Mahakumbh Nagar:

After enthralling her fans, film lovers and audience in various roles and characters she played, actor Mamta Kulkarni on Friday embarked on a spiritual journey by renouncing her worldly life and assuming a new identity of ‘Mai Mamta Nand Giri’, the Uttar Pradesh government said.

In a statement, the UP government said in the ongoing Maha Kumbh, Mamta Kulkarni first took ‘sanyas’ in the Kinnar Akhara and then she got a new name ‘Mai Mamta Nand Giri’ in the same akhara.

After performing ‘Pind Daan’, the Kinnar Akhara performed her pattabhishek (consecration ceremony).

Mamta Kulkarni, 52, reached the Kinnar Akhara in Maha Kumbh on Friday where she met Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi of Kinnar Akhara and sought his blessings. She also met the president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), Mahant Ravindra Puri.

Mamta Kulkarni took a dip in the sacred waters of the Sangam and was seen in the clothes of a ‘sadhvi’.

Kinnar Akhara’s Mahamandaleshwar Kaushalya Nand Giri alias Tina Maa told PTI that Mamta Kulkarni performed her own ‘Pind Daan’ on the banks of River Ganga on Friday. Around 8 pm, she was consecrated as mahamandaleshwar amid Vedic chanting in the Kinnar Akhara.

The Kinnar Akhara was established by eunuchs in 2018 and it functions under the Juna Akhara. While an akhara is a Hindu religious order, Pind Daan is a ritual performed to pay homage to the departed ancestors.

With this induction, Mamta Kulkarni joins the ranks of the revered mahamandaleshwars — a title given to spiritual leaders who play a vital role in religious discourse and social upliftment.

After sanyas and pattabhishek, Mamta said it would be “my good fortune that I am also becoming a witness in this holy moment of Maha Kumbh”.

She said she was receiving the blessings of the saints. She took initiation (‘deeksha’) from Guru Shri Chaitanya Gagan Giri in Kupoli Ashram 23 years ago and now she was entering a new life with complete sanyas, the statement added.

Speaking to reporters, Mamta Kulkarni said, “I started my penance (‘tapasya’) in 2000. And I chose Laxmi Narayan Tripathi as my ‘pattaguru’ because today is Friday… it is the day of Maha Kaali (Goddess Kaali).

“Yesterday, preparations were on to make me a mahamandaleshwar. But today Maa Shakti instructed me that I choose Laxmi Narayan Tripathi because that person is a ‘saakshaat’ (direct) form of Ardhnaareshwar. What else can be a bigger title than an Ardhnaareshwar doing my ‘pattabhishek’,” she said.

Mamta Kulkarni said she had to face an examination for the title of mahamandaleshwar.

“I was asked what did I do in 23 years. When I cleared all the examinations, I got the ‘upaadhi’ of mahamandaleshwar,” she said.

She said she was feeling very nice here and such planetary positions are being formed after 144 years. No Maha Kumbh could be as pious as this one, she added.

Asked whether there was anger among a section of the seers over her ‘deeksha’, she said, “Several people are angry, my fans are also angry, they feel that I will return to Bollywood. But it is all right.

“Whatever the Gods wish. No one can supercede the will of Mahakaal and Mahakaali. He is ‘param Brahm’. I have performed the ritual of ‘Pind Daan’ at Sangam,” she told reporters.

Tina Maa said in the presence of Mahamandaleshwar Swami Mahendranand Giri of Juna Akhara, Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi of Kinnar Akhara and other Kinnar Mahamandaleshwars, five Mahamandaleshwars — Girnari Nand Giri, Krishnanand Giri, Rajeshwari Nand Giri, Vidya Nand Giri and Neelam Nand Giri — were consecrated in this programme.

She said Mamta Kulkarni has been associated with Juna Akhara for the last two years and she came in contact with Kinnar Akhara for the past two-three months.

Tripathi confirmed Mamta Kulkarni’s association with the Kinnar Akhara and her spiritual journey.

