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Kainchi Dham (Neem Karoli Baba Ashram)
At a distance of 17 km from Nainital and 8 km from Bhowali, Kainchi Dham is a religious pilgrimage center located at Kainchi on the Nainital - Almora Road in Uttarakhand. The word Kainchi means two sharp hairpin bends in a local dialect and hence the name. It is one of the well known temples of Uttarakhand state and one of the top places to visit in Nainital. Famous visitors of the temple from America include Apple founder Steve Jobs and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Kainchi is a beautiful secluded shrine and Ashram made by Sri Neem Karoli Baba The ashram is situated at an altitude of 1400 m. In 1962, Neem Karoli Baba built a platform around a place where two spiritual gurus Sadhu Premi Baba and Sombari Maharaj had performed Yagyas in Kainchi village. The Hanuman temple was later built over the platform thus establishing the Kainchi Ashram. The first temple of Lord Hanuman was inaugurated in June 15, 1964 by Neem Karoli Baba.

Baba Neem Karoli left his holy body on September 10, 1973 at Vrindavan city of Uttar pradesh. A temple for him was subsequently built at the Ashram. His statue was consecrated on 15th June 1976. Thousands of devotees from all around the country visit this place every year. Among the most well-known of Neem Karoli Baba's disciples are Sri Siddhi Ma, Ma Jaya, Ram Das, teacher/performer Bhagavan Das, Lama Surya Das and the musicians Jai Uttal and Krishna Das.

On 15th of June every year a bhandara is organized, which attracts large number of devotees to celebrate the anniversery of Kainchi Dham.

Story of Kainchi Dham Temple and Ashram
Situated in a valley at a height of 3,500 feet, Kainchi is surrounded by mountain ranges covered with forest. A river flows along its eastern and southern boundaries, which Baba named Uttar Vahini Ganga (the north-flowing Ganga). To the east of Kainchi, across the river, lies the Gargachal Range. In ancient times it was the place of Sage Garga’s asceticism. Since time immemorial Kainchi has attracted saints and enlightened souls. In the beginning of this century a famous siddha named Somvar Giri Baba spent time in a natural cave among the rocks. From 1950 to 1953 Kamlagiri, a saint from Punjab, lived here and organised the recitation of Shiv Purana (scripture of Lord Shiva) and Devi Bhagwat (scripture of Goddess Durga). Later Premi Baba lived in a cave in Kainchi. Baba came to Kainchi on 26 May 1962 with Tularam Sah and Sri Siddhi Ma. They were on their way to Shitlakhet from Bhumiadhar when Baba suddenly said, “Shyam Lal was a very good man.” He used “was” instead of “is” which caused great concern to Tularam Sah and Sri Ma because Shyam Lal was their son’s father-in-law. In Ranikhet, while staying at the house of Kundan Lal Sah, they received a telephone call saying that Shyam Lal had died of heart failure. Baba said that they should return to Nainital. On their way back Baba stopped the car at a desolate spot in the forest. Sri Ma escorted Maharaj-ji across the river and he sat on a rock, which is still within the ashram grounds and venerated by devotees today. Before Sri Ma left for Nainital, she asked what the place was called and was told Kainchi. Baba then went to the house of Purnanand Tewari, one of the few people living in Kainchi, and asked him, “Will you show me the havankund of Somvar Giri?” As soon as Tewari got ready to go, Baba changed his mind and postponed the visit until 4 a.m. the next morning. Tewari misunderstood and wondered if it was just an excuse to put off the visit. Baba repeated several times, “Am I a liar?” Tewari humbly begged his pardon. Baba left for Bhumiadhar on foot and returned the next morning at 4 a.m. Baba took his meal at Premi Baba’s hut and then crossed the river in the hot sun of May along with Purnanand, Premi Baba, and others. Tewari and his companions cleared the grass around the place where there was a havankund and showed it to Baba. Baba immediately ordered that a platform be built there and had four bags of cement sent from Bhumiadhar for this purpose. The murti of Hanuman was later installed on that place. While the platform was being built, a forest warden objected to its construction since the land officially belonged to the Department of Forestry, Uttar Pradesh. He confiscated the pickaxe, shovel, and other tools, but R.C. Soni, Chief Conservator of Forests, settled the dispute. He had the land measured and presented the case to the government. Later on Charan Singh, Minister of Forests, sanctioned the lease of the land for the ashram and came to Kainchi for Baba’s darshan. Baba blessed him saying, “Go, you will become the prime minister of India.” This was unthinkable at the time because of the political situation in the country, so Baba’s blessing was taken lightly. However, years later unexpected events occurred, and Baba’s blessing turned out to be true. Charan Singh did become prime minister. One day while sitting on a rock in Kainchi, Baba said to his devotees, “An ashram and temples will be built here and they will become known all over the world.” Eventually work began. Trees were cut and the undergrowth cleared. Land was made level wherever possible. Working only as per Baba’s instructions, buildings named Ram Kuti, Vishnu Kuti, Krishna Kuti, Radha Kuti, Krishna-Balaram Kuti, Shyam Kuti, and other buildings were constructed in sequence without any documented plan. Several temples, a dharamshala, and a simple kuti for Maharaj were also built. In the temple area the murti of Hanuman was installed first—on the platform over the havankund. On the day the murti of Hanuman was consecrated, Baba went into the temple in the evening and instructed someone to bring a bucketful of milk. He fed Hanuman all the milk with his own hands. In the two adjacent chambers, the murtis of Laxmi Narayan, Mother Parvati, Sri Ganesh , Sri Kartikeya , and the Shivling were consecrated. Opposite these temples, on the other side of the courtyard, Baba had a temple made for Goddess Durga. However, when the murti was brought through the main gate, it became so heavy that it could not be carried any further. Baba directed the workers  to place it in the nearby fourth chamber of the Laxmi Narayan temple block, which was used as a kirtan hall. Since Baba felt that the murti was too small for the new temple, it was kept in that chamber. It was not until 15 June 1974 that the murti, which he had named Vaishnavi Devi, was consecrated. Meanwhile a larger murti of the goddess was brought from Jaipur for the new temple across the courtyard and installed as Vindhyavasini Devi (goddess of the Vindhyachal hills) on 15 June 1973. The local people were worshippers of Shiva and Shakti, and the tradition of animal sacrifice was a dominant feature in the temples of goddesses in the hills. Baba, however, forbade this practice in his temples. Baba used to sit and meet devotees on the wooden bridge that the Forest Department had built over Uttar Vahini Ganga to go to the ashram. Baba’s devotee Shri Vaishya, General Manager of U.P. Transport, took the help of his friend Kishan Chand, Development Commissioner, to make a permanent concrete  bridge to the ashram. When Baba came to know of this, he said, “Kishan Chand does not have any faith in saints nor does he visit temples, so do not mention my name.” Baba’s words contained his inner power. Although this seva for Baba was against Kishan Chand’s thinking, he said, “Since Baba wishes, I shall issue orders for the construction of a permanent bridge there.”

In 1973, from the southern window of his room, Baba was seen looking intently at the place where some American devotees were sitting and chanting devotional songs. In a solemn tone he. said, “One more temple is still to be built.” He did not say whose temple it would be or where it would be built. The same year, after his Mahasamadhi, the kalash containing his ashes was brought to Kainchi Ashram and spontaneously put in that place. Later Sri Ma expressed her desire to have a temple built where the ashes were kept. The vibrant chanting of “Ram, Ram” accompanied the building of this beautiful marble temple. The murti of Maharaj was sculpted in Jaipur and consecrated on 15 June 1976 with great celebration. All the temples, including Baba’s, were consecrated on 15 June. The tradition of celebrating this day of consecration has therefore been observed since Baba’s time. For a month before the date, non-stop recitation of the scriptures and other devotional activities are performed. The festival ends with a huge bhandara. In addition to the day of consecration, the main festivals celebrated at Kainchi every year are Guru Purnima and Navaratra. Following story has been found in the book name Divine Reality authored by Ravi Prakash Pande.

Notable devotees

 * Former Prime minister Ch. Charan Singh
 * Former Prime minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru
 * Mr. Jugal Kishor Birla
 * Steve Jobs
 * Mark Zuckerberg
 * Julia Roberts
 * Anushka Sharma
 * Virat Kohli
 * Samantha Ruth Prabhu
 * Larry Brilliant
 * Krishna Das
 * Jai Uttal
 * Lama Surya Das
 * Ram Dass
 * Former chief Minister N.D Tiwari
 * Dada Sudhir Mukherjee

How to Reach Kainchi Dham
The Kainchi Dham ashram is located 18 km away in Bhowali area from Nainital city and is well connected by motorable roads. You can drive to the Kainchi Dham or hire a taxi cab to reach here.

Kathgodam is the nearest railway station for people traveling by train. Located 45 km away from the Kainchi Dham, one can hire a shared or private taxi from the railway station. There are also buses running between the two places.

For air travelers, Pantnagar airport is the nearest one, 76 km away. You can reach Kainchi Dham via NH 109 by hiring a taxi cab from the airport.

Best Time to visit Kainchi Dham
Kainchi Dham Temple welcomes its devotees during all times of the year. The summers here are a splendid one, making it a pleasant time for the visitors and devotees. The winters here are extremely beautiful as you get to experience the splendid beauty of snow-covered peaks,and the coziness this offers, in temperatures below 0 degrees.

Monsoon, however, can be a little tricky due to jammed roads and heavy downpour but offers the most mesmerizing look of this place with all colors coming out in their purest natural form after being washed by the rains.