Haidakhan Babaji Ashram
Also known as Haidakhan Vishwa Mahadham, Haidakhan Babaji Temple, Bhole Baba Ashram Haidakhan, Hairakhan Ashram
Babaji appeared here in June 1970, a youth of about 18, in the cave at the foot of Kumaon Mount Kailash, and that September he sat on the mountain top for 45 days without food, water or sleep. He taught from Haidakhan until his mahasamadhi on 14 February 1984, and his samadhi is in the ashram. Around the cave he built nine temples on the bank of the Gautami Ganga - the complex called Haidakhan Dham - where the Haidakhandi Samaj keeps the aarti, the fields and guest rooms for pilgrims. His message was Truth, Simplicity and Love, with work as worship and the name of God, Om Namah Shivaya.
- Nine temples on the bank of the Gautami Ganga, the main one built by the old Haidakhan Baba
- Babaji's samadhi in the ashram, marked on Samadhi Diwas, 14 February
- The cave at the foot of Kumaon Mount Kailash where Babaji appeared in 1970
- Chhota Kailash, the peak Babaji sat on for 45 days, a short walk above the ashram
How to reach Haidakhan Babaji Ashram
- Kathgodam Railway StationNearest railway station34 km
- Haldwani Roadways Bus StationNearest bus stand42 km
- Pantnagar AirportNearest airport74 km
Travel facts come from the records of the properties listed near Haidakhan Babaji Ashram, OpenStreetMap and public travel sources - on hill roads allow more time than the distance suggests. Local taxis and autos run from the station and bus stand.
Location
Coordinates 29.24667, 79.65587
Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances on this page are straight-line, so a hilly or riverside road can be longer.
About Haidakhan Babaji Ashram
The old Haidakhan Baba
Babaji said he was the old Haidakhan Baba remembered in this valley between 1860 and 1922, called Kantopi Baba by the people here, and the one who raised the first temple. In 1971 he gave sworn testimony to that effect in the court at Haldwani and was granted the right to the ashrams at Kathgaria and Haidakhan. Travellers from Tibet recognised him as the Lama Baba of their own tradition, and most of the fourteen years of his manifestation were spent at Haidakhan.
The ashram today
Haidakhandi Samaj runs Haidakhan Dham: nine temples on the bank of the Gautami Ganga, aarti and satsang morning and evening, karma yoga through the day, and the green belt of fields Babaji had planted so the villages would have a livelihood. Medical and dental services serve the villages around it, and the Samaj runs a girl child project for education and marriage support from its office in Haldwani.
The Samaj's three ashrams
Haidakhandi Samaj keeps three ashrams. This one, Haidakhan Vishwa Mahadham at Haidakhan village in Nainital district, is the main dham. Ananda Puri Ashram at Chilianaula, below Ranikhet in Almora district, has a large temple with a view of the snow peaks, and runs free cataract surgery, an ENT clinic and dental care. The Manda ashram near Vapi in Gujarat, whose temple Babaji inaugurated in the Navratri of 1983, is home to the Samaj's cow shelter for old and stray cows, and keeps Maha Shivratri as its main festival.
Staying at the ashram
The ashram keeps guest rooms of its own: rooms with an attached washroom, rooms with a common washroom and a dormitory, with two satvik meals a day and the aartis included. Bedding, fan, geyser and a Western-style toilet are provided; towels and soap are not. Guests are expected at the morning and evening aarti, so men wear a dhoti-kurta or kurta-pyjama and women a saree or salwar suit. Check-in is at 10 am and check-out at 11 am, and alcohol, tobacco, smoking and intoxicants are not allowed on the premises.
Who comes, and when
Devotees come from across India and from Europe and America, where ashrams and centres dedicated to Babaji have been established since his years at Haidakhan. The ashram fills up for Prakatya Utsav, Samadhi Diwas and Maha Shivratri in February and for both Navratris; on ordinary days it is quiet, the aarti small and the valley green.
What is around Haidakhan Babaji Ashram
7 placesNearest first, with straight-line distances - a hilly or riverside road can be longer. Rows marked "from our listings" are distances reported by the properties listed here.
Temples & darshan 2
- Chhota Kailash Shiv Mandir 3.0 km
- Kainchi Dham 24.0 km
Worth seeing 1
- Chhota Kailash 3.0 km
Towns around 4
- Naukuchiatal 11.0 km
- Haldwani 13.0 km
- Bhimtal 14.0 km
- Nainital 24.0 km
Timings & best time
The day runs on Babaji's own rhythm: morning aarti early, karma yoga through the middle of the day, then the evening aarti with bhajan and satsang at dusk, and the samadhi is open for darshan. Visitors come through the day; confirm the day's programme at the ashram office.
March to June and September to November for the weather and the mountain views. The big days fall in February - Prakatya Utsav, Samadhi Diwas on 14 February and Maha Shivratri - along with Chaitra Navratri in March and Ashwin Navratri in October. The monsoon months are wet on the hill road and December and January are cold.
- Kathgodam and Haldwani, the nearest railheads, are about 35 to 42 km away by hill road - roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. Allow more in the monsoon.
- Rooms at the ashram are by reservation only, through the ashram office - up to three days ahead for Indian devotees and a month ahead for foreign devotees. Carry your own towel and soap.
- Guests are expected at the morning and evening aarti: men in a dhoti-kurta or kurta-pyjama, women in a saree or salwar suit, and footwear comes off at the temples.
- The February days, Prakatya Utsav, Samadhi Diwas and Maha Shivratri, and the two Navratris fill the ashram - reserve early if you plan to stay through them.
- Ask at the ashram office about the walk up to Chhota Kailash, the peak Babaji sat on for 45 days.
Stays near Haidakhan Babaji Ashram
1 listedNearest first - Haidakhan Babaji Ashram is 0.1 km away. Distances are each property's own record of how far it is from Haidakhan Babaji Ashram. Rates are on request with the property.
Questions about Haidakhan Babaji Ashram
Can I stay at Haidakhan Babaji Ashram?
What are the rules for guests at the ashram?
What is Haidakhan Vishwa Mahadham?
Are there places to stay near Haidakhan Babaji Ashram?
How do I reach Haidakhan Babaji Ashram?
What are the timings of Haidakhan Babaji Ashram?
Keep exploring
More spots in Nainital
Timings, distances and facilities come from the properties listed here, OpenStreetMap and public sources - no invented data. Something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.