Neem Karoli Baba

  Neem Karoli Baba

Neem Karoli Baba (c. 1900 – 11 September 1973), known to his followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru and a devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman. He is known outside India for being the spiritual master of a number of Americans who travelled to India in the 1960s and 70s, the most well-known being the spiritual teachers Ram Dass and Bhagavan Das, and the musicians Krishna Das and Jai Uttal. His ashrams are in Kainchi, Vrindavan, Rishikesh, Shimla, Neem Karoli village near Khimasepur in Farrukhabad, Bhumiadhar, Hanumangarhi, Delhi in India and in Taos, New Mexico, US.

 

Kainchi Dham

Kainchi Dham is a small place located 17 km from Nainital and 9 km from Bhowali. The town derives its name from a local Kumaoni word 'Kaichi' which means 'two sharp hairpin bends' that is seen on this Nainital-Almora road. 'Kainchi' means 'Scissors' in English and though some say that it has no relation to scissors whatsoever but one cannot deny that this town is actually situated between two hills that intersects and cross each other to form the shape of a scissor from where the name may have also originated.

Kainchi Dham attained its fame only after the Temples along with an Ashram were constructed converting this town into a modern pilgrimage centre founded by the famous Maharaj Neem Karoli Baba and is very well maintained and kept neat and clean. The concept of this place came into existence in 1942 when Maharaj Neem Karoli along with Shri Poornanand of the Kainchi Village proposed building an Ashram here dedicated to Sombari Maharaj and Sadhu Premi Baba who used to perform yagnas in this very place. Later in 1962, their dream materialised and the forest from this area was cleared and a rectangular platform was constructed. After due permission from the Forest Conservator, Maharaj Ji acquired the lease of this land and constructed a Temple devoted to Lord Hanuman over that rectangular platform and adjacent to it is the Kainchi Temple and an Ashram built for devotees. There is also a cave beside the temple where Baba Neem Karoli used to spend his time praying and is considered a sacred area.

The Temples of Kainchi receives so many devotees that the place becomes very crowded and the Ashram is filled to the brim. It has also become mandatory for authorities of the town to regulate the incoming traffic and at the same time ensure that the people are allowed ample space for movement and worshipping

Kainchi Dham

Kainchi Dham is a small place located 17 km from Nainital and 9 km from Bhowali. The town derives its name from a local Kumaoni word 'Kaichi' which means 'two sharp hairpin bends' that is seen on this Nainital-Almora road. 'Kainchi' means 'Scissors' in English and though some say that it has no relation to scissors whatsoever but one cannot deny that this town is actually situated between two hills that intersects and cross each other to form the shape of a scissor from where the name may have also originated.

Kainchi Dham attained its fame only after the Temples along with an Ashram were constructed converting this town into a modern pilgrimage centre founded by the famous Maharaj Neem Karoli Baba and is very well maintained and kept neat and clean. The concept of this place came into existence in 1942 when Maharaj Neem Karoli along with Shri Poornanand of the Kainchi Village proposed building an Ashram here dedicated to Sombari Maharaj and Sadhu Premi Baba who used to perform yagnas in this very place. Later in 1962, their dream materialised and the forest from this area was cleared and a rectangular platform was constructed. After due permission from the Forest Conservator, Maharaj Ji acquired the lease of this land and constructed a Temple devoted to Lord Hanuman over that rectangular platform and adjacent to it is the Kainchi Temple and an Ashram built for devotees. There is also a cave beside the temple where Baba Neem Karoli used to spend his time praying and is considered a sacred area.

The Temples of Kainchi receives so many devotees that the place becomes very crowded and the Ashram is filled to the brim. It has also become mandatory for authorities of the town to regulate the incoming traffic and at the same time ensure that the people are allowed ample space for movement and worshipping