Rancharda Temple Marks Neem Karoli Baba Mahasamadhi Day
Neem Karoli Baba’s Mahasamadhi Day marked at Rancharda temple
The Mahasamadhi Day of Neem Karoli Baba was observed at the Shri Sankatmochan Hanuman Neem Karoli Maharaj Mandir in Rancharda on Friday, 11 September, with prayers, Hanuman Chalisa recitations and a community meal.
The day marks the anniversary of Baba’s death in 1973. Neem Karoli Baba, also known as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu saint and a devotee of Lord Hanuman. He died in Vrindavan on 11 September 1973. His followers continue to remember the date as his Mahasamadhi Day.
At the Rancharda temple, the programme began with floral tributes to Baba at 8 am. At 8.30 pm, devotees took part in 11 recitations of the Hanuman Chalisa. A Bhandara was held at the temple during the day, with a large number of devotees receiving prasad.
The programme also brought schoolchildren to the temple. Around 100 children visited the shrine, had darshan of Neem Karoli Baba and Lord Hanuman, and recited the Hanuman Chalisa.
The Rancharda temple was inaugurated on 23 August 2024. It has since held regular Sundarkand recitations on Sundays at 5.30 pm. A July 2026 report on the temple said the 100th Sundarkand Path was held on 19 July, marking nearly two years of the weekly programme.
The temple’s founder, Dr Pravin Garg, said the centre also follows the service-based teaching associated with Neem Karoli Baba: “Love All, Serve All, Feed All”.
As part of this work, three Ram Roti Seva Raths are used to distribute food prasad to about 500 people in need regularly. The temple also carries out other service activities.
Service to others is closely linked with the way Neem Karoli Baba is remembered by his followers. Organisations working in his name describe love, feeding people and selfless service as key parts of his teaching. The same approach can be seen in several groups and centres connected with his followers.
Neem Karoli Baba became widely known in India during his lifetime, while his influence later spread outside the country. One of his best-known followers was American spiritual teacher Ram Dass, who was born Richard Alpert and had been a Harvard psychology professor. Alpert travelled to India in 1967 and met Neem Karoli Baba. He later wrote Be Here Now, a book that introduced many Western readers to Indian spiritual practices.
Ram Dass’s accounts of his time with Baba helped carry stories about the saint to a much wider audience. The Love Serve Remember Foundation, which continues work related to the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass, records their meeting in India and the spiritual practices that followed.
Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand remains the best-known centre linked with Neem Karoli Baba. The ashram near Nainital was established in 1964 and became closely associated with the saint during the later years of his life. Today, thousands of devotees visit the site, including large numbers who attend the annual June Bhandara.
Accounts of Baba’s life also place strong importance on Hanuman devotion. Followers regard him as a great devotee of Lord Hanuman, while some devotees believe that he was an incarnation of Hanuman. These religious beliefs are part of the tradition surrounding his memory and are especially visible at temples dedicated to him.
His final days are also closely remembered by devotees. Historical accounts place his Mahasamadhi in Vrindavan on 11 September 1973. He had been travelling back towards Kainchi after visiting Agra and became seriously unwell during the journey. He was taken to hospital in Vrindavan, where he died in the early hours of 11 September. His samadhi shrine is located within the Vrindavan ashram complex.
For devotees at Rancharda, the annual observance therefore connects a local place of worship with a saint whose influence now extends well beyond the Himalayan region where he spent much of his later life.
The Mahasamadhi Day programme also showed how the Rancharda temple is combining regular religious activities with food distribution and community participation. The presence of about 100 schoolchildren added an educational and devotional part to the day’s programme.
The temple’s weekly Sundarkand readings, Hanuman Chalisa recitations and food service are now part of its regular activities. With these programmes continuing, the Rancharda shrine is becoming a place where devotees gather for worship and community service while following the teachings associated with Neem Karoli Baba.