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Neem Karoli Baba’s New Generation Drawn to Kainchi Dham
Neem Karoli Baba was an Indian spiritual teacher who died in 1973.
His main ashram is at Kainchi Dham in the hills of Uttarakhand.
Many people visit the shrine to pray and attend the evening aarti.
A popular new film about him has brought even more visitors.
Famous followers and visitors have also helped make him known around the world.
Shops and hotels near Kainchi are earning more because of the crowds.
His birthplace, Akbarpur, remembers him more as Lakshman Das, a family man who left home.
People there hope his growing popularity will bring better roads, tourism and public facilities.
The film Hanuman Ansh has renewed interest in Neem Karoli Baba and attracted visitors to Kainchi Dham.
Kainchi Dham reportedly received 24.34 lakh visitors in the first six months of 2026, compared with about eight lakh annually in previous years.
The Baba’s global influence grew through disciples including Ram Dass, Krishna Das and Larry Brilliant.
Celebrity visits, including those by Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma in 2022, further increased attention around the shrine.
While Kainchi benefits from tourism, Neem Karoli Baba’s birthplace Akbarpur faces property disputes and hopes for improved infrastructure.
- Who
- Neem Karoli Baba, his devotees, local residents, filmmakers and visitors including celebrities and international disciples.
- What
- Renewed public interest in Neem Karoli Baba is driving pilgrimages to Kainchi Dham and attention to his birthplace, Akbarpur.
- Where
- Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon hills, as well as Akbarpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district.
- When
- Interest intensified around 2015, grew after celebrity visits in 2022, and rose further after the release of Hanuman Ansh; the article cites visitor figures for the first six months of 2026.
- Why
- The renewed attention is linked to the film, celebrity associations, the Baba’s international disciples and continuing devotional interest.
Devotional and cultural view
Skeptical and local concerns
Meaning of the Baba’s legacy
Devotional and cultural view
Devotees regard Neem Karoli Baba as a powerful spiritual figure, with some followers considering him an incarnation of Lord Hanuman. Visitors describe prayer at Kainchi as bringing peace and blessings.
Skeptical and local concerns
In Akbarpur, some residents remember him as Lakshman Das, an ordinary householder and father who left his family, rather than primarily as a supernatural figure.
Impact of rising tourism
Devotional and cultural view
The film, celebrity visits and pilgrimage crowds have increased business for shops, hotels and other local traders around Kainchi Dham.
Skeptical and local concerns
The crowds have transformed the formerly quieter area, while Akbarpur continues to face a property dispute and hopes that promised tourism development will address roads, drainage and a roofless cremation ground.
Key facts
- Main shrine
- Kainchi Dham, about 20 km from Nainital in the Kumaon hills
- Baba’s death
- Neem Karoli Baba died in 1973
- Film
- Hanuman Ansh was made on a reported budget of Rs 2 crore and had grossed Rs 300 crore worldwide
- Visitor count
- Kainchi Dham reportedly received 24.34 lakh visitors in the first six months of 2026
- Major shrine date
- The Hanuman temple at Kainchi Dham was consecrated on June 15, 1964
- Celebrity visit
- Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma visited Kainchi Dham and Vrindavan with their daughter in 2022
- Birthplace
- The Baba was identified in devotional accounts as Lakshman Narayan Sharma, born in Akbarpur
Quotes
Vishesh Kaushik
A 26-year-old IIT Kanpur graduate and visitor to Kainchi
“The Kainchi we grew up in was a lot quieter, but after Virat Kohli and Anushka visited the shrine, the crowds wouldn’t stop coming. Since I was a child, June 15, the day Maharaj ji established the ashram here, has been celebrated as a festival. But now, Kainchi looks like there is a festival everyday.”
indianexpress.com
“The movie should have been made long ago. I believe spirituality is in every one of us; we need to find a way to access it.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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