Yogiraj Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal and Ashram, Vrindavan: A Complete Guide

Key facts at a glance

Yogiraj Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal and Ashram: an overview

On the far bank of the Yamuna at Vrindavan, in a quiet garden of old trees looking across the river to the temple town, lies the Samadhi Sthal and ashram of one of the most remarkable saints of modern India: Yogiraj Devraha Baba, revered as the ageless Yogi. For long years he lived atop a high wooden platform, a machan, beside the sacred rivers, first on the Sarayu in Deoria and then on the Yamuna here and from that platform he blessed all who came, the poorest villager and the highest in the land alike, by touching his foot to their head. He entered mahasamadhi in 1990 and his samadhi sthal is now a peaceful place of pilgrimage and remembrance. This guide gives his life, the mystery of his age, his yogic ways, the samadhi and ashram at Vrindavan and his tapobhumi at Deoria, the timings and how to reach; and if you are planning a mathura vrindavan tour package with Experience My India, this tranquil riverside shrine is a moving place to include.

Why visit the Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal:

• To pay respects at the resting place of the revered ageless Yogi, Devraha Baba

• For a peaceful garden ashram on the far bank of the Yamuna, away from the crowds

• For the lovely view across the river to the temples of Vrindavan

• To remember a saint who blessed rich and poor, villager and President, alike

• A quiet, reflective darshan for those who seek the saints of Braj

From the ground (Gurudutt): Devraha Baba's samadhi is a place I love to bring guests who want a calm, reflective hour and a beautiful view of the Yamuna. It is across the river, so few tourists come and that is its peace. I always tell my guests honestly that many wonderful things are said of Baba, above all of his great age, but that these are the beliefs of his devotees and were never proven; what is certain is that he touched countless lives with his blessing. Come with respect, sit in the garden and enjoy the quiet and the river. We hold his memory with reverence. See our Mathura Vrindavan tour Package  or message WhatsApp +91 7302265809.  

Who was Yogiraj Devraha Baba?

Devraha Baba was one of the most revered yogis of modern India; what is known and remembered of him can be gathered in a few points:

• A Siddha yogi and Vaishnava saint. He was a revered Siddha yogi of the Ramanandi Vaishnava tradition, honoured in the line of the great acharyas and known across India as the ageless Yogi.

• The platform by the river. For decades he lived atop a machan, a high wooden platform of logs, beside the sacred rivers, wearing very little and eating very little, absorbed in yoga and devotion.

• From Deoria to Vrindavan. In the first half of the twentieth century he lived at Mael in Deoria, on the banks of the Sarayu, where the local people gave him the name Devraha Baba; later he shifted to Vrindavan and lived on the bank of the Yamuna for the rest of his years.

• The blessing of his foot. From his platform he would bless those who came by placing his foot upon their head, a darshan sought by countless devotees.

• Beloved of all. Men and women of every class and creed came to him, from the poorest villager to Presidents and Prime Ministers of India, including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, who sought his blessing.

We recount his life as it is remembered by his devotees and in the accounts of his time, with reverence.

The mystery of his age

No part of Devraha Baba's story is more talked of than his age and here it is best to be honest. His devotees revered him as being of a very great age: some accounts speak of about 150 years, others of 250 and some devotees believed him to be several hundred years old, even that he had lived across many generations. Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, is said to have attested that Baba was at least very old, recalling that his own father had known him. Yet Baba himself never stated his age and none of these claims was ever confirmed or can be verified historically; they remain the cherished belief of his devotees rather than established fact. What is certain and needs no miracle, is that he was already revered as an ancient and holy presence through the whole of the twentieth century until his mahasamadhi in 1990. We set down the tradition faithfully, while being clear about what is known and what is not.

His yogic life and the platform

Devraha Baba was revered as a great yogi and his devotees attribute to him many yogic powers; these are recounted here as the beliefs held of him:

• Life on the machan. He lived atop a raised wooden platform, by tradition about twelve feet high, coming down rarely; it kept him apart, above the press of the crowd, in constant sadhana.

• A life of great austerity. He wore only the barest covering and ate very little, by many accounts living on little more than the water of the sacred river, in deep tapasya.

• The powers ascribed to him. His devotees revered him as a master of yoga and attributed to him such siddhis as remaining long under water and a mastery of the yogic mudras; such powers are held by his followers as signs of his attainment.

• A guide to all. Above his yoga, he was loved as a guide who gave blessing, counsel and comfort to everyone who came, asking nothing of their station or creed.

