{"id":27412,"date":"2024-10-07T22:57:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T04:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/?p=27412"},"modified":"2025-12-11T03:09:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T03:09:03","slug":"babaji-cave-in-himalayas-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/babaji-cave-in-himalayas-india\/","title":{"rendered":"My Visit to Babaji Cave in Himalayas: an amazing spiritual adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Visit to Babaji Cave in Himalayas: an amazing spiritual adventure<\/h1>\n

Written by Karen Maria Dabrowska<\/strong><\/p>\n

My trip experience to the Himalayas Mahavatar Babaji Cave in Himalayas. Make sure it is safe and comfortable. This Blog is based on our 1 week trip between Sep 28 \u2013 Oct 5, 2022. It has useful points to help you plan your trip<\/h5>\n

A visit to\u00a0 Mahavatar Babaji\u2019s cave made it possible for me to \u00a0\u00a0follow in the footsteps of Paramahansa Yogananda,<\/strong> the father of yoga in the West whose best selling book Autobiography of a Yogi<\/em> inspired me to visit India.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But the knowledge that is in the book stays in the book.<\/strong> As the famous medieval \u00a0explorer Ibn Battuta<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0said \u201cthe one who read is not like the one who saw<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

No amount of reading and study can provide the insights which come from spending time in the idyllic Indian countryside \u00a0where\u00a0 Babaji Cave in Himalayas ( the immortal master who resides in the Himalayas)\u00a0 revealed kriya yoga in a cave near Kukuchina village to Lahiri Mahasaya. Mahasaya passed it to his disciples among them Swami Sri Yukteswar who became Yogananda\u2019s guru.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Forest
Forest healing centre Ranikhet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yogananda talks about Ranikhet<\/strong> in his autobiography. Lahiri Mahasaya<\/a><\/strong>, a\u00a0 government accountant in the Military Engineering Department \u00a0was transferred to Ranikhet \u00a0in Almora district situated at\u00a0 the foot of Nanda Devi the second highest mountain in India. The transfer enabled him to met Babaji.<\/p>\n

The trip to Babaji\u2019s cave, expertly organised by Rishikesh Day Tour, included a day in Ranikhet\u00a0 with its witty signs by the side of the road \u2013 if you are married divorce speed.<\/strong> It is an area of pine forests with amazing shades of green. At night leopards often sit by the side of the road. Tigers do not venture out from the depths of the forest.<\/p>\n

Before visiting the cave a great taste of the forest and its wonders comes in\u00a0 Ranikhet\u2019s Forest Healing Centre, India\u2019s first such centre which covers 13 acres<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It is the place for forest\u00a0 meditation based on immersing oneself in silence and the ambience of the forest\u00a0 and differs from traditional meditation systems of controlling thoughts or concentrating the awareness on some particular point.<\/p>\n

Two other fascinating sites\u00a0 enroute to the cave are the Jhula Devi temple of bells<\/strong> and the Badinath group of temples in Dwarahat.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Jhula
Jhula Devi Temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jhula devi Temple<\/h4>\n

Jhula Devi \u00a0temple is dedicated\u00a0 to\u00a0 goddess\u00a0 Druga the protector of the valley<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0in which it is located. It is believed that who ever ties a bell on the temple wall is granted his\/her wish \u2013 in due course. Seeing thousands of bells reminded me of John Donne\u2019s meditation:<\/strong> \u201cAny man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Badinath
Badinath Group of temples Dwarahat near at Babaji Cave in Himalayas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dwarahat Town<\/h4>\n

Dwarahat<\/a> is famous for 55\u00a0 ancient temples<\/strong> constructed mainly by Katyuri kings who ruled over\u00a0 regions in Uttarakhand in India and western Nepal from 700 to 1200 CE<\/strong>. They are constructed of granite\u00a0 the local stone and instead of mortar iron clamps were used to tie adjoining blocks.<\/p>\n

Dwarahat<\/strong> has a number of comfortable hotels but for something really different I stayed in Joshi\u2019s Guest house in Kukuchina<\/a> village.<\/strong> The guest house with a general store by the side of the road and dormitories \u00a0and small bungalows\u00a0 up some not so safe steps is a place where time stands still.<\/p>\n

\"Guest
Guest house above the garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joshi Guest House<\/h4>\n

Joshi relaxed with a cup of tea and treated his guests as family members<\/strong>. When I asked him if he had\u00a0 hand sanitizer he replied with a mischievous endearing twinkle in his eye: \u201cI have everything \u2013 help yourself.\u201d and welcomed me to walk around the store.<\/p>\n

The houses\u00a0 opposite had large gardens and the cows were lovingly taken of\u00a0 care of. Men and boys relaxed on the bench across the road from the general store.<\/p>\n

There was a sign about busses but I never saw a bus. \u00a0Nobody was in a hurry.<\/strong> They seemed to enjoy every moment\u00a0 of the day where the coolish temperatures were very welcome. An old man whose face was forever young grabbed my case and carried it\u00a0 on his head.<\/p>\n

\"Shop
Shop Joshi guest house<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He gave me a padlock and key for my bungalow<\/strong> – calling it a hut seemed disrespectful even though it was\u00a0 quite small.\u00a0 There were\u00a0 three beds\u00a0 and about five power sockets. WhatsApp was possible but modern technology seemed\u00a0 an unwelcome intrusion into this rustic environment.<\/p>\n

