Neem Karoli Baba

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Neem Karoli Baba
Neem Karoli Baba at Kainchi
Personal
Born
Lakshman Narayan Sharma

c. 1900[1]
Akbarpur village, North-Western Provinces, British India (present-day Firozabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died11 September 1973
Vrindavan, India
ReligionHinduism
SpouseRam Beti Sharma
ChildrenArvind Sharma[2]
Girija Devi
PhilosophyBhakti yoga
Religious career

Neem Karoli Baba (Hindi: नीम करौली बाबा, romanized: nīm karaulī bābā) also known as Neeb Karori Baba (Hindi: नीब करौरी बाबा, romanized: nīb karaurī bābā) and by his followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru and devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman. He was born "Laksman Narayan Sharma" around c. 1900 and died on 11 September 1973.[1][3][4]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Kainchi Dham ashram established by Neem Karoli Baba in 1964.

Lakshman Narayan Sharma[5] was born around 1900 in the village Akbarpur in the Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India, in a wealthy Brahmin family.[1] After being married by his parents at the age of 11, he left home to become a wandering sadhu (religious hermit).

Neem Karoli Baba, known at the time as Baba Lakshman Das (also spelled "Laxman Das"), left his home in c. 1911 and wandered through Northern India.[6] He later returned home, at his father's request, to live a settled married life. He fathered two sons Anek Singh and Dhrma Narayan Sharma and a daughter Girija.[2][7] During his life two main ashrams were built, at Kainchi and at Vrindavan.[1] The Kainchi Dham, where he stayed in the last decade of his life, was built in 1964 with a Hanuman ji temple.[8][9][10] In time, over 100 temples were constructed in his name.[1]

Neem Karoli Baba died at about 1:15 a.m. on 11 September 1973 in a hospital at Vrindavan, India,[11][12] after slipping into a diabetic coma. He had been returning by night train to Kainchi[13] near Nainital, from Agra where he had visited a heart specialist due to experiencing pains in his chest. He and his traveling companions had disembarked at Mathura railway station where he began convulsing and was taken to a hospital where he died.[14][15] His last words, repeated several times, were "Jaya Jagadish Hare" ("Hail to the Lord of the Universe").[16] His samadhi (shrine) was built in the complex of the Vrindavan ashram.

Legacy[edit | edit source]

After returning to the United States, Ram Dass and Larry Brilliant founded the Seva Foundation, an international health organization based in Berkeley, California.[17] In the late 2000s the 'Love Serve Remember Foundation' was established to promote the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba.[18] In 2024 his follower Rahul Verma founded the NKB Divine Meditation Foundation, offering free guided meditation sessions based on the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba.[19][20]

Each year on June 15, to commemorate the foundation day of Kainchi Dham in 1964, a large mela (fair) known as Kainchi Dham Mela, is organised, in which thousands of devotees and pilgrims take part.[21][22]

In popular culture[edit | edit source]

Films and documentaries[edit | edit source]

Windfall of Grace is a documentary film directed by Japna Tulsi about Neem Karoli Baba and his devotees. The film explores Baba's life and legacy through accounts by devotees, kirtan and visits to places associated with him.[23]

Moved by Grace is a documentary about devotees of Neem Karoli Baba and their experiences following their association with him. The film was released on 1 December 2022, the anniversary of Baba's birth.[24]

One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das is a 2012 documentary film about Krishna Das. It follows his journey to India in search of Neem Karoli Baba and his subsequent spiritual relationship with Baba.[25]

American Yogi is a documentary film directed by Steven Newmark and based on the life of Neem Karoli Baba. The film follows Newmark's journey and his efforts to present Indian spirituality to Western audiences.[26]

Brilliant Disguise: The Samadhi of K.C. Tewari is a 2022 documentary directed by David Silver about K.C. Tewari, a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba. The film follows Tewari's life and his association with Baba and Western spiritual seekers who travelled to India.[27]

Shree Baba Neeb Karori Maharaj is a 2026 Hindi-language biographical drama directed by Sharad Singh Thakur, with Subodh Bhave portraying Neem Karoli Baba. The film was released on 29 May 2026.[28][29]

Hanuman Ansh is a 2026 Hindi-language devotional drama written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi. The film is based on real-life incidents associated with Neem Karoli Baba and stars Shobhinaw Satyaa as Baba. It was released in theatres on 7 August 2026.[30]

References[edit | edit source]

