Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham is a Hanuman temple and ashram, established in 1964 by a great saint Neem Karoli Baba. Kainchi Dham, located on the Nainital-Almora road, about 38 km from Nainital, is very popular among the devotees of Neem Karoli Baba and Hanuman ji.
Situated at an altitude of 1400 meters above sea level, this temple is attached to an ashram dedicated to Shri Neem Karoli Baba Maharaj Ji and a Hanuman temple. It is situated between two hills crossing each other in the shape of a scissor, hence the name of the place is Kainchi Dham.
Every year on 15th June the Ashram celebrates Pratishtha Divas. On this day a large number of devotees and local people come to Kainchi Dham to receive the offerings, and special arrangements are made to control them. The rules are strictly enforced.
The people living in the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham are required to participate in the morning and evening aarti. Kainchi temple has special significance in the life of every devotee. Every day hundreds of people come here to visit the temple.
Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham
Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham is a pilgrimage center situated at the foothills of the lush green Kumaon Hills in Uttarakhand. Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham was established in 1964 by Neem Karoli Baba, Mr. Purnanand of Kainchi village built the Kainchi Dham temple to worship Lord Hanuman along with Neem Karoli Baba.
Pilgrims and tourists visit this place to seek blessings from Lord Hanuman, engage in bhajans and kirtans and immerse themselves in the spiritual atmosphere of this divine place. Apart from the temple, there is also a cave near the temple where Neem Karoli Baba used to worship and spend his time doing other religious activities.
Tourists can also visit this cave to offer their prayers as it has religious significance attached to it. The teachings of Neem Karoli Baba are still followed at Kainchi Dham, and the place become one of the popular religious places in India after visits by Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, and Mark Zuckerberg, chairman of Facebook. Steve Jobs the ex-CEO of Apple visited in the year 1973 and then in 2015 Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Facebook) visited the temple in the search of enlightenment.
About Neem Karoli Baba
Considered to be an incarnation of Lord Hanuman, he was a Hindu guru who was a devotee of Lord Hanuman and is famous for performing many miracles throughout his life. Baba was known for one of his sayings “feed everyone”. He always used to say that food is the priority and no work can be done efficiently without food in the body. Baba lived very simply and did not allow anyone to touch his feet.
It is said that once there was a shortage of ghee during Bhandara in Kainchi Dham. Baba said to bring water in a canister from the river flowing below. The water turned into ghee to make Prasad. According to another legend, Baba Neem Karauli Maharaj himself made a canopy of clouds to save his devotee from the scorching heat of summer and took him to his destination.
He has many other stories but once Baba was traveling in a first-class compartment. Baba did not have the ticket when he checked the ticket. After this Baba Karoli was dropped from the train at the next station. Baba sat next to him and pressed his stick into the ground beneath him. The train did not start from where Baba was dropped. Even after a lot of effort, when the train did not start, the local magistrate Baba asked the officials to apologize to Baba and bring him inside with respect. As soon as Baba sat on the train, the train started moving.
The real name of Neem Karoli Baba was Lakshminarayan Sharma. He was born in Akbarpur village in Uttar Pradesh. He attained enlightenment at the age of 17. Baba got married at the age of 11. Baba left his home in 1958. He traveled all over North India and came to be known as Laxman Das, Handi w Tikonia Wale Baba. When he was doing Vavaniya Morbi in Gujarat, he was known as Talaiya Baba.
Richard Alpert (Ramdas) wrote a book titled ‘Miracle of Love’ on Karoli Baba’s miracle, which mentions an incident called ‘Bulletproof Blanket’, which describes how Baba always wore a blanket.
He considered Lord Hanuman as his guru and idol. Neem Karoli Baba constructed and established around 108 Hanuman temples in many locations across India during his lifetime. Some of the temples he built are; Bavania Temple, Bhumiyadhar Temple, Hanumangarhi Temple (the first temple built by Maharaj ji), Kakrighat Temple, Panki Temple, Vrindavan Ashram, Veerapuram Ashram, Mehrauli Ashram.
Construction of Maharaj ji’s Temple at Kainchi
On September 10, 1973, Baba Ji attained his Maha Samadhi in Vrindavan. The urn(Kalash) containing his ashes is already established in Shri Kainchi Dham. With the cooperation of all his devotees, without any planning and design, the construction work of Baba Ji’s temple started in 1974. The recitation of Hanuman Chalisa and the singing of kirtans were the main features of the temple at the time of construction.
On 15 June 1976, the murti (idol) of Maharajji was installed and consecrated in the temple Bhagwat Saptah and Yagya, etc. The installation and consecration were completed before the ceremony.
Things To Do Around Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham
- Shop at the local market at Bhowali near Kainchi and Bhimtal. Bhowali is also known for its fruit juices, jams, and pickles.
- Take a tour of the Shyamkhet Tea Gardens, which are just a km away from Bhowali, the city center.
- About 14 km from Bhowali is a place called Ramgarh which is famous for its fruit orchards.
- Near the main temple, there is also a cave near the temple where Neem Karoli Baba used to worship and spend his time doing other religious activities.
- Tourists can also visit this cave to offer their prayers as it has religious significance attached to it.
Best Time to Visit Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham
The doors of Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham remain open for devotees throughout the year. The summers here are cool, making it a pleasant time for pilgrims and tourists. The winters here are extremely cold and beautiful as you get to experience the resplendent beauty of the snow-capped peaks and the comfort it brings in sub-zero temperatures. Ashrams do not allow people to stay during extreme cold.
Though monsoon can be a bit tricky due to jammed roads and heavy rains. But the place offers the most mesmerizing look with all the colors coming out in their purest natural form after being washed away by the rains.
Every year on 15th June a large number of devotees and local people come to Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham to get Prasad and participate in the fair as per the celebration of Pratishtha Diwas in the Ashram.
How To Reach
The nearest airport is Pantnagar Airport which is 71 km away from here. One can reach Kainchi Dham via NH 109 by hiring a taxi cab from the airport.
The nearest railhead is Kathgodam which is 37 km away from here, one can hire a shared or private taxi from the railway station. Buses always ply regularly between the two places.
One can reach it easily by taking a taxi or bus from Nainital to Almora. This place is located at Nainital – Almora road.
Nainital is well-connected by road, with buses and taxis easily accessible from major Uttarakhand destinations like Dehradun, Rishikesh, and Haridwar.
NOTE:- In this article, we cover all the important details regarding Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham like the best time to visit and Activities you can do in Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Kainchi Dham, Still If you have any other queries you can visit the gov official website of Uttarakhand Tourism. And If you want to know the best places to visit in Uttarakhand then visit our website uttarakhandeyes.com.