Neem Karoli Baba

Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately called Maharaj-ji, was a wandering Hindu holy man and devotee of the monkey-god Hanumān whose origins are genuinely obscure: he is traditionally said to have been born around 1900 in the Agra–Firozabad region of Uttar Pradesh (the village of Akbarpur is named in some accounts), left home young, and lived for decades as a roving sādhu before settling into the network of ashrams associated with his name, above all Kainchi Dham, founded in 1964 in the hills near Nainital, and a base at Vrindavan. He left little doctrine; his influence flowed through presence, devotion to Hanumān, and acts of compassion recounted by his followers. In the West he became famous as the guru of Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), whose 1971 book 'Be Here Now' carried his memory to a wide audience, and of musicians such as Krishna Das. He died at Vrindavan in 1973. Because he left almost no written record and shunned biographical detail, much of his life — including his birth date and name — is uncertain, and many stories about him are devotional.