UP govt announces new spiritual circuit dedicated to Neem Karoli Baba

LUCKNOW: A day after meeting the cast and crew of Hanuman Ansh, a film based on the life and times of Neem Karoli Baba, the Uttar Pradesh government announced the launch of a new spiritual tourism circuit centred on the revered saint. The circuit will connect key places associated with his life and legacy.

The government also launched five special tour packages on the occasion of the revered saint’s ‘Mahasamadhi Diwas’, observed on Friday.

The Hanuman Ansh is a sleeper hit. The movie has earned a profit of 90 times its investment. Its team met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday.

Neem Karoli Baba was a Hindu spiritual preacher and devotee of Lord Hanuman. His birth name was Lakshman Narayan Sharma, and he was born around 1900 in Akbarpur village, Firozabad district in central Uttar Pradesh. He took ‘mahasamadhi’ on September 11, 1973, in Vrindavan.

With his teachings having influenced scores of followers, Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand remains the place most closely associated with him.

According to official sources, the ‘Neem Karoli Baba Circuit’ will connect his birthplace, Akbarpur village in Firozabad; his ashram in Neem Karoli village, known as Neem Karoli Baba Ashram Dham Temple in Farrukhabad; and the famous Hanuman Setu Temple in the state capital, Lucknow.

The saint practised meditation for about 12 years in an underground cave at the Neem Karoli ashram in Farrukhabad. The Samadhi Temple in Vrindavan, where he is believed to have attained ‘Mahasamadhi’ in September 1973, will also be included in the circuit.

Meanwhile, the UP State Tourism Development Corporation (UPSTDC) launched five special tour packages for Baba Neem Karoli devotees and tourists. The packages, covering two, three and five days, will operate from Delhi and Lucknow.

The Tourism Department source said Rs 12.93 crore has been allotted for the development of tourism facilities and infrastructure in memory of the saint in Firozabad and Farrukhabad districts as part of an ongoing project.

Under Phase 1, Rs 8.65 crore has already been spent on developing tourism facilities.

Additionally, more than 60 per cent of the Rs 2.22-crore Phase 2 project has been completed, with the remaining work expected to be finished by December.

UPSTDC has also planned to start a rural tourism project worth Rs 55.44 lakh in Akbarpur. A separate project worth Rs 1.51 crore for the development of the Neem Karoli Ashram in Farrukhabad has also been completed to further enhance the spiritual tourism experience for devotees.

The Additional Chief Secretary and Director General of Tourism, Amrit Abhijat, said the circuit will add an important new dimension to UP’s established spiritual tourism circuits. Connecting the major places associated with Baba Neem Karoli will make these destinations more accessible to devotees and tourists.