Rich Indian couple accepts monastic life and contributes INR 2 billion

Bhavesh Bhandari and his spouse, a wealthy Jain couple from Gujarat, have donated around INR 2 billion and taken up monastic life as a means of achieving spiritual enlightenment.

They gave up their riches in February, according to The Economic Times, and this month they will publicly declare their renunciation at an event.

A few years prior, Bhandari daughter and son had already accepted monastic life. Bhandari, who is from Himmatnagar and works in the construction industry, is continuing on his children’s footsteps.

Community members speculate that Bhavesh and his wife were motivated to give up material belongings and lead an austere lifestyle by their kids.

Bhavesh Bhandari said in 2021, after his kids decided to become monks, “My children were raised amidst the teachings of monks and had the opportunity to spend time with them during the lockdown, which inspired their decision to become monks.”

Social media images show the Bhandari couple taking part in a march while symbolically giving up all of their material possessions.

This tendency is consistent with earlier Jain community incidents. For example, in 2017 a rich Madhya Pradeshi Jain couple gave up their money, estimated to be worth Rs 1 billion, and left their young daughter in the care of her grandparents.

Comparably, a multimillionaire diamond merchant and his wife made the decision to give up material belongings last year, after their 12-year-old son had become a monk five years earlier.