We present these as the beliefs and reverence of his devotees, recounted faithfully and without claim to establish them as fact.

The Samadhi Sthal and Ashram at Vrindavan

The Yogiraj Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal stands on the far bank of the Yamuna, opposite Vrindavan, at the ashram where Baba lived his last years and entered mahasamadhi on 19 June 1990. It is a serene, green place and what a visitor finds there includes:

• The samadhi shrine. The samadhi of Baba, where devotees come to bow and to remember him, tended by the ashram that continues in his name.

• The garden and the ancient tree. A peaceful garden with an old, spreading tree, a temple area and the holy name written about the walls, a lovely place to sit in quiet.

• The place he met people. The spot where Baba, from his platform, would meet and bless the streams of people who came to him, is cherished by his devotees.

• The view of the Yamuna. From the bank there are beautiful views across the Yamuna to the temples and ghats of Vrindavan, a large part of the peace of the place.

The ashram carries on his work of seva and remembrance, under the successors who followed him. The ghats and leela-sites of this stretch of the Yamuna are gathered in our braj yamuna ghats and leela sites guide.

The ashram at Deoria

Before Vrindavan, Devraha Baba's tapobhumi, the ground of his austerities, was at Mael, in the Deoria district of eastern Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the Sarayu river; it was there, near Chilma Bazar, that the local people first gave him the name Devraha Baba. An ashram of Baba stands at Deoria to this day, cherished as the place of his early years and revered by the devotees of that region. So the saint is honoured in two places, on the Sarayu at Deoria where his story began and on the Yamuna at Vrindavan where it came to its close. We recount this with reverence.

The Samadhi Sthal at a glance

In one line: The Yogiraj Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal is the riverside garden ashram across the Yamuna from Vrindavan, where the ageless Yogi rests, honoured also at his early ashram in Deoria.

Timings, entry and the best time to visit

The samadhi sthal and ashram, being an open shrine and garden, may be visited through the day; there is no entry fee and any offering is a free-will one. The cool months of October to March are the loveliest and the early morning or evening the most peaceful. The general hours of the Vrindavan temples are set out in our mathura vrindavan temple timings guide.

How to reach the Samadhi Sthal

The samadhi sthal is on the far bank of the Yamuna, opposite Vrindavan; the ways to reach it are given below.

In short, by each way:

• By road (best): from Vrindavan or Mathura a car, taxi or auto reaches the far bank of the Yamuna by the river bridge; the ashram is signed for Devraha Baba once across.

• By boat: when the river allows, some pilgrims cross by boat from the Vrindavan side, a lovely approach, then continue a short way on foot.

• Arriving in Vrindavan: Mathura Junction, about 15 to 18 km away, is the nearest railhead and Delhi the nearest airport; those coming by rail can see our tundla to vrindavan distance guide for the last leg.

Our how to commute in vrindavan guide covers getting around Vrindavan and the river crossings.

Places nearby, tips and how to plan

The samadhi sthal is reached from Vrindavan, so the great temples of the town are the natural companions to a visit; the nearby places at a glance:

In Vrindavan itself are the beloved banke bihari temple, the magnificent prem mandir vrindavan and the iskcon temple vrindavan; Mathura and the birthplace at the shri krishna janmabhoomi temple are a short drive on. So the samadhi sthal is easily woven into a Vrindavan visit.

Tips for your visit:

• Come in the calm of the early morning or evening for the best light on the Yamuna.

• Go with respect, as to any saint's samadhi; keep your voice low in the garden.

• Understand that Baba's great age and powers are the beliefs of his devotees, not proven facts.

• Entry is free; carry water and a little cash for any free-will offering and beware of touts.

• Pair it with a Vrindavan darshan day of Banke Bihari, Prem Mandir and the ghats.

Our mathura vrindavan tour itinerary helps you shape a Vrindavan day that can include the samadhi sthal.

We arrange guided Vrindavan tours that can include the Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal and the quieter sites across the Yamuna, with pick-up from Mathura or Vrindavan, a comfortable vehicle and a knowledgeable Braj-born guide to tell the saint's story on the spot. A shared day tour starts from around ₹1,499 per person, with darshan free at the temples; our vrindavan tour package covers Vrindavan in a day, our mathura vrindavan tour the twin cities, the braj 84 kos yatra the whole circuit and the agra mathura vrindavan tour package adds Agra and the Taj Mahal. Message me on WhatsApp at +91-7302265809 to plan your visit.

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