The docu-series traces the hidden history of Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the spiritual movement he founded
THE secrets of a bizarre sex cult which carried out the largest bioterror attack in US history are being exposed in a new Netflix series.
'Wild Wild Country' traces the hidden history of Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the spiritual movement he founded in the 1980s.
In 1981, Rajneesh fled India following a row over his group's "sexual rituals" and led his followers - Rajneeshees - to the deserts of Oregon.
Teachings based around meditation, chanting and free love earned him a huge international following and a reputation as a sex guru.
Two thousand devoted followers joined their enigmatic leader in building a "utopian" city on a 64,000 acre plot in Wasco County.
The robe-wearing guru hit the headlines at the time for driving around his new complex his fleet of 93 Rolls-Royces.
He justified the luxury cars by saying they enabled him to ride in a "tranquility that compares with the peace by Buddah".
The guru quickly introduced "Drive-by Blessings", where followers would line the roads each day and shower the hoods of his fleet of cars with flowers.
After that it was back to work for most of his followers in the 41 commune businesses.
The “town’s” population swelled so did Rajneesh’s bank balance. His 5,000 followers lined his pockets with roughly 100 million dollars.
The new six-part documentary tells the bizarre story of what happened when things started to go wrong for “the Bhagwan” and his city.
It reveals the bitter rivalry between the cult and locals which would eventually lead to the deliberate poisoning of over 700 people with salmonella.
The series also reveals several alleged attempted murders, and claims of a plot to dump ground-up beaver carcasses in the local water supply.
Rajneesh's right-hand woman, Ma Anand Sheela, orchestrated the salmonella attack in which followers contaminated 10 local salad bars.
The attack was part of a bizarre bid by the cult to depress voter turnout which they believed would help them seize control of the local authorities.
In 1986, Sheela pleaded guilty to charges of "attempted murder and engineering a salmonella outbreak."
She was sentenced to 20 years in US federal prison but was paroled after just 39 months.
New interviews with Sheela, her accomplices and former cult members and are at the heart of "Wild Wild Country."
Bearded Rajneesh's core ideas took inspiration from both Hinduism and Buddhism with a lot of sex thrown in for good measure.
He firmly endorsed the idea that lots of sex - with lots of different people if needs be - was good for his followers.
Ex cult members say while marriages took place, partner-swapping was common within the group.
Bed hopping was seen as a pathway to spiritual freedom that liberated normally strait-laced Westerners.
The documentary's opening scenes show the group arriving in Oregon in their all-red outfits - many of them grinning vacantly.
Others play the flute and dust off the red carpet for Rajneesh to walk on when he steps out of one of his Rolls-Royces.
His wealth is clear to see on his wrist - where he sported a diamond-encrusted million dollar Rolex watch.
The commune dissolved after Rajneesh was deported from the US in 1985 for pleading guilty to violations of immigration law.
He moved back to India and died in 1990 at the age of 58.
