The rites you described are rarely practiced outside of India and would be completely unknown to most new premies. So clearly for these people it is not the things you have defined as cult trappings that keep them coming back. Perhaps it is substance after all. After all, he has made a lot of effort over the years to redirect people away from the trappings and onto a real experience.

As I said, a “cult” is more defined by the follower than the leader. Mahatma Gandhi no doubt had people who wanted to be around and follow him, and they projected a cult status onto the man. But does that mean Gandhi was a cult leader? He had substance, and actually added value to the lives of many people, as does Maharaji.