The Hanuman Garhi temple, built by the famous saint Neem Karoli Baba during the 1950s, is located at a height of 6,401 feet above sea level near Mall road, approximately 3.5 km from the Tallital in Nainital. This temple offers a view of the Tarai Valley and also of the mesmerising sunrise and the sunset. It takes 70 steps to reach the temple located uphill.
The Hanuman Garhi temple has an idol of Lord Hanuman which is huge in size. The big statue has a golden umbrella over the deity’s head, to whom the temple is dedicated and is believed by the locals to be protecting and guarding them. Hanuman ji is also considered to be the 11 th incarnation of Shiva in the KalYug.
Inside the shrine in the main complex there is an idol of Hanuman ji with his chest open and his heart having the images of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita. Inside the complex, the idols of other gods and goddesses are also installed, including the holy statues of Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna, Lord Rama and Sita, and also of Baba Neem Karoli Maharaj. The shrines of Mata Sheetla and Ashram of Lila Sah Bapu are also situated on the complex itself, on the other side of the hill.
According to the beliefs of the local people, before the construction of the Hanuman Garhi temple, this place was a dense forest and it had an earthen mound in the forest. On this mound where Baba Neem Karoli sat and chanted the name of Lord Ram (Ram Naam) here for a year which was later converted into an organised Kirtan by baba. It is also believed that all the trees present there started chanting along with baba in the Kirtan. A bhandara was done after the Kirtan was over but during its preparations there was a shortage of ghee required to cook the prasad. In a miraculous act, Baba put a canister of water in the pan and that water got converted into ghee. A temple of Hanuman Ji was constructed at this spot in the 1950s.
Considered as the incarnation of Lord Hanuman, he was a Hindu guru who was a devotee of Hanuman ji and is reputed to have performed many miracles throughout his life. Neem Karoli Baba has constructed and established around 108 Hanuman temples in many locations across India during his lifetime. Some of the temples he built are; Bavania Temple, Bhumiyadhar Temple, Hanumangarhi Temple (first temple built by maharaj ji), Kakrighat Temple, Panki Temple, Vrindavan Ashram, Veerapuram Ashram, Mehrauli Ashram.
Situated at an altitude of 6,401 feet the Hanumangarhi Mandir is located only 3.5 km away from Tallital (in Nainital). This temple is at a walking distance from the main lake town of Nainital. From here you can even hire an auto – rickshaw or a taxi to the temple.
Nainital itself is well connected to the major cities and towns of Uttarakhand by motorable roads on which buses and taxis can easily ply. Buses to Nainital are easily available from Delhi. You can also reach Nainital via Kathgodam (nearest railway station to Bhimtal is Kathgodam) and Bhimtal. Pantnagar Airport is the nearest one about 67 km away from Nainital. A taxi /cab can be hired from the airport to reach the Hanuman Garhi temple.
Like any other Hanuman temple, devotees flock to this temple to offer their prayers and it is mostly crowded on Saturdays and Tuesdays. The daily timings of the Hanuman Garhi temple are from 5 AM – 12 PM and 4 PM – 9 PM.
On Ram Navami and a few other important festivals a small fair is organised and celebrations take place in the temple complex.
On June 15 every year a large number of devotees and locals come to Kainchi Dham to get Prasad and attend a fair as per the celebrations of The Pratishtha Divas at the ashram.
Though Nainital can be visited anytime of the year, the winters here are extremely cold and beautiful as you get to experience the splendid beauty of snow-covered peaks, and the cosiness this offers, in temperatures below 0 degrees. There is always a chance that you will find snowfall during the months of November, December and January. The summers here are splendid, making it a pleasant for the tourists to visit during this time. Monsoon, however, can be a little tricky due to jammed roads and heavy downpour but offers the most mesmerising look of this place. Do not forget to check the weather forecast of this place if you plan to visit during monsoon.
A lot of other activities can be done around The Hanuman Garhi temple:
Uttarakhand is known as Devbhoomi and tourists and pilgrims get spiritual when they visit this state. While touring the Char Dham Yatra, one is advised to visit all the places of religious significance in the state. Very close to the popular lake city of Nainital is situated this Hanuman temple. It also lies very close to a railway station and the airport, making it easier for tourists and pilgrims to visit the place after concluding their Trip to Char Dham.
This place is very close to Kathgodam (the nearest railway station) and patnagar (the nearest airport), devotees touring Uttarakhand. The devotees of Neem Karoli Baba and Hanuman ji come from all over the world to visit this temple.
मुझे खुशी है कि हम इस मंदिर में दर्शन करने के सौभाग्य को प्राप्त कर सके । जयश्री राम जय बजरंग बली