Template:Duplicated citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "कौन थीं नीम करोली बाबा की पत्नी? संत बनने के बाद पत्नी का क्या हुआ? बाबा के जीवन का ये पहलू कर देगा हैरान". 3 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Swami Chidananda. "Baba Neem Karoli: A Wonder Mystic of Northern India". Divine Life Society. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "सुर्खियों में आया बाबा नीब करौरी का आश्रम". Dainik Bhaskar (in हिन्दी). 1 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  5. ↑ The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of New Age Religions. United States: Prometheus. 2004. p. 142.
  6. ↑ Ram Dass (1995). Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1-887474-00-5.
  7. ↑ नीम करौरी बाबा के पुत्र धर्म नारायण शर्मा ब्रह्मलीन, Jagran, 27 Apr 2021
  8. ↑ "Devotees throng Kainchi Dham fair". The Times of India. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "10 facts to know about Neem Karoli Baba". India TV News. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "One 'Mark' who stayed two nights". The Telegraph. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ "My mystical experience at Neem Karoli Baba's Kainchai Dham ashram!". www.speakingtree.in. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  12. ↑ Aymard, Orianne (2014). When a Goddess Dies: Worshipping Ma Anandamayi after Her Death. Oxford University Press. p. 257. ISBN 9780199368617.
  13. ↑ Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. p. 310. ISBN 0816075646.
  14. ↑ "The Divine Reality – Sri Baba Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj (Neem Karoli Baba) 9788190310505". dokumen.pub. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  15. ↑ Geraghty, Anne (2014). Death, the Last God: A Modern Book of the Dead. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78279-708-1.
  16. ↑ Ram Dass (1995). Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1-887474-00-5 [1]
  17. ↑ Anthony Imbimbo (2009). Steve Jobs: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple. Gareth Stevens. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-4339-0060-0.
  18. ↑ "Love Serve Remember Foundation - Ram Dass". Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "An ode to Neem Karoli Baba: Delhi gets a new meditation centre in Greater Kailash". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  20. ↑ "NKB Divine Meditation Foundation". Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  21. ↑ बेलवाल, ललित मोहन (14 June 2025). "कैंची धाम में किस दिन लगेगा भव्य मेला, नीम करोली बाबा के दर से कोई नहीं लौटता है खाली हाथ". Navbharat Times (in हिन्दी). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  22. ↑ Singh, Govind (5 June 2025). "Kainchi Dham Mela 2025: तैयारियां शुरू, 15 जून को उमड़ेगी भीड़; जाम से बचने को बनाया फुलप्रूफ प्‍लान". Jagran (in हिन्दी). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  23. ↑ "Windfall of Grace". Windfall of Grace. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Moved by Grace". Windfall of Grace. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das". Film at Lincoln Center. 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Adventure of an American Yogi: An Effort to take Indian Spiritualism to the West". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 29 November 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "Brilliant Disguise Film Page". Ram Dass. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Shree Baba Neeb Karori Maharaj". BookMyShow. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Subodh Bhave". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  30. ↑ "'Hanuman Ansh' review". Film Information. 7 August 2026. Retrieved 29 August 2026.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

  • Bhagavan Das (1997). It's Here Now (Are You?). Broadway. ISBN 0-7679-0009-X.
  • Hanuman Foundation (1980). Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Foundation.
  • Keshav Das, ed. (2011). Barefoot in the Heart: Remembering Neem Karoli Baba. Sensitive Skin Books. ISBN 978-0-9839271-2-9.
  • Krishna Das (2010). Chants of a Lifetime: Searching for a Heart of Gold. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4019-2022-7.
  • Markus, Parvati (October 1996). Love Everyone: The Transcendent Wisdom of Neem Karoli Baba and His Devotees. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1-887474-02-1.
  • Pande, Ravi Prakash (2015). Divine Reality: Shri Baba Neem Karoli Baba. HarperOne. ISBN 978-0062342997.
  • Mukerjee, Dada (2001). By His Grace: A Devotee's Story. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 0-9628878-7-0.
  • Mukerjee, Dada (2001). The Near and the Dear: Stories Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj. Shri Kainchi Hanuman Mandir Ashram.
  • Ram Dass (1971). Be Here Now. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-54305-2.
  • Ram Dass (1995). Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1887474005.
  • Ransom, Jai Ram (2014). It All Abides in Love: Maharaji Neem Karoli Baba. Taos Music and Art, Inc. ISBN 9780990718222.
  • Prasada, Jaya (2022). Sri Siddhi Ma The Story of Neem Karoli Baba's Spiritual Legacy. India Penguin. ISBN 9780143457831.

External links[edit | edit source]

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