In the hills near Nainital in Uttarakhand, amid pine forest by a mountain stream, stands Kainchi Dham, the beloved ashram and temple established by the revered twentieth-century saint Neem Karoli Baba — known to his devotees as Maharaj-ji — a master of boundless love and simplicity whose grace has drawn seekers from across the world. At its heart is a temple to Lord Hanuman, dear to the Baba, whose devotion he embodied.
Though the Baba left his body in 1973, his presence is felt keenly here by countless devotees, and the ashram's great annual bhandara in June draws vast crowds. Serene amid the Kumaon hills, Kainchi Dham is among the most cherished spiritual retreats of the Himalayas.