“Mamta Kulkarni has been in touch with us for the past one-two years. She had previously been connected with Juna Akhara,” Tripathi said.

When Mamta Kulkarni came to Maha Kumbh, she expressed her wish to serve Sanatan Dharm, the seer said, adding the seers do not stand between a devotee and the divine and thus, they respected her wish. Kulkarni has now completed the sacred rituals and will soon officially join the akhara, Tripathi said.

In a press conference held after the pattabhishek, Mamta Kulkarni said, “Laxmi Narayan Tripathi understood my 23 years of penance and Swami Mahendranand Giri Maharaj took my test in which I passed. I did not know that I was being tested for the last three days. I got the invitation to be made mahamandaleshwar only yesterday.” She said she joined the Kinnar Akhara because it was the ‘madhyam maargi’ (middle path).

“I did not want to go back to Bollywood, so I left Bollywood 23 years ago. Now I will independently preach Sanatan Dharma by adopting the ‘madhyam maarg’. I had earlier come here for Maha Kumbh 12 years ago,” she said.

The new mahamandaleshwar also said, “I had to go to Kashi Vishwanath for darshan today but the pandit I knew there went missing today. I don’t know why they disappeared. But Swami Mahendranand Giri, Indra Bharti Maharaj and another maharaj appeared before me in the form of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh.” Mamta Kulkarni said her mind told her that if she did penance for 23 years, she deserved a certificate (of the post of mahamandaleshwar).

About her film journey, she said, “I acted in 40-50 films and when I left the film industry, I had 25 films in hand. I did not take sanyas due to any problem, but to experience the bliss.” Mahant Balak Das, the Peethadhishwar of Patalpuri Math, said, “The process of becoming a mahamandaleshwar is very simple. There are 13 akharas, each have unique rules but the central value of service remains paramount.” He said becoming a mahamandaleshwar involves 12 years of dedication and spiritual practice.

“The process includes daily chanting of Ram Japa 1,25,000 times and living a life of strict penance (Tapomayi Jeevan). The aspirant must follow a disciplined routine with only three-four hours of sleep per day,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Former Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni, who starred in several Hindi films, including Karan Arjun in the 1990s, has returned to India after 25 years. Upon her arrival in Mumbai, she shared a video on Instagram, expressing her happiness over returning home. Ms Kulkarni left the country in 2000.

But her return also comes with reminders of a turbulent chapter in her life. The actress was embroiled in a high-profile drug case that rocked Bollywood and law enforcement circles alike. This case, worth Rs 2,000 crore, first came to light in 2016, when the Thane police initiated an investigation into a major drug trafficking operation.

The Rs 2,000-crore drug case

The case revolved around Avon Lifesciences Ltd, a pharmaceutical company based in Solapur, Maharashtra, which the police alleged was being used to siphon ephedrine, a controlled substance. The ephedrine was supposedly destined for Kenya, where it would be processed into methamphetamine for the US market.

Ms Kulkarni was named as an accused alongside her partner, Vicky Goswami, an alleged drug lord, in the case. The police claimed that Ms Kulkarni was present at a meeting held at the Bliss Hotel in Kenya on January 8, 2016, where details of the drug operation were allegedly discussed.

While Ms Kulkarni was accused of being part of the scheme and even potentially being appointed as a director of Avon Lifesciences, the evidence provided by the Thane police was shaky at best. The charges primarily relied on a statement made by co-accused Jay Mukhi, who later retracted his testimony, claiming it was given under duress.

The case took a significant turn when the Bombay High Court intervened. In a recent judgment, the court quashed the FIR against Ms Kulkarni, citing insufficient evidence. The bench, led by Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande, acknowledged that apart from the allegations in the FIR, there was no substantial proof against the actress. Ms Kulkarni, who argued that she was being used as a scapegoat, was granted relief, allowing her to move forward without the stigma of the case hanging over her.

Over the years, despite the charges, Ms Kulkarni has always denied any wrongdoing. While the scandal impacted her public image and effectively ended her Bollywood career, the recent court ruling has cleared her name.