Maduro's Spiritual Connection To India: Venezuela's Ousted President Was Devotee Of Sathya Sai Baba At Heart

Caracas: Venezuela's ousted President Nicolas Maduro, who has been imprisoned by the United States after American troops launched multiple airstrikes on his country on Saturday, has a deep spiritual connection with India. He was an ardent devotee of late Indian spiritual saint Sathya Sai Baba.

Despite being raised as a Catholic, Maduro revered Sathya Sai Baba and even had a portrait of him at Miraflores Palace, the official residence of the President in Caracas. The godman's portrait was among the pictures of Venezuelan revolutionary icons Simón Bolívar and Hugo Chávez in his office at the palace.

Maduro's devotion began long before he became the President of Venezuela. Maduro visited India to meet Sathya Sai Baba in Andhra Pradesh in 2005, when he was the Foreign Minister of Venezuela.

As per reports, the Baba was introduced to Maduro by his wife Cilia Flores, who is often called the ‘Iron Lady’ of the Venezuelan regime. The couple travelled to the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram in 2005. They were granted a private audience with the Baba along with their family members and delegation. Pictures from the visit show Maduro seated on the floor at the Baba’s feet.

Recalling the visit later in 2013, the Sathya Sai Central Trust had said, "When [Maduro] visited Prashanti Nilayam in 2005 along with the minister of education, Baba gave an audience to him and his family."

Notably, the first Sai centre of the Baba outside India was also established in Venezuela's Caracas in the 1970s. Following the demise of Sathya Sai Baba in 2011, Venezuelan had declared a day of national mourning. 

Just two months ago, Maduro remembered the Baba to mark his 100th birth anniversary on 23 November, 2025. Maduro released a statement, saying, “I always remember him when we met… May the wisdom of this great teacher continue to enlighten us.”

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