Yogi Adityantah

Yogi Adityanath, born Ajay Mohan Singh Bisht on June 5, 1972, in the village of Panchur, Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand (then part of Uttar Pradesh), is a figure whose life encapsulates a rare blend of spiritual asceticism and political dynamism. As the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh since March 19, 2017, and the longest-serving in that role, he has emerged as one of India’s most influential and polarizing leaders. A Hindu monk of the Nath tradition, a five-time Member of Parliament, and a staunch advocate of Hindutva, his journey from a remote Himalayan village to the helm of India’s most populous state is a story of determination, ideology, and transformation.

Adityanath was born into a Garhwali Rajput family, the second of seven siblings—four brothers and three sisters. His father, Anand Singh Bisht, was a forest ranger, and his mother, Savitri Devi, a homemaker. Growing up in the rugged terrain of Uttarakhand, young Ajay was shaped by a modest, rural upbringing. He tended to the family’s cows, listened to tales of India’s freedom fighters, and excelled in school debates, hinting at his future oratorical prowess.

He pursued his education with focus, completing his schooling in Pauri and Rishikesh before enrolling at Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University in Srinagar, Uttarakhand. In 1992, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, a discipline that reflected his analytical bent. Yet, his life took a dramatic turn in the early 1990s when he became drawn to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement—a Hindu nationalist campaign to reclaim the site in Ayodhya believed to be Lord Rama’s birthplace, then occupied by the Babri Masjid.

In 1993, at the age of 21, Ajay left home, telling his family he was seeking work. Instead, he traveled to Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, to join the Gorakhnath Math, a prominent Hindu monastery of the Nathpanthi sect. There, he met Mahant Avaidyanath, the monastery’s head priest and a key figure in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Impressed by Ajay’s intellect and dedication, Avaidyanath took him under his wing. In 1994, Ajay renounced worldly life, underwent initiation (diksha), and was rechristened Yogi Adityanath, adopting the saffron robes of a sannyasi.

As a disciple, Adityanath immersed himself in Vedic studies, yogic practices, and the Nath tradition’s ethos, which emphasizes asceticism and service. When Avaidyanath named him his successor in 1994, Adityanath took on the role of managing the Gorakhnath Math’s extensive network of schools, colleges, and hospitals. Following Avaidyanath’s death in September 2014, he became the Mahant (head priest), cementing his spiritual authority.