Kainchi Dham
Also known as Kainchi Ashram, Neem Karoli Ashram, Neeb Karori Ashram, Shree Kainchi Hanuman Mandir
Kainchi Dham is a Hanuman temple and ashram complex in Kainchi village on the Nainital-Almora road, founded by Neem Karoli Baba in 1964 with Purnanand Tiwari of the village. The Hanuman murti was installed on 15 June 1964, the day the ashram still counts as its foundation, and the shrines were added one by one through the decade - Lakshmi Narayan, a Shivling with Parvati, Ganesh and Kartikeya, Vaishnavi Devi in the Kirtan Bhawan, and Vindhyavasini Devi. A 1974 notification vested the property with the Treasurer of Charitable Endowments, Uttar Pradesh, and a government-notified committee of management runs it through the Shri Kainchi Hanuman Mandir Trust.
- The Hanuman murti installed on 15 June 1964, the day the ashram counts as its foundation
- The Shila and the old sacrificial fire pit across the river Kshipra, where Somvari Baba meditated
- The Hanuman, Lakshmi Narayan, Shivling, Vaishnavi Devi and Vindhyavasini Devi shrines
- The 15 June mela, when thousands of devotees walk up the hill road
How to reach Kainchi Dham
- Kathgodam Railway StationNearest railway station37 km
- Nainital Bus StandNearest bus stand20 km
- Pantnagar AirportNearest airport75 km
Travel facts come from the records of the properties listed near Kainchi Dham, 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 29.42255, 79.51245
Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances on this page are straight-line, so a hilly or riverside road can be longer.
About Kainchi Dham
How Kainchi Dham began
On 25 May 1962, driving back to Nainital from Ranikhet with Shri Tularaam Sah and Shri Siddhi Ma, Neem Karoli Baba stopped at Kainchi village and asked for Purnanand Tiwari. Twenty years earlier, walking home from the Nainital court, Tiwari had met a blanket-wrapped sadhu at Khufia Daandh who told him to walk on without fear and that they would meet again after twenty years. Across the river Kshipra was a dense forest where the saint Somvari Baba had meditated and kept a sacrificial fire; Baba had it cleared, a platform raised over the fire pit, and that is the spot where the Hanuman statue stands today.
The temples, one by one
The Hanuman murti was installed on 15 June 1964, the day the ashram calls its foundation day. Then came the Lakshmi Narayan shrine, a Shivling with Ma Parvati, Shri Ganesh and Kartikeya, the Vaishnavi Devi temple in the Kirtan Bhawan, and on 15 June 1973 the consecration of Vindhyavasini Devi. South of the temples the Advaita Ashram was levelled out of forest and rock, with the cottages Vishnu Kuti, Krishna-Balaram Kuti and Govind Kuti. Baba said before the building began that an ashram and temples would come up here whose fame would spread worldwide.
The name on the bend
Kainchi means scissors in Hindi. The name comes from the two sharp hairpin bends in the hill road up to the ashram - together the bends look like a pair of scissors.
Who runs Kainchi
Kainchi Dham is not a private ashram. A 1974 notification vested the property with the Treasurer of Charitable Endowments, Uttar Pradesh, and it is administered by a government-notified Committee of Management through the Shri Kainchi Hanuman Mandir Trust. The trust states that it is the only body authorised for permits, bookings, stays, darshan and donations here - anyone else offering to arrange a stay or collect money for Kainchi is not authorised.
Why the world comes
Ram Dass, Krishna Das and Larry Brilliant first carried Kainchi's name abroad, and after widely reported visits by Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg the ashram became a stop on the Kumaon circuit for travellers from everywhere. Visitor numbers rose from around 800,000 a year to about 2.4 million in 2024.
What is around Kainchi Dham
16 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
- Jama Masjid, Nainital Mosque in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India 6.7 km
- Haidakhan Babaji Ashram 24.0 km
Worth seeing 3
- Nainital Lake Lake in Uttarakhand, India 6.6 km
- Sattal Group of fresh-water lakes in India, situated in the Lower Himalayan Range 8.5 km
- Bhimtal Lake Lake in Uttarakhand, India 9.9 km
Towns around 11
- Ramgarh, Uttarakhand Town in Uttarakhand, India 4.7 km
- Bhowali Town and municipal council in Nainital district, Uttarakhand, India 4.8 km
- Ghorakhal Town in Uttarakhand, India 4.9 km
- Nainital Town in Uttarakhand, India 6.6 km
- Pangot Village in Uttarakhand, India 8.3 km
- Barechhina Village in Uttarakhand, India 8.5 km
- Khairna Town in Uttarakhand, India 8.8 km
- Bhimtal Town and municipality in Uttarakhand, India 9.6 km
- Mukteshwar 14.0 km
Timings & best time
Darshan runs from early morning to after the evening aarti - roughly 6:00 am to 7:00-7:30 pm in summer (April to October) and 7:00 am to 6:00 pm in winter (November to March), with the morning aarti early and the evening aarti at dusk. Tuesdays run later for kirtan, and on 15 June, the foundation-day mela, the day moves with the crowds. The trust publishes no hours on its own site, so the times here follow devotee listings - confirm on the day you go.
March to June and September to November for the weather. 15 June, the foundation day, is the biggest day of the year at Kainchi and the roads are busy - go on a weekday morning for a quieter darshan. The monsoon months bring heavy rain and landslide delays on the hill roads, and winter mornings are cold but clear.
- Kainchi Dham is on the Nainital-Almora road, about 9 km from Bhowali and 17 km from Nainital by road; Kathgodam, the nearest railhead, is about 37 km away by hill road.
- The 15 June mela fills the valley - traffic is regulated and the walk from parking is long on that day.
- Only the Shri Kainchi Hanuman Mandir Trust is authorised for stays, darshan and donations at Kainchi; treat any other booking agent for the ashram with suspicion.
- The monsoon brings landslide delays on the Kumaon roads - allow extra time in July and August.
- It sits well on a Nainital drive: Bhowali, Nainital, Ghorakhal and the Hanuman Garhi temple are all close, and the Haidakhan Babaji ashram is about 24 km away in the next valley.
Stays near Kainchi Dham
Questions about Kainchi Dham
Where is Kainchi Dham?
Who founded Kainchi Dham?
Can I stay at Kainchi Dham?
What are Kainchi Dham's timings?
Why is Kainchi Dham famous?
Are there places to stay near Kainchi Dham?
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.