Overview

Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya is an Indian Hindu mystic and religious leader who lives in 19th-century Bengal. Gadadhar approaches his religious life through the path of devotion to the Goddess Kali, and by observance of various elements from Tantra, Vaishnav Bhakti, and Advaita Vedanta, as well as experiences with Christianity and Islam. After earnest practice of various religious traditions, he holds that the world's religions represented "so many paths to reach one and the same goal". His followers come to regard him as an avatara, or divine incarnation, as do some of the prominent Hindu scholars of his day.