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PILGRIMAGE · RAJASTHANRamdevra
The samadhi shrine of Baba Ramdev (Ramdev Pir), a beloved folk deity revered across faiths in western India.
A folk saint revered across faiths
Ramdevra, also known as Runicha, is a small town in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, gathered around the samadhi of Baba Ramdev — Ramdev Pir — a fifteenth-century folk saint worshipped as a living god across western India.
Revered by Hindus and Muslims alike, who also call him Ramsha Pir, he is especially beloved among the people of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Sindh, honoured for his miracles and his stand against caste discrimination.
The town swells enormously during the Ramdevra fair around Bhadrapad, when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims — many walking on foot all the way from Gujarat — converge on the shrine. Yet its quiet, year-round devotion is just as much a part of its character.
Ramdev Pir’s standing rests on what he stood for: a Tanwar Rajput prince who championed the outcaste and the poor, whose recorded ‘parchas’ — miracles — were performed for the humblest petitioners, and whose closest companion Dali Bai, a Meghwal woman, is enshrined beside him. That social message made his cult the great devotion of western India’s marginalised communities, and the white cloth horses offered at the shrine recall the toy horse of his childhood legend. The saint’s songs — the Ramdevji bhajans — remain a living folk repertoire across Gujarat, Rajasthan and Sindh, carried by the very communities he defended.
The pilgrimage’s Gujarati bond shows on the road: in Bhadrapad the highways from Kutch and north Gujarat fill with walking sanghs, flags aloft, covering hundreds of kilometres to reach Runicha by the fair’s climax on Bhadrapad Beej. Ramdevra sits 12 kilometres from Pokhran on the Jaisalmer line, with trains from Gujarat serving the fair season; outside the mela the town is a quiet desert shrine where darshan takes minutes and the tank’s evening light is the day’s event.
Pilgrims throng the samadhi shrine of Baba Ramdev at Ramdevra.
Reasons to make the time
Revered across faiths
A saint worshipped by Hindus and Muslims alike.
The samadhi shrine
The ever-busy heart of the pilgrim town.
Ramdevra fair
One of Rajasthan's great annual pilgrim fairs.
Padyatra tradition
Devotees walk here on foot from far away.
Top sights in Ramdevra
Photos via Wikimedia Commons
How to spend an hour or two
Take darshan
Queue for darshan at the samadhi, built where Baba took living samadhi in 1385.
Offer at the shrine
Offer a cloth horse or tie a flag — the saint's traditional offerings.
Visit Ramsar Lake
Bathe or sit at Ramsarovar, the tank Baba is said to have dug.
See Parcha Bavadi
Visit Parcha Bavdi, the stepwell tied to his recorded miracles.
Time it to the fair
Come for the Bhadrapad mela if crowds are the point, not the obstacle.
When to go
October to March keeps the desert town comfortable for visits.
The Bhadrapad fair weeks bring vast crowds and long queues.
Summer's desert heat rules out the middle hours entirely.
🎪 The Ramdevra fair around Bhadrapad draws immense crowds — plan and book far ahead if you visit then.
Timings & entry
- The shