahant Digvijaynath had made great contribution towards the same as well. Yogi Adityanath had called the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya his life’s objective. Perhaps, it is only fitting that it is his during his Chief Ministerial tenure that the construction of the Bhavya Mandir has begun.