Rishi-munis, sages-saints, hermits-ascetics and great souls do not need introduction. Their personality and performance leave a permanent impression on the society by itself and people are drawn towards them through their magnetic attraction.

Most probably, this might have been the reason why our hermits and saints never said or wrote anything about themselves. Self-praise is not a quality of saints. It is not a virtue at all. They remained so busy in seeking the subtle truth and benevolence that they were not even conscious of their own importance. The contact of the common people with them was limited to get their blessings and have "darshan". People remained busy in earning their livelihood and as such, the dates of birth and death anniversaries of most of those great souls were forgotten. But the saying, "By their fruits ye shall know them," applies to them and cherishes such great persons. For want of any record of their dates of birth, education etc., the statements of the aged, their preachings, popular acceptances and assumptions can only be considered its basis. It is enough for the curious to know the history of their life and work. We remember those great souls by turning the pages of that history based on inferences

Shri Guru Ram Rai Ji Maharaj left for his heavenly abode in 1687 and the work of the Darbar Sahib was then managed by Mata Punjab Kaur. In those days women were forbidden to occupy the seat (Gaddi) of a religious sect or a Mahant, hence she carried on the work with the help of an experienced assistant and devotee of the Darbar Sahib, Shri Aud Das Ji, and the chief employee, Shri Har Prasad Ji. Shri Aud Das Ji was declared as the first Shri Mahant. He had worked under the guidance of Shri Guru Ram Rai Ji and he had gained a lot of experience.

THE FIRST SHRI MAHANT AUD DAS JI
Shri Aud Das Ji is considered the first Shri Mahant of the Darbar Sahib. He served from 1687 to 1741. He did not get any formal education and had come in the service of Guru Maharaj at a very young age. It is also said of him that he was left with Guru Maharaj and Mata Punjab Kaur in his childhood. Some people say that he became the Mahant after the death of Mata Punjab Kaur. He went to Malwa region of the Punjab for preaching religion where he met Har Prasad Ji. The latter got so much impressed by Shri Aud Das Ji that he took Sanyas (adandoned the world) and became his disciple. Though Shri Aud Das Ji remained Mahant for 54 years yet he worked for 32 years under the guidance of Mata Punjab Kaur and after her death carried out the work with the assistance of Shri Har Prasad Ji. Shri Aud Das Ji was a gentle natured saint and utilized most of his time in adoration and worship. He remained a dedicated devotee and Shri Mahant. He preserved the tradition of Guru Maharaj and declared Shri Har Prasad Ji who had become the cardinal worker of the Darbar Sahib during the life time of Mata Punjab Kaur, as the future Shri Mahant.

THE SECOND SHRI MAHANT HAR PRASAD JI
Shri Har Prasad Ji was the Shri Mahant of Darbar Sahib from 1741 to 1766 (25 years). He belonged to Malwa in the Punjab and came to Dehradun due to the magnetism of Shri Mahant Aud Das Ji. He was influenced by both Shri Aud Das Ji and Mata Punjab Kaur. He got an opportunity to work with Mata Punjab Kaur as well as Shri Aud Das Ji. He was a bit literate although he did not have any formal education. The Darbar Sahib had very small income during his tenure. After the death of Aurangzeb, there was a change in the political scenario of the country and due to this change, no emperor extended any help or patronage to the Darbar Sahib thereafter. But the Maharajas of Garhwal continued their help as usual. Shri Har Prasad Ji chose Shri Har Sewak Ji as his successor.


THE THIRD SHRI MAHANT HAR SEWAK JI
Shri Har Sewak Ji was also known as Sewak Das but as a Mahant he was called Har Sewak. He also hailed from Malwa (Punjab) and came to Dehradun with a group of sadhus. He started living in the Darbar Sahib. He was initiated as disciple by Shri Har Prasad Ji. He remained Shri Mahant from 1766 to 1818(52 years). He got close proximity to his Guru and double of his tenure. His period was full of upheavals and difficulties. He was a wise and influential Mahant. During the last leg of his tenure, the decline and the fall of the Mughal empire and domination of the Britishers were changing the attitude of the society. Besides this, insecurity and disorder spread in Doon Valley and Garhwal due to the Gorkha War. The treaty of Singoli after the Gorkha War did bring normalcy but Garhwal was divided into two parts. The income of Darbar Sahib got reduced. The Maharaja of Garhwal, Sudarshan Shah, was now left only as the ruler of Tehri Garhwal. The territory across the river Alaknanda, the Ganga and Chandrabhaga had to be given to the British empire.

THE FOURTH SHRI MAHANT SWAROOP DAS JI
Shri Swaroop Das Ji was enthroned on the Gaddi in 1818 and remained Shri Mahant till 1842. He had been a friend and a colleague of his Guru. He was a resident of Saharanpur and might have come in the service of Darbar Sahib long back during the tenure of Shri Har Sewak Ji. He attended the conference of Udaseen sect in 1787 organised at Allahabad as a representative of the Darbar Sahib. The Udaseen Panchayati Akhara was established the same year in which the famous saint Preetam Das Ji made a notable contribution. He placed an orb made of the sacred ashes brought from the 'Dhun' of Baba Bankhandi, the worship of which became an essential part of the sect. The instance of choosing more than one disciple was put in to practice by shri Swaroop Das Ji. He nominated Shri Preetam Das Ji and Shri Bishab Das Ji as his two disciples but Pritam Das Ji became the fifth mahant.


