BHAGAT BHAGVĀN, recipient of one of the Bakhshishs or seats of the Udāsī sect, was a contemporary of Gurū Har Rāi (1630-61). His original name was Bhagvān Gir. Little is known about his early life except that, according to Udāsī sources, he was born in a Brāhmaṇ family at Bodh Gayā and that he was a Sannyāsī sādhū roving in search of spiritual solace. Having heard about Gurū Nānak, Bhagvān Gir came to Kīratpur to meet his living successor, Gurū Har Rāi, who initiated him a Sikh, renamed him Bhagat Bhagvān and bestowed upon him what is known in Udāsī parlance a bakhshīsh, i. e. blessing or authority to establish preaching centres for the spread of Sikhism. Bhagat Bhagvān preached in the eastern provinces and set up Udāsī ḍerās or monasteries at several places. His disciples and successors spread the teaching of Gurū Nānak widely in northern India, from Bihār to Sindh.