Like the bungalow all the furniture was made of local wood which\u00a0 showed its age.\u00a0 It is here that I learned how to wash using a large bucket and a small jug. Hot water came from the boiler on wall which came to life with a red light at the flick of a switch.<\/p>\n

\"Joshi
Joshi Ji<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My Inspiration behind visit to Babaji cave<\/h4>\n

At \u00a0the end of the day\u00a0 the dark sky seemed to have its own mysterious colour. \u00a0Thought of the \u00a0time when I was sitting in my small room in West London reading about Babaji and thinking if Babaji appeared to me I couldn\u2019t handle the experience. Looking outside through window it was pitch black except for three lights.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two years later in the night sky outside the bungalow where I sat waiting for a delicious home cooked vegetarian dinner three lights appeared in the sky in exactly the same configuration as in West London. The saying there is no such thing as chance made more sense than ever.<\/p>\n

Breakfast was puha an interesting mixture made with\u00a0 flattened rice and vegetables cooked over an open fire in the garden below and served\u00a0 by a polite young man. Obviously I had curiosity value and we communicated \u2013 mainly through google translate.<\/p>\n

\"View
View from Joshi Guest house at Babaji Cave in Himalayas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Walking\u00a0 to Babaji cave<\/h4>\n

Started the walk to the cave at sunrise. The silence was deafening with only a few birds welcoming the morning with their songs<\/strong>. First there is a shortish walk along a gravel\u00a0 road which then became \u00a0a\u00a0 well worn track along which thousands of\u00a0 spiritual seekers have made a journey of self discovery. \u00a0At the beginning of the track were some modest\u00a0 houses and larger ones in the process of construction.<\/p>\n

Along the Track<\/h4>\n

The Yogoda Society of India has obligingly placed\u00a0 small benches along the track. \u00a0\u00a0I availed myself more than once of these seats, sipped \u00a0mineral water and ate energy\u00a0 giving chocolate biscuits. \u00a0\u00a0Along the way streams crossed the track which rose \u00a0steadily until the cave was reached. \u00a0Walking through this idyllic countryside it was easy to understand why the Hindus regard the Himalayas as a temple.<\/p>\n

\"Meditation
Meditation room Before Babaji Cave in Himalayas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before Cave<\/h4>\n

Before the cave was a large meditation hall \u00a0with \u00a0pictures of\u00a0 Yogananda, Lahri Mahasaya. Sri Yukteswar\u00a0 and Jesus Christ<\/strong>. It was such \u00a0a joy to see that the masters from different traditions are honoured and respected. That is the beauty of the Hindu religion \u2013 it embraces all. Around the meditation hall was a garden whose blooms felt \u00a0the love of those taking care of them.<\/p>\n

The Mahavatar Babaji Cave<\/h4>\n

The cave appeared about five minutes walk from the meditation hall. It was smaller than I imagined.\u00a0 Me and my guide were the only people in the area. The dream of seeing Babaji\u2019s cave had become a reality. Sat in the stone structure carved by nature\u00a0 looking out at the world which stretched out before me.<\/p>\n

There is so much to learn in life but the lessons learned\u00a0 from silence are a thousand times more valuable than the lessons which come through words.<\/p>\n

The message from nature<\/h4>\n

The message from nature, the voice of the trees and the silence was interrupted by the arrival of a number of truth seekers. They obviously wanted to experience the cave together so I sat on the large concrete steps outside. It was a joy to be in the cave alone for\u00a0 many precious moments where God was with me and all was right with the world. For a time I had fled to the questionless realm, the heaven of inner joy.<\/p>\n

Walk Back to<\/h4>\n

The 90 minute walk back to the guest house did not take as long as the walk to reach the cave. Stopped again at the meditation call to buy laminated pictures of Yogananda and his masters. Maniram my guide knew the people who lived at the end of the track and there was a hospitable cup of tea and a gift of peaches from the tree.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The water boiled in its own good time on the open fire. A dog barked as if its life depended on it. There were a lot of smiles and conversations in Hindi. Guessed they were talking about me as guide called me Mata ji and he repeated Mata ji many times.<\/p>\n

Meeting with Mr. Joshi<\/h4>\n

Joshi was welcoming on my return to the guest house. Bought \u00a0more mineral water and lay down in the bungalow. \u00a0The trek wore \u00a0me out and there was no way I could manage the walk up 400 steps to the nearby temple. After the long nap sat in the meditation hall in the guest house. The masters on the pictures were there with me sending me their energy and inspiration.<\/p>\n

Another simple, delicious dinner of rice, vegetables and chapatis was served. \u00a0The moon walked across the sky with its powerful energy telling me of world\u2019s far beyond this earth. \u201cBabaji tests you sometimes\u201d, Joshi said when I told him about the altitude sickness which was affecting me. He didn\u2019t answer when I asked him whether or not I had passed the test.<\/p>\n

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My Visit to Babaji Cave in Himalayas: an amazing spiritual adventure Written by Karen Maria Dabrowska My trip experience to the Himalayas Mahavatar Babaji Cave in Himalayas. Make sure it is safe and comfortable. This Blog is based on our 1 week trip between Sep 28 \u2013 Oct 5, 2022. It has useful points to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38954,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rishikesh-day-tour"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38955,"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27412\/revisions\/38955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rishikeshdaytour.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}