SRINAGAR: A proposed four-day Tantra in Silence – A Journey Within retreat in Kashmir’s Gurez Valley has sparked political and religious controversy, with former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam demanding intervention. The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department and Bandipora district administration, however, have clarified that they have not granted permission for the event.
Advertised for September 24 to 27, the retreat is being promoted by the Rajneesh Tantra Temple, a spiritual wellness centre inspired by the neo-tantric and meditative teachings of Shree Rajneesh, popularly known as Osho. The promotional material names Swami Dhyan Sumit as the facilitator and describes the programme as a Himalayan spiritual experience featuring meditation, sound healing, conscious living, love, awareness and inner transformation.
The organisers have advertised a package costing Rs 11,995 per participant, including accommodation, food and retreat sessions, with a stay at a riverside camp in Gurez and transportation arrangements from Srinagar. Participants have been asked to wear white and maroon robes.
The promotional poster, which appeared on the organiser’s social media accounts on August 6, has since been widely circulated, drawing objections over the nature of the programme, its association with the Rajneesh movement and concerns about its compatibility with Kashmir’s religious and cultural ethos.
However, the controversy has also raised a fundamental administrative question: whether the advertised event can proceed when the authorities concerned say it has not been authorised.
Former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti flagged the proposed retreat on Saturday, urging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Jammu and Kashmir Police to intervene.
“A similar ‘Tantra’ retreat facilitated by Swami Dhyan Sumit, a self-styled godman promoting a new religion under the Shree Rajneesh Foundation, was cancelled in Goa last year after its obscene promotional material sparked widespread controversy, and Goa Police had to intervene,” Mufti wrote on X.
A poster is advertising a “Tantra Silence” retreat in Gurez Valley, Srinagar.
A similar “Tantra” retreat facilitated by Swami Dhyan Sumit, a self-styled godman promoting a new religion under the Shree Rajneesh Foundation, was cancelled in Goa last year after its obscene… pic.twitter.com/1cdGZlF5oo— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) September 19, 2026
“Gurez is no playground for experiments in the name of spirituality or tourism. I request @CM_JnK and @JmuKmrpolice to intervene immediately and take appropriate action,” she said, also appealing to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam to raise awareness about the issue.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq subsequently called for immediate intervention, questioning how such a programme could be allowed in Gurez when a similar event in Goa had been cancelled following public outrage.
“Kashmir is the land of Sufis and saints. Here spirituality is experienced, not marketed at a cost!” he said.
The concern raised by @MehboobaMufti deserves immediate attention! That this kind of program is being allowed in Gurez in Kashmir, when a similar programme by this organisation was cancelled by police in Goa, due to public outrage over its obscene promotional details, is…
— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) September 19, 2026
He added that tourism promotion could not become an excuse to undermine Kashmir’s religious, cultural and social ethos or ignore local values and sensibilities. Calling on the authorities to take note, he demanded that the proposed event be stopped.
Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam also opposed the retreat, describing Gurez as a “precious part of Kashmir’s heritage, not a laboratory for spiritual or commercial experiments”.
He said tourism and development must respect the region’s cultural character, local sensibilities and longstanding spiritual traditions.
“Tourism is welcome, but it cannot become a licence to introduce programmes whose character or promotional language may conflict with the Valley’s cultural and social ethos,” he said, seeking scrutiny of the organisers, programme content, permissions and public presentation of the retreat.
National Conference MLA from Gurez Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi also opposed the proposed programme, saying organisers had not sought permission and urging authorities to prevent it. He said tourism-related activities must take into account Gurez’s distinct social, cultural and religious character.
Amid the growing controversy, the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department and the Bandipora district administration issued clarifications distancing themselves from the proposed retreat.
The Assistant Director Tourism, Gulmarg, said his office had neither granted permission nor issued any authorisation for the event advertised through the social media handle “Tantra in Silence at Gurez”.
“This office has no information or official communication regarding the proposed event referred to in the said social media post. No application seeking permission for the event has been received or processed by this office,” the department said.
It further clarified that the proposed retreat had neither been approved nor authorised by the office and that it had no association with the organisation or conduct of the event.
