NB: The Prem Rawat Foundation does not give huge sums of money to charity
Divine Light Mission did not develop an enormous following in America in the 1970s - a short term maximum of 20,000
Sutton & Croydon Guardian: SEVA Corporation of America leader wants bigger Kingswood helicopter pad
16th July 2009
Lord of the Universe wants a bigger helicopter pad
The Lord of the Universe wants a bigger helicopter landing area in Kingswood.
Prem Rawat, also known as Maharaji, and in the past referred to as the Lord of the Universe, heads a strange organisation which has a subsidiary company that owns a mansion in Mogador, Lower Kingswood.
Now the company, the Seva Corporation of America, wants to enlarge the helicopter landing area at the mansion, Swiss Cottage, for safety reasons and has applied to Reigate and Banstead Borough Council for planning permission.
The controversial Mr Rawat has a mansion and several parcels of land in California.
He also has the use of luxury houses and other property in Australia, Argentina, India and at other locations and lives a superstar lifestyle.
At just eight years of age he was hailed as a guru and now has millions of followers.
His foundation gives away huge sums each year to charities but the financial summary for 2007 says that 41 per cent of the revenue went to furthering his message of peace and inner happiness.
A former follower says that the present organisation is an offshoot of the Divine Light Mission which took off in India in the 1960s, developed an enormous following in America in the 1970s and promised salvation to followers.
It is now known as Élan Vital and has a tiny office in Hove although the main foundation is based in America.
A former follower who did unpaid work for it at the Kingswood House said: "At the time there were endless fundraising drives within Divine Light Mission, the registered charity that promoted his teachings, to purchase the property.
"Divine Light Mission was closed in 1995, and was replaced by a separate charity, Élan Vital."