Gujarat Businessman Bhavesh Bhandari and his wife donate Rs 200 crore wealth to become monks.

Bhavesh Bhandari and his wife recently made a substantial donation of all their wealth during a ceremony in February. They plan to commit to a life of renunciation at an event later this month. The businessman from Himmatnagar comes from the construction industry and has decided to follow in the footsteps of his 19-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son, who adopted monkhood in 2022.

Members of their community say that Bhavesh and his wife were inspired by their children to renounce material attachments and join the ascetic path. After taking the pledge on April 22, the couple will sever all family ties and won’t be allowed to keep any materialistic objects. They will walk barefoot across India and survive only on alms.

They will own only two white garments, a bowl for alms, and a “rajoharan,” a white broom Jain monks use to brush insects away from an area before they sit, the symbolic of the path of non-violence they follow. The Bhandari family, known for their immense wealth, has garnered attention across the state with their decision. They join a handful of others who have turned away from wealth, such as Bhavaralal Jain, who has previously forsaken billions to lead a life of restraint.

Bhavaralal Jain is renowned for pioneering the micro-irrigation system in India. In a procession spanning four kilometers, the Bhandari couple, along with 35 others, donated all their possessions, including their mobile phones and air conditioners. Videos of the procession show the couple atop a chariot dressed like royalty.

Additionally, a multi-millionaire diamond merchant and his wife in Gujarat also made a similar move, following in the footsteps of their 12-year-old son who adopted monkhood. Sumit Rathore, 35, and his wife Anamika, 34, left their daughter with her grandparents before making the decision to become monks. The Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had sought a report from the civil and police administration about the steps taken by the couple to secure the future of their daughter, who will now have no relation with her parents as monks.