The Bandipora district administration also declared the retreat unauthorised.
In a public advisory, the District Information Office said no permission had been granted for the programme and urged the public and tourists not to rely on or circulate unauthorised promotional claims regarding the event.
The clarifications have cast uncertainty over the proposed September 24-27 programme, which was being marketed as a packaged spiritual retreat with accommodation, meals and transport arrangements.
Gurez ‘Tantra Silence’ Retreat Unauthorised;
No permission has been granted to the said event by District Administration Bandipora. Public/tourists are advised not to rely on or share such unauthorised promotional claims@OfficeOfLGJandK @CM_JnK @indukanwal @ddnewsSrinagar— Information & PR, Bandipora (@dicbandipora) September 19, 2026
The authorities’ statements, however, specifically establish that the event has not been authorised by the concerned offices; they do not, by themselves, establish whether the organisers have formally withdrawn it or cancelled bookings.
The objections in Kashmir have brought renewed attention to a controversial retreat associated with Swami Dhyan Sumit in Goa in November 2025.
The event, titled Tales of Kamasutra and Christmas Celebration, had been advertised for December 25-28 under the banner of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Foundation. Its promotional material contained explicit sexual references, triggering objections from civil society groups, NGOs and members of the Catholic community, who argued that it projected Goa as a destination for sex tourism.
Goa Police took cognisance of the complaints and directed the organisers not to proceed with the event. They were also asked to remove the promotional material from social media.
The organisers subsequently announced the cancellation of the programme.
Dhyan Sumit, identified in media reports as the founder of the Osho Ludhiana Meditation Society, maintained that the proposed event was intended to be a Tantra-based meditation retreat and that its promotional presentation had conveyed the wrong impression. He also expressed regret over the controversy surrounding the publicity.
The Goa episode is central to the objections raised by Mehbooba Mufti and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in Kashmir. However, the Gurez retreat’s currently circulated promotional material describes a meditation and spiritual programme, and the controversy surrounding the earlier event does not, in itself, establish that the Gurez programme would have involved similar activities.
The controversy also draws attention to the legacy of Osho, whose teachings form the stated inspiration for the organising group.
Born Chandra Mohan Jain in 1931, Rajneesh rose from a philosophy lecturer in India to become an internationally known spiritual teacher. He established an ashram in Pune in the 1970s, attracting followers through his teachings on meditation, individual freedom, sexuality and the rejection of conventional religious and social norms.
The Rajneesh movement became particularly controversial for its approach to sexual liberation, relationships and emotional expression, which challenged prevailing ideas about marriage, morality and asceticism. Its international expansion culminated in the establishment of Rajneeshpuram, a commune in Oregon, United States, in the early 1980s.
The movement’s American chapter collapsed in 1985 amid criminal investigations involving senior commune officials, including a salmonella attack, wiretapping and attempted murder. Rajneesh himself faced US immigration charges, entered an Alford plea and left the country. He later returned to India, resumed activities at his Pune commune and adopted the name Osho. He died in 1990.
While the Rajneesh Tantra Temple describes itself as a specialised spiritual wellness centre inspired by Osho’s neo-tantric and meditative teachings, the organisation’s stated inspiration and the controversy surrounding earlier retreats have become major points of contention in Kashmir.
The controversy has emerged at a time when Gurez, a strategically located valley in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district near the Line of Control, is increasingly being promoted as a tourism destination.
Known for its distinctive cultural identity, mountain landscape and traditional way of life, Gurez has attracted growing interest from visitors seeking experiences beyond Kashmir’s established tourist circuits.
The proposed retreat has consequently triggered a wider debate over the nature of tourism activities being introduced in emerging destinations, the role of administrative permissions and the need to account for local cultural and religious sensibilities.
For now, the Tourism Department and Bandipora district administration have made clear that the advertised “Tantra in Silence” retreat has not been authorised by them. With political and religious leaders demanding that it be stopped, the programme faces mounting opposition ahead of its scheduled commencement on September 24.
The organisers’ next course of action, and whether the retreat will be withdrawn, remain unclear
