Neem Karoli Baba Ashram, Kainchi Dham Nainital, Uttarakhand, It is said that Neem Karoli Baba had a vision of God at the age of 17. He considered Bajrangbali as his guru and idol. Neem Karoli Baba built about 108 Hanuman temples during his lifetime. Kainchi Dham was established by Baba in the year 1964. Neem Karoli Baba did not touch his feet with anyone, any devotee who used to move forward to touch Baba’s feet, he used to stop him.
The real name of Baba Neem Karoli was Lakshminarayan Sharma.
The real name of Baba Neem Karoli was Lakshminarayan Sharma. He was born in Akbarpur village of Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. It is said that he was born around 1900. As a teenager, he left home and became a monk. He was doing meditation in Neem Karori village of Farrukhabad, when he had a direct vision of Hanumanji. Since then Baba’s name became Neem Karori Maharaj.
Baba is survived by two sons and a daughter
One of his ashrams is in Kainchi Nainital and the other is in Vrindavan. Kainchi Dham Temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. There is also a temple and prayer hall dedicated to Baba Neem Karoli in the premises. Baba Neem Karauli Maharaj has two sons and one daughter. Eldest son Anek Singh lives in Bhopal with his family, while junior son Dharam Narayan Sharma has been working as a ranger in the forest department. Girja Devi, daughter of Baba Neem Karori Maharaj, lives in Agra. Baba left his body in Vrindavan on 11 September 1973 after a long illness.
Actress Julia Roberts converted to Hinduism
Famous Hollywood actress Julia Roberts has also visited Baba Neem Karauli’s Dham in Nainital for peace of mind. In 2010, Julia had a deep faith in Hinduism. After which she also started going to Baba’s temple in Los Angeles. Apart from this, Larry Brilliant and his wife also have reverence for Baba Neem Karoli. Writer and technologist Larry Brilliant has also visited Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand.
Everyone from Steve Jobs to Julia Roberts is his devotee
Steve Jobs, the American business tycoon and owner of Apple Company, also had a deep reverence for Baba Neem Karoli. He had visited Baba’s Vrindavan ashram and Kainchi Dham. Apple CEO Steve Jobs visited India in 1973. After several failures, Jobs had made up his mind to retire. He had come to see Neem Karoli Baba, but Baba had passed away. It is said that Steve Jobs stayed in the ashram for a few days and did meditation and yoga. During this time he got the idea of Apple. Kainchi Dham had changed his thinking.
story of mark zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg while talking to Narendra Modi had mentioned that he is a great devotee of Baba Neem Karoli. He also came to stay in his ashram. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also went to the temple of Baba Neem Karoli in Nainital to pay obeisance. However, by then Baba had passed away. Mark was advised by Steve Jobs to go to Baba Neem Karoli’s ashram.
Many miraculous stories of Baba are popular
Many miraculous stories are prevalent about Baba Neem Karoli. Those who believe in him narrate many incidents. It is said that once there was a shortage of ghee in his store. Baba asked his devotees to bring water from Shipra river and put it in the pan and then he had converted it into ghee. A book has also been written about the miraculous incidents related to the life of Baba Neem Karoli, whose name is ‘Miracle of Love’.
Devotees of Baba Neem Karoli are not only in India but also in foreign countries. Actresses Julia Roberts, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are also among his devotees. All of them had reached Baba’s Kainchi Dham located in Nainital. But these three could never meet Baba Neem Karoli.
How to reach
Kainchi Dham is well connected with most of the important towns and cities of Uttarakhand. Getting there guide below provides detailed information about how to reach Kainchi Dham by Road, Train or Flight.
It is one of the most famous ashrams in our country. There are many followers of Kaninchi Maharaj who believe in his teachings. If you want to go through a spiritual journey, this place is a must visit.
Location: It is at a distance of 9 KM from Bhowali and 17 KM from the town of Nainital.
Highlights: The place was visited by tech legend Steve Jobs in his earlier days. He also advised Mark Zuckerberg to have a visit here. It is believed that the place enhances spiritual enlightenment of oneself and thus most of the people visit for the same reason. In the annual Bhandara held on June 15, more than 1 lakh people are fed at the place.
Best time to visit: You can visit the place during anytime of the year however, if you want to stay inside Kanchi Maharaj-ji’s ashram.
