Hindu seer Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati controversially called upon Hindus to not consider Shirdi Sai Baba as a godly figure because he ate meat and worshipped Allah. Sai Baba was a 19th century spiritual master who emerged as a saint through the course of his life, with most of his devotees regarding him an incarnation of God.

While Saraswati agreed that every individual has the freedom to worship, he said Sai Baba trying to position himself as God is unacceptable to him.

“We accept only 5 gods. Anyone who positions himself as an addition isn't acceptable to us,” he said.

After Saraswati said that Hindus should not worship Sai Baba alongside other Hindu gods, a Sai Temple in Uttar Pradesh filed a petition at the state’s High Court, seeking an FIR against him. A similar case was filed against Saraswati in the Indian state of Rajasthan as well.

The Sai Baba of Shirdi is a widely popular saint who draws devotees from Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs and is a rare symbol of religious pluralism in India. In his lifetime, the saint himself refused to identify with any particular religion and stressed inter-religious harmony and unity. Millions of Indians perform a pilgrimage to Shirdi in the Indian state of Maharashtra to seek the saint’s blessings. 

Amidst the controversy, Saraswati has found support in the Naga seers, a group of people who believe in a deity that takes the form of a great snake, namely King Cobra, which is commonly associated with religions like Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. The Nagas have called the situation a religious war, saying if any authority insults Saraswati, they will protest on the streets. However, Saraswati went on record to clarify that he had not sought help from the Nagas.

“I haven't asked the Nagas to come and fight for me but if they want to then they should. This is a religious war (dharmayudh). We are okay with whatever idol they choose to worship. But if they place the idols of our Gods at the feet of Sai Baba, it is unacceptable to us,” he said.