Rancharda Temple Patotsav to Begin With Havan on August 23
Rancharda temple to mark second Patotsav with religious programmes on August 23
The Shri Sankat Mochan Mahavir Neem Karoli Baba Temple at Rancharda in Ahmedabad will hold its second Patotsav on Sunday, 23 August, with a day of religious programmes, including a havan, Sunderkand recitation, Ram Naam Kirtan, Maha Aarti and a bhandara.
The temple was consecrated on 23 August 2024. According to its founder, Dr Pravin Garg, the Patotsav is being organised to mark the second anniversary of the temple’s Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
The programme will begin at 3:30 pm with a havan. A Sunderkand Path is scheduled for 5:30 pm, followed by Ram Naam Kirtan at 7:15 pm. The Maha Aarti will take place at 7:30 pm, after which a bhandara will be held for devotees.
The Rancharda shrine has a distinctive place in the local religious landscape because the temple houses Lord Hanuman in a resting posture. The temple’s organisers describe it as the fourth temple in India where Hanuman is enshrined in this form. This claim is associated with the temple’s own description and could not be independently established through a national temple registry.
The resting form of Hanuman is uncommon in Hindu temple worship. One of the better-known examples is the Lete Hanuman temple in Prayagraj, where the deity is worshipped in a reclining position. The form is linked to a traditional account in which Hanuman rested near the Sangam. Other temples, including Bhadra Maruti in Maharashtra, are also known for depicting Hanuman in a reclining form.
The Rancharda temple is associated with Neem Karoli Baba, the 20th-century Hindu saint whose followers remember him as a devotee of Lord Hanuman. His original name was reported as Lakshman Narayan Sharma, and he was born around 1900 in Akbarpur in present-day Uttar Pradesh. He became widely known as Neem Karoli Baba, or Maharaj-ji.
His connection with Hanuman worship is central to the tradition surrounding his ashrams. Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand, the best-known centre associated with him, includes a Hanuman temple. The Kainchi Dham ashram says the site was developed in the 1960s and records Baba’s message to devotees as “Love All, Serve All, Feed All”.
The Government of India’s tourism portal also lists Kainchi Dham Ashram near Nainital as a spiritual destination associated with Neem Karoli Baba. The site attracts visitors who come to see the ashram and its Hanuman temple.
Neem Karoli Baba’s influence continued after he died in 1973. His name remains closely linked with Kainchi Dham, while temples and centres associated with his teachings have appeared in different parts of India. A dedicated Neem Karoli Baba ashram source records that construction of his temple at Kainchi Dham began in 1974, following his death the previous year.
For devotees in Ahmedabad and nearby areas, the Rancharda temple’s annual Patotsav provides a regular occasion for collective prayer and worship. The schedule this year places the main religious activities in the late afternoon and evening, allowing devotees to attend individual programmes or remain for the Maha Aarti and bhandara.
The temple’s first anniversary was also marked with religious activities in August 2025. A report published at the time said a two-day programme was held at Rancharda and included a continuous Ramcharitmanas recitation, along with other religious events. Dr Pravin Garg was identified as the founder of the temple.
The second Patotsav therefore comes two years after the Pran Pratishtha ceremony that established the shrine on 23 August 2024. For the temple and its devotees, the annual event has become a fixed date for religious gatherings at the Rancharda site.
The organisers have invited devotees to attend the programmes on Sunday. The day’s schedule will end with Maha Aarti at 7:30 pm and a bhandara, bringing the second Patotsav programme to a close.