Haidakhan Babaji Temple, Ranikhet: History, Best Time To Visit

In northern India, the Haidakhan village is roughly 20 kilometers from Nainital (Uttarakhand). Babaji publicly taught from 1970 until his Mahsamdhi on 14 February 1984. The settlement is called after a medicinal herb known as hard/Harad (Terminalia Chebula), which is abundant in the area, and the term ‘Khan’ is a mispronunciation of the Hindi word ‘Khand,’ which means section/block/segment.

So, the community was initially known as Haridkhand (land block abounding Terminalia Chebula herbs), but the local pronunciation has changed with time, and the village is now officially known as Haidakhan. Shri Babaji was also known as Tryambak Baba, Bhole Baba, Shiva Baba, Muni Baba, Lama Baba, Maha Munindra, Munindra Bhawan, and other titles by his devotees.

In India, the Haidakhandi Samaj, which has ashrams in Haidakhan village and Chilliyanaula (Chilianola), offers communal living as well as the opportunity to promote Babaji’s message. The Haidakhan ashram, known as “Haidakhan Vishwa Mahadham,” provides free Ayurvedic consultations as well as dental services. The “Anandpuri Ashram” in Chilliyanaula provides free cataract surgery, ear, nose, and throat clinic, and dental treatments.

Babaji maintained that he was the same as the old Haidakhan Baba (also written Hariakhan or Heriakhan) who lived in the Haidakhan area between 1860 and 1922. When a few admirers asked him, “Is he the Mahavatar Babaji described in Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi?” he replied, “Yes, he is.” “Yes,” he said in response. The Self-Realization Fellowship, the organization created by Yogananda, appears to reject this allegation. “I am no one’s Guru, but I am the Guru of Gurus,” Babaji said, according to Gaura Devi.

Babaji would often begin his day at 3:00 a.m. with a bath, often in India’s frigid Gaula River, followed by meditation or a fire ceremony. He would see his devotees at about 5:00 a.m. for ceremonial Chandan (putting a sandalwood mark on the forehead), followed by morning Aarti (devotional singing) around 6:00 a.m. Then, until noon, everyone would be doing some kind of karma yoga.

The single meal of the day was provided at midday, followed by more karma yoga in the afternoon. Around midday, a more elaborate ceremony, such as the fire ritual havan, would be performed. Babaji would sometimes visit devotees in the afternoon for individual audiences, known as darshan.