Bankhandi

Bankhandi (1763 – 1863), commonly referred to as Baba Bankhandi Maharaj honorifically , also spelt Vankhandi, was an Udasi missionary and saint who founded Sadh Belo in 1823. Bankhandi was a missionary and preacher of the Mihanshahi sub-sect of the Udasis. Other sources claim he was born as Balchand Sharma, and was originally said to hail from either Nepal or Kero Khetar near Dehli.

He became an Udasi missionary and belonged to the Bakhshishāṅ subsect (specifically the Mihanshahi branch). He moved to a heavily forested island in Sukkur, Sindh on the Indus River called Menak Parbat in 1823 at the age of 15. He established a hut (kutiya) there on the mound. Bankhandi established places of worship for various Indic deities, such as Annuparna, Ganesha, Shiva, and Hanuman. He also constructed places where the Guru Granth Sahib was kept. It is believed that Bankhandi had been bestowed with a bowl (kamandalu) by the goddess Annapoorna that had divine properties. He is said to have died in 1863. A temple dedicated to him was constructed in 1899 by the eight successor (gaddi nashin), Sant Harnam Das. It remains a popular pilgrimage site today.