Kainchi Dham

Getting there

• By air

  Pantnagar Airport (PGH) is the nearest airport to Kainchi.

• By train

  Kathgodam railway station is the nearest station.

• By road

  Kainchi is on the Nainital to Almora road, 9 km from Bhowali and 17 km from Nainital.

Why devotees come here

Kainchi Dham is a Hanuman temple and ashram in Nainital district, Uttarakhand. It is closely linked to the saint Neem Karoli Baba, who founded the ashram in 1964. It sits on the banks of the Shipra river, on the Nainital to Almora road.

Kainchi Dham is a Hanuman temple and an ashram built around the saint Neem Karoli Baba. Neem Karoli Baba set up the ashram in 1964 on land given by a local man, Purnanand. A life-size Hanuman idol was installed on 15 June 1964, and a Hanuman temple now stands in the complex.

The name Kainchi means scissors. It comes from the two sharp hairpin bends on the mountain road that leads to the site. The temple sits on a small mountain river, the Shipra, 9 km from Bhowali and 17 km from Nainital.

Neem Karoli Baba died in September 1973, and his ashes were placed at Kainchi Dham. The American psychologist Richard Alpert, later known as Ram Dass, travelled to India in 1967 and met him. Today the ashram draws pilgrims from India and abroad.

Festivals

• 15 June every yearKainchi Dham Mela

  A large fair that marks the temple's foundation day in 1964, with thousands of devotees.

Tips for your visit

• Visitors can join the morning aarti at first light.
• The ashram's langar, the community kitchen, welcomes visitors to share a meal.
• Snow View Point is a short, scenic drive away, with views of the Himalayan peaks.
• In June 2025 the Uttarakhand government said about 2.4 million devotees had visited in the preceding year.

Questions people ask