KATHMANDU, AUGUST 20

Indian saint Pilot Baba passed away on Tuesday at the age of 86 in a hospital in New Delhi, India.

Vedic scholar Arjun Prasad Bastola told Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) that Pilot Baba studied under a Nepali saint named Hari Giri at Trikhandi in Makawanpur district in 1974. Before receiving guidance from the Nepali guru, he served as a pilot in the Indian Air Force, later becoming known as Pilot Baba.

He established an ashram at Ghyampe Danda in Suryabinayak Municipality, Bhaktapur district, where he would occasionally stay. The Indian saint had many disciples engaged in various professions. Bastola shared that Pilot Baba provided accommodation and food for Nepali pilgrims visiting the Kumbh Mela in India.

Born into a royal family in Saharsa district of Bihar, India, Pilot Baba managed numerous ashrams under the name 'Juna Akhada' across India, including in Haridwar and Gangotri. He was honored with the title of 'Maha Mandaleshwar.'

Three days of mourning will be observed in all 'Juna Akhada' ashrams following his passing. According to Indian media reports, Pilot Baba will be laid to rest in the sacred land of Uttarakhand state in northwestern India.