Ma Anand Sheela (born Sheela Ambatal Patel, 28 December 1949) was Rajneesh's personal secretary from 1981 to 1985. On 10 July 1981, she purchased the Big Muddy Ranch to create the Rajneeshpuram, Oregon commune. She was the main manager and spokesperson. She carried a .357 Magnum handgun, and created a Rajneeshpuram police force armed with Uzi submachine guns and a Jeep-mounted .30-calibre machinegun. It was under Sheela's influence that Rajneesh decided to travel to the United States and begin an ashram there.