Sant Gadge Baba- Life History

• Full Name - Devidas Debuji Jhinraji Janorkar (Sant Gadge Baba)
• Born – February 23, 1876
• Birth Place – Anjangaon Surji, Distt. Amravati, Maharashtra
• Father – Jhinraji
• Mother – Sakhubai

Biography of Sant Gadge Baba

Debuji Jhingaraji Janorkar was commonly known as Sant Gadge Maharaj and Gadge Baba. He was a social reformer and a nomadic monk who organized weekly festivals for social development in Maharashtra.

He did a lot of reforms of the Indian rural parts at that time and even today many political parties and social institutions are taking inspiration from his work.

Life:

His real name was Devidas Debuji. Maharaj was born in a washerman family in Shedgao village of Anjangaon Surji taluka of Amravati district of Maharashtra. Gadge Maharaj was a wandering social teacher. He used to travel on foot with torn slippers on his feet and covered with an earthen bowl on his head. And that was his identity.

When he entered a village, Gadge Maharaj would immediately start cleaning the gutters and roads. And after the work was over, he himself used to congratulate the people on the cleanliness of the village.

The people of the village also used to give him money and Babaji would use those money for social development and physical development of the society. With the money received from the people, the Maharaj used to build schools, dharamsalas, hospitals and animal dwellings in the villages.

After cleaning the villages, he used to organize kirtan in the evening and spread philanthropy and social welfare to the people through his kirtans. At the time of his kirtans, he used to educate people against the feelings of superstition. He also used couplets of Saint Kabir in his kirtans.

Sant Gadge Maharaj used to stop people from committing atrocities on animals and he did not believe in the spirit of caste discrimination and apartheid in the society and he used to make people aware against it. And they wanted to ban alcohol in the society.

Gadge Maharaj used to teach people the lessons of hard work, simple living and the spirit of philanthropy and always asked to help the needy. He also asked his wife and his children to follow the same path.

Maharaj had also met spiritual master Maihar Baba several times. Maihar Baba also described Sant Gadge Maharaj as one of his favorite saints. Maharaj also invited Maihar Baba to Pandharpur and on 6 November 1954 thousands of people took darshan of Maihar Baba and Maharaj together.

Death and Greatness:

While paying respect to him, the Government of Maharashtra started "Sant Gadgebaba Village Cleanliness Campaign" in 2000-01. And the villagers who keep their villages clean are given this award.

He is one of the famous social reformers of Maharashtra. He was such a saint who understood the problems of the people and worked for the poor and needy.

The Government of India also issued several awards in his honor.

Not only this, Amravati University has also been named after him. Sant Gadge Maharaj was a great saint of Indian history.

Sant Gadge Baba was a true selfless karma yogi. He built many dharamshalas, gaushalas, schools, hospitals and hostels in every nook and corner of Maharashtra. He got all this made by begging, but in his entire life, this great man did not even build a hut for himself.