Yogiraj Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal and Ashram, Vrindavan: The Ageless Yogi's Seat, Story, Timings and Complete Guide

Key takeaways

• The Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal is across the Yamuna from Vrindavan, at his old bhajan place.

• Devraha Baba was a Siddha yogi, the ageless yogi, who lived atop a machan by the river.

• Devotees reckon his lifespan in centuries, from about 150 to 250 years or more.

• He guided all, from paupers to prime ministers and took mahasamadhi on 19 June 1990.

• The samadhi is reached by boat across the Yamuna or the short bridge near Vamsi Vat.

• There are Devraha Baba ashrams in Vrindavan and in Deoria; the samadhi is free to visit.

I am Gurudutt, born in Gokul in the Mathura district, guiding pilgrims through Braj since 2018, more than 50,000 of them. Across the Yamuna from the temples of Vrindavan, on the quiet far bank, there is a place that many pilgrims long to see: the Samadhi Sthal of Yogiraj Devraha Baba, the ageless yogi of the Yamuna. For long years Baba lived here atop his high wooden machan, a saint whose age no one knew, who blessed presidents and beggars alike with a touch of his foot and who left his body here in mahasamadhi. Here is everything for your visit, told by someone from this soil: who Baba was, the wonder of his life, his mahasamadhi and samadhi sthal, the ashrams in his name and how to reach the place. Add it to your trip with our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Package, message on WhatsApp at +91 7302265809, any day from 8 AM to 9 PM.

Who was Yogiraj Devraha Baba

Devraha Baba was one of the greatest yogis in the memory of India, a Siddha Mahayogi revered as the eleventh acharya in the lineage of Jagadguru Shri Ramanujacharya and a disciple of Brahmachari Ji Maharaj. His early life is wrapped in mystery, but he is said to have come from the Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, where he first lived atop a machan, a high platform of wooden logs, on the bank of the Sarayu near Mayil village, his first tapobhumi. It was from the local Bhojpuri name of that riverside that people came to call him Devraha Baba. In time he came to Braj and made his home on a machan on the bank of the Yamuna at Vrindavan for the rest of his years.

His way of life was itself a wonder. He lived always upon his raised wooden platform, wearing only a small deerskin, mostly unclothed behind a screen of planks, coming down only to bathe in the river. It is said that he never ate food at all, taking only the water of the holy river. Simple, silent and radiant, he became a magnet for the whole of India, a saint who belonged to no narrow circle of caste or creed but to everyone who came.

The ageless yogi: his age and his yoga

Devraha Baba is remembered above all as the ageless yogi. By the accounts of his devotees his lifespan ran to somewhere between 150 and 250 years or even more and an Allahabad High Court lawyer is said to have found that seven generations of his own family had come for Baba's darshan. Baba himself was beyond such reckoning; he had, the tradition says, mastered the khechari mudra, by which a yogi commands his senses and even the time of his own leaving of the body.

Many siddhis and wonders are told of him: that he could be present in two places at once, as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali describe; that he could remain underwater for long spells; that he walked upon water; that he read the minds of those before him and understood the speech of animals; and that he could heal a person by a look or a word and foretell what was to come. Whatever one makes of such tales, all who met him spoke of an overwhelming peace and love in his presence. He would bless a devotee by placing his foot gently upon the bowed head, a benediction thousands travelled far to receive.

A guide to paupers and presidents

Devraha Baba was a spiritual guide to everyone, from the poorest villager to the most powerful in the land and he stood above the narrow confines of caste and community. Village folk and great personages alike would wait for hours simply for a glimpse of him. Prime ministers and leaders came to him for blessings, among them Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi with Sonia Gandhi, who visited his ashram before the 1989 election and Buta Singh; and at the great Kumbh Melas his towering machan was famous, thronged by seekers of every kind. Yet to the humblest pilgrim he gave the same love and it is this that Braj remembers most.

The Mahasamadhi and the Samadhi Sthal

On 19 June 1990, on the bank of the Yamuna at Vrindavan, Devraha Baba left his body and entered mahasamadhi, having passed his knowledge and blessings to his disciples, among them Dev Das Ji, the Bade Maharaj and Ram Sevak Das Ji, the Chhote Maharaj; his line is carried on by successors including Sri Purushottamacharya Ji, Devdas Ji and Devraha Hans Baba. At the very place where his machan stood, on the far bank of the Yamuna opposite Vrindavan, his Samadhi Sthal and bhajan place now stand, a quiet shrine looking out over the river and the temple town beyond. It is reached from near the Vamsi Vat side of Vrindavan and to sit there by the water is to feel the deep peace the great yogi left behind.

The ashrams of Devraha Baba

Alongside the Samadhi Sthal across the Yamuna, which is the heart of his memory in Braj, there are ashrams that carry Devraha Baba's name and work. In Vrindavan town, a Devraha Baba Sewa Ashram stands near the Banke Bihari temple and the ISKCON temple, offering rooms, food and spiritual programmes to pilgrims. At his origin in Deoria district, the ashram at Mayil village on the bank of the Sarayu, his first tapobhumi, is a pilgrimage place in the east of the state and there are ashrams in his name in Lucknow and elsewhere. For the pilgrim to Braj, though, it is the Samadhi Sthal on the Yamuna that is the true goal.

What to see at the Samadhi Sthal

The Samadhi Sthal is a place of quiet rather than grandeur and it is felt more than toured. On a visit you will find:

• The samadhi: the shrine of Devraha Baba at his old bhajan place on the Yamuna bank.

• The bhajan sthal: the spot where his machan stood and where he did his years of tapasya.

• The Yamuna views: the wide, peaceful river and the far view of the temples of Vrindavan.

• The stillness: an air of calm that pilgrims come simply to sit in and absorb.

Being across the river and off the busy circuit, it is one of the most peaceful darshans near Vrindavan, best taken slowly.

Timings and darshan

The Samadhi Sthal is an open riverside shrine, so it may be visited throughout the day and there is no entry fee. As it lies across the Yamuna, the cool hours of the morning and evening are the loveliest for the crossing and the visit. The table gives the general pattern.

Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal timings. Approximate; verify on the day.

How to reach the Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal

The Samadhi Sthal lies on the far bank of the Yamuna, opposite the old town of Vrindavan, about 15 to 18 km from Mathura. There are two lovely ways to cross: by boat over the Yamuna from the Vrindavan ghats such as Kesi Ghat, or on foot by the short bridge and path that crosses from just outside Vamsi Vat. A private car with a guide can also take you around by road. The table sets out the ways.

Ways to reach the Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal. Boat or the Vamsi Vat bridge are the usual ways.

The nearest railhead is Mathura Junction, about 15 to 18 km away and the nearest major airport is Delhi, with Agra closer for some. Our Mathura Vrindavan Gokul Barsana map shows how these Yamuna-side places sit within Braj.

The Samadhi Sthal and nearby

The far bank of the Yamuna holds a string of quiet, beautiful places, so the Samadhi Sthal joins easily with them. Going on from the samadhi you come to Mansarovar, the Radharani lake of Radha's maan and to the forest of Belvan, where Lakshmi is said to do penance, while across the river lie the temples and ghats of Vrindavan town. The table gives the distances.

Distances from the Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal to nearby places. Approximate; verify on the day.

You will find these and the rest of the region in our places to visit in Mathura Vrindavan guide.

When to visit

The cool months of October to March are much the best for the visit and the river crossing and of the day the morning and the evening are the most peaceful. The most special day here is Baba's mahasamadhi day, the nineteenth of June, when devotees gather in his memory, along with Guru Purnima and the holy month of Kartik. You will find the calendar in our Braj festivals guide and the seasons in full in our best time to visit Mathura Vrindavan guide.

Tips for your visit

• Come early morning or late afternoon for the calmest crossing and darshan.

• Take the boat across the Yamuna for the beauty of it, or the bridge for ease.

• Wear modest clothing and easy footwear and carry water, as shops are few.

• Keep the quiet of this peaceful place of a great yogi's samadhi.

• Combine it with Mansarovar and Belvan on the same far-bank outing.

The honest bit

Honest words on the Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal, from one born in Braj. This is a simple riverside shrine, not a grand temple and its treasure is its peace and the memory of a great yogi; come with reverence, not for spectacle. Darshan is free and there is no ticket or VIP pass. It lies across the river, so agree any boat fare before you sit and choose the boat or the bridge by your comfort; in the monsoon the river runs high, so take local advice. If you wish to stay in Vrindavan, the Devraha Baba Sewa Ashram offers rooms and you can also see our Mathura Vrindavan hotels and our guide on where to stay in Vrindavan. Come with an open heart, sit a while by the Yamuna and feel the stillness the ageless yogi left here.

Why Experience My India is the right choice

I was born in Gokul in the Mathura district and the Yamuna and its far bank are part of my own home ground of Braj. Guiding since 2018, more than 50,000 pilgrims, 4.5 stars across 204 Google reviews, WhatsApp first, 8 AM to 9 PM daily. What a local brings to a visit to the Samadhi Sthal is the arranging of the boat or the bridge and the fair fare set in advance, the samadhi placed in the right order with the far-bank places, the true story of Devraha Baba told on the ground and honest guidance without touts or pressure. One clear fare and never a charge for free darshan.

Tip from Gurudutt: cross to the Samadhi Sthal in the soft light of the early morning, by boat if the season allows, when the Yamuna is calm and the far bank is quiet. Sit a while at the samadhi, look back across the river to the temples of Vrindavan and let the peace of the great yogi settle in you. Then walk on to Mansarovar and Belvan while you are on that side. Taken slowly, this far-bank pilgrimage is one of the most restful and moving near Vrindavan. It is a darshan I love to share with those who seek stillness.

Related guides

• Nidhivan and Seva Kunj, Vrindavan: timings, story and guide

• Gopeshwar Mahadev, Vrindavan: the Gopi-form Shiva, explained

• Radha Raman Temple, Vrindavan: timings, history and complete guide

• Radha Damodar Temple, Vrindavan: timings, history and complete guide

• Govind Dev Ji Temple, Vrindavan: timings, history and guide

Plan your visit to the Devraha Baba Samadhi Sthal

Tell me your dates and your group and I will build your visit to the Samadhi Sthal into your Vrindavan and Braj trip, the boat or the bridge arranged, the samadhi in the right order with the far-bank places, with a car and a guide born on this soil, for one clear price. Our three day Mathura Vrindavan pilgrimage tour takes in Vrindavan and the wider Braj and you can browse all our Mathura Vrindavan Tour Packages. WhatsApp +91 7302265809, any day 8 AM to 9 PM. Packages from Rs 1,999 per person, 4.5 stars from 204 Google reviews. Born in Gokul, Mathura.