THE FIFTH SHRI MAHANT PREETAM DAS JI
Shri Preetam Das Ji remained on the Gaddi from 1842 to 1854. It is presumed that he hailed from Saklana and belonged to Patwal community. He had a good command over Arabic and Hindi. He increased the property of Darbar Sahib and purchased two villages named Gujrada and Brahminwalla. He also ordained two disciples, Shri Narayan Das and Shri Dayal Das. His tenure being short, he did not get much opportunity to serve the Darbar Sahib because he left the Gaddi during his life time and installed Shri Narayan Das Ji as his successor. Shri Mahant Shri Preetarn Das Ji was a very intelligent and influential person. He procured the jackfruits of the tree planted by Shri Gum Ram Rai Ji in village Kandli and took it as 'prasad'. He dedicated himself completely to the service of Darbar Sahib. Like his Guru he had a very firm faith in God and the Darbar Sahib. He passed away in 1872.


THE SIXTH SHRI MAHANT NARAYAN DAS JI
Shri Narayan Das Ji was installed as Shri Mahant during the life time of his Guru Shri Mahant Preetam Das Ji and worked till 1885. He was the best amongst the most faithful persons to Shri Mahant Preetam Das Ji. He was also a Patwal from Saklana. He was very active in public life, which made him popular and built up his reputation. He was a devotee of Goddess Durga. The temple of Ambika Devi at Rajpur was constructed by him. He was also a worshipper of Surkanda Devi (on Mussoorie-Tehri road). He laid an idol of God Narsingmha on the western gate of Darbar Sahib. He had a deep faith in Hindu deities. He got many pictures of Hindu dieties depicted on the walls all over Darbar Sahib.


THE SEVENTH SHRI MAHANT PRAYAG DAS JI
Shri Prayag Das Ji was Shri Mahant from 1885 to 1896. He was a resident of the Jaunpur block in the erstwhile Tehri Garhwal State. He was a Kshatriya and belonged to a joint family. The area of Jaunpur did not produce rich crops like that of Rawain which was close to it. It is assumed that Shri Prayag Das Ji first came to Mussoorie and then in search of livelihood or he came to Dehradun.




THE EIGHTH SHRI MAHANT LAXMAN DAS JI
Shri Laxman Das Ji was enthroned on the Gaddi in 1896 and remained Shri Mahant till 1945. He was born in 1873 in village Kandkholi, Patti Sarjyula, in the erstwhile Tehri Garhwal State. He was known as Lachmi Prasad or Lachhu at home. He was a Beiwal Brahmin by caste. His father was a very poor Brahmin and all of his children except the last one passed away during their infancy. Filled with emotion, he named his last child of his old age as "Jogi" (the ascetic). He gave the child to his sister for upbringing. With the hope of keeping the child alive, he offered it reverently to "the speaking Badrinath" (the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal). Tehri State was very poor and the economic condition of its people was very pathetic. And as such the Belwal family was no exception at all. Some of its relatives lived in nearby village Pata and some in village Batkhem in Patti Makhlogi. He was brought up by his aunt (father's sister) as his mother had passed away during his childhood. His aunt could bring him up with a lot of difficulties putting in all her energy in the unirrigated fields of the hills. The boy Lachmi used to go to the banks of river Bhagirathi and bring fire -wood for an old Udaseen hermit. He also sang devotional songs with him. He also tended the cattle but after facing a lot of difficulties due to a life of destitution, he went to Maharaja Narendra Shah Bahadur for refuge. The Maharaja gave him the work of grazing the cattle and giving them grass. He was given food, clothes and perhaps a rupee or a half in return. At that time the salary of a deputy collector in Tehri State ranged between rupees ten to fifteen per month and a Patwari was paid rupees two to four only.

THE NINTH SHRI MAHANT INDIRESH CHARAN DASS JI
Illustrious personages and saints are born to awaken the common people, to create wisdom in them, to work for the welfare and peace of the society and to preach the absolute essence of a righteous life. This applies to the ninth Shri Mahant, late Shri Indiresh Charan Dass Ji, of Shri Guru Ram Rai Ji Maharaj. A man in the street may live only for himself and his family but a greatman or a saint like late Shri Mahant Indiresh Charan Dass Ji, is born for the upliftmen of the masses. Such genius and extraordinary personalities don't need any kind of publicity or advertisement at all. People get attracted towards them spontaneously. Their life is full of exceptional qualities.
Shri Mahant Indiresh Charan Dass Ji was born on the 14th November 19l9 in village Khamana, Patti Dhangu, District Garhwal, in a poverty-stricken family. He was the only son of Pandit Dayadhar Kukreti and Shrimati Maheshwari Devi. He was born after his two sisters. His parents named him Shridhar Prasad. He had also one younger sister.

THE TENTH SHRI MAHANT DEVENDRA DASS JI
Everyone cannot renounce the world, be free from the worldly attachment, be a stoic and an ascetic. It is only with God's grace that one is initiated to sainthood. Some of the saints attain spiritual enlightenment for self whereas others become the role model for the public welfare. It all depends on the virtues of the person concerned.
Who could have ever predicted that one day Shri Ansuya Prasad Bahuguna, son of Shri Sadanand Bahuguna born in Adibadri, District Chamoli, would decide to become the disciple of Shri Mahant Indiresh Charan Dass Ji and follow the rigid rules of asceticism in 1998-99. He had become a teacher after doing his M.Sc., B.Ed. Shri Bahuguna started to work as lecturer in Biology in Shri Guru Ram Rai Public School, Jhanakpuri in 1994. Then he became the hostel superintendent and in 1997 he was appointed as Principal.
On the 10th February, 2000 after breaking all his worldly relations, Shri Ansuya Prasad Bahuguna, became Shri Devendra Dass, disciple of Shri Indiresh Charan Dass. He started a newjourney of his life. On taking such great decisions, a commotion rises within and there is a conflict in the mind but after a firm determination, such a person does not look back. He moves ahead and his path becomes free from obstacles.