India Too Cold, Bhagwan Visits Nepal Disciples

A chilly Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh arrived today from New Delhi, saying he had come to see disciples who have been inviting him for many years.

Asked why he came to Katmandu now, Rajneesh told reporters that “it is too cold” in Manali, in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, where he had been staying since being deported from the United States in November.

Besides, he told reporters, “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

Rajneesh, 54, on his first visit to Nepal, said, “I will be here three weeks and will see everything worth seeing in Nepal.”

When one disciple cried, “Only three weeks?” Rajneesh replied, “As long as you wish.”

Denies Plan for Fiji

But he told reporters he had no intention of settling in Nepal, although Indians do not need visas to live in the adjoining Himalayan mountain kingdom. He said he planned to continue living in India for the near future and denied reports that he was looking for a home in Fiji in the South Pacific.

Rajneesh, who ran a controversial commune in Oregon for four years, left behind 90 Rolls-Royces and a small fleet of aircraft in his flight in search of a new haven.

A spokesman for the major hotel in Manali, India, said the bearded guru--who had booked 19 cottages until March--informed the management of his plans only minutes before his departure.

Indian newspapers reported today that the guru had left unpaid bills totaling $20,000 at the Manali hotel.

“He lives from moment to moment and we really don’t know where he would be going tomorrow,” one aide told reporters.