{{short description|Aghori ascetic born in Chandauli, India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}{{Use Indian English|date=October 2025}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2022}} {{more footnotes|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox religious biography | other_names = | image = | caption = | module = | san = | pli = | birth_name = | birth_date = | death_date = | birth_place = | death_place = | resting_place = | known_for = Founding [[Aghori]] sect of [[Shaivism]] | predecessor = | successor = | father = | mother = | spouse = | children = | nationality = Indian | religion = Hinduism }} {{Saivism}} '''Baba Keenaram''' was an [[Aghori]] [[Asceticism|ascetic]] born in [[Chandauli]], India.<ref name=Navbharat>{{cite news|title=Baba Keenaram: चंदौली में सीएम योगी बोले- बाबा कीनाराम की जन्मस्थली बनेगी पर्यटन केंद्र - cm yogi said in chandauli - baba keenaram's birthplace will become tourist spot|url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/uttar-pradesh/others/cm-yogi-said-in-chandauli-baba-keenarams-birthplace-will-become-tourist-spot/articleshow/70898298.cms|access-date=6 October 2019|work=Navbharat Times|date=29 August 2019|language=hi|archive-date=6 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006092110/https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/uttar-pradesh/others/cm-yogi-said-in-chandauli-baba-keenarams-birthplace-will-become-tourist-spot/articleshow/70898298.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> He is believed to be the originator of the Aghori sect of [[Shaivism]] by some sources.<ref name=Schliesinger>{{cite book |last1=Schliesinger |first1=Joachim |title=Traditional Cannibalism in Southeast Asia and Beyond |date=2017 |publisher=Booksmango |isbn=9781946765697 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8YIoDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Baba+Keenaram%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA101 |access-date=6 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=IBT2017>{{cite news|last=Roy|first=Ananya|title=Mystical or magical? Who are the Aghoris who feed on human brains and mate with corpses?|newspaper=[[International Business Times]]|date=11 March 2017|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mystical-magical-who-are-aghoris-who-feed-human-brains-mate-corpses-1611017|access-date=6 October 2019|archive-date=6 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006093334/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mystical-magical-who-are-aghoris-who-feed-human-brains-mate-corpses-1611017|url-status=live}}</ref> He was considered to be an incarnation of Lord [[Shiva]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}
==Early life== Aghoracharya Baba Keenaram was born on [[Chaturdashi]] in the month of [[Bhadra (Hindu calendar)|Bhadrapad]] in 1601 CE at Ramgarh village (now [[Chandauli]] of [[Uttar Pradesh]] state of [[India]]).<ref name=shriaghoreshwar>{{Cite web |url=https://www.shriaghoreshwar.org/en/shri-kina-ram-baba-2/ |title=Shri Kina Ram Baba |access-date=4 December 2022 |archive-date=4 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204121303/https://www.shriaghoreshwar.org/en/shri-kina-ram-baba-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After his birth, he neither cried nor suckled at his mother's breast for three days. After three days, three monks (who were believed to be manifestations of Lord Sadashiva—Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh) arrived and whispered some mantras into his ear. After that, the child began to cry for the first time. It is from that day onwards the [[Lolark Sasthi|Lolark Shashti festival]] is celebrated as Sanskar (Shashti, usually celebrated in the Hindu religion after five days of birth) of Maharaj Shree Baba Kinaram. With the blessing of [[Hinglaj Mata]] (Chief Goddess of Aghora) at the Lyari district of [[Balochistan]] (in present-day Pakistan), Keenaram started his spiritual journey with the message of social welfare and humanity. Baba Kaluram, known to be a ''Guru'' (spiritual teacher) awakened the consciousness of "Aghor" in Keenaram.
==Work== Keenaram established himself in the city of [[Varanasi]] for the service of the people and enlightened them with ancient wisdom. He has mentioned principles of Aghor in his books ''Viveksar'', ''Ramgita'', ''Ramrasal'' and ''Unmuniram''. The book ''Viveksar'' written by Baba Keenaram is said to be the most authentic treatise on the principles of Aghor. During his tour, Keenaram first stopped at the dwelling of "Grihast Saint", Shiva Das for a few days. Shiva Das observed Keenarm’s activities very minutely and was impressed by their extraordinary qualities, suspecting him to be an Avatar or a reincarnation. One day while on the way to bathe in the river [[Ganges]], Shiva Das handed over his entire belongings to the boy Keenaram and hid himself in nearby bushes. He observed that the river Ganges became very restless as the boy approached closer. The level of water started to rise and suddenly settled down only after touching Keenaram’s feet. Keenaram was known as the biggest saint of the Era of Aghor, a tradition also known as the Lord Shiva tradition.
==Baba Keenaram Sthal== {{main|Baba Keenaram Sthal}} [[File:Baba_Kinaram.jpg|thumb|[[Baba Keenaram Sthal|Baba Keenaram Temple]], located in [[Varanasi]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], India]] Keenaram was the first ''peethadheswar'' (founder) of [[Baba Keenaram Sthal]],<ref name="Cederberg">{{cite book |last1=Cederberg |first1=Aki |author-link=Aki Cederberg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v3goDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Baba+Keenaram%22+-wikipedia&pg=PT37 |title=Journeys in the Kali Yuga: A Pilgrimage from Esoteric India to Pagan Europe |date=2017 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781620556801 |access-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106234303/https://books.google.com/books?id=v3goDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Baba+Keenaram%22+-wikipedia&pg=PT37#v=snippet&q=%22Baba%20Keenaram%22%20-wikipedia&f=false |archive-date=6 January 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> the headquarters and pilgrimage site of Aghors across the world.
==Death and resting place== He is said to have lived for 170 years.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} His body is buried in a tomb, along with Goddess Hinglaj in a ''[[yantra]]'' (a mystical geometrical shape to represent the presence of goddess's form), at Baba Keenaram Sthal.
==Legacy== His birth anniversary is celebrated annually in [[Chandauli district]]. In 2019, [[Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh|Chief Minister]] [[Yogi Adityanath]] attended the ceremony and announced that Keenaram's birthplace would be developed by the government of [[Uttar Pradesh]] as a tourist place. Youth of chandauli know his legacy. Ramgarh is known as Baba Kinaram's place <ref name=Navbharat/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://aghorpeeth.org Aghorpeeth] * [http://www.sonomaashram.org Sonoma Ashram] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100924045437/http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/hindu/devot/aghoris.html Aghoris] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20101013001449/http://www.wiki.worldflicks.org/baba_kina_ram_sthal.html Baba Kina Ram Sthal] * [http://www.kashibanarasvaranasi.com/kinaram-baba Kinaram Baba] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130414063516/http://www.kashibanarasvaranasi.com/ Varanasi]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keenaram, Baba}} [[Category:1601 births]] [[Category:17th-century Hindu religious leaders]] [[Category:Year of death unknown]] [[Category:People from Chandauli]]