Nainital Lake
lake · 6.6 km away
temple43 min from Nainital
Kainchi Dham, Nainital
Kainchi Dham, the Hanuman temple and ashram of Neem Karoli Baba on the Almora road, 18 km from Nainital, founded in 1964 and busiest at the June fair.
What it is
Kainchi Dham is the ashram and Hanuman temple of Neem Karoli Baba, on the Nainital–Almora road beside the Shipra stream, about 18 km and 43 minutes by road from the hub point of Nainital on our routing. Wikipedia says he established it in 1964 on land given by a local resident, and that the Hanuman temple was consecrated on 15 June that year. After his death in September 1973 his ashes were installed here, and a statue of him was consecrated in 1976.
Photos: Nickk Bisht (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Getting there
By road the ashram is about 18 km and 43 minutes from the town on our routing, on the highway to Almora, and Wikipedia gives 17 km from Nainital and 9 km from Bhowali. Its name comes from two hairpin bends on that road. We have no verified bus timings, so a taxi with an agreed waiting time is the practical way.
The visit
The complex is a small cluster of temples and ashram buildings in a narrow forested valley, with a stony stream running beside it. It became known abroad through Western followers in the 1960s and 1970s, among them the American Richard Alpert, later called Ram Dass. Wikipedia says Steve Jobs travelled to India in 1974 to seek the guru, and that Mark Zuckerberg visited in 2008. The place is a working religious site, so dress modestly, keep quiet and ask before photographing.
Numbers have grown fast. Wikipedia reports about 2.4 million visitors in the year before June 2025, against around 800,000 in earlier years, and a large mela each 15 June for the foundation day.
When to go
Any dry month works; the fair is on 15 June each year. See when to visit Nainital.
Around it
Nainital Lake and the Naina Devi Temple are back in town. The one-day plan ends the day here, and the two-day plan includes it on the first.
Plans that include this
All 2 plans that stop here →
Day plan · First visitleisure
One day in Nainital — the lake, the Naina Devi Temple and Kainchi Dham
A one-day Nainital plan: the lake and its boats, the Naina Devi Temple on the north shore, then the Kainchi Dham ashram on the Almora road. Free to copy.
Best Mar–Jun · Oct–Nov
See the plan →
1 night · 2 days · First visitleisure
Two days in Nainital — the lakes, Kainchi Dham and Sattal
A two-day Nainital plan: the lake, the Naina Devi Temple and Kainchi Dham on day one, then Bhimtal Lake and the seven lakes of Sattal on day two. Free to copy.
Best Mar–Jun · Oct–Nov
See the plan →Nearby places
Questions people ask
What is Kainchi Dham?
A Hindu ashram and temple complex on the Nainital–Almora road, associated with the saint Neem Karoli Baba, who founded it in 1964. Its Hanuman temple was consecrated on 15 June 1964. It sits beside a small mountain river, the Shipra, in a forested valley, and Wikipedia says its name means scissors.
Why is it called Kainchi?
Kainchi means scissors in Hindi, and Wikipedia says the name comes from two sharp hairpin bends in the road to the ashram, which form a scissor shape. The annual Kainchi Dham Mela on 15 June marks the temple's foundation day, and thousands of devotees and pilgrims take part.
How crowded is it?
Increasingly. Wikipedia says visitor numbers were around 800,000 a year in earlier years and about 2.4 million in the year before June 2025, according to the Uttarakhand government. Expect crowds at weekends and on the 15 June fair, and ask in Nainital about timings and any limits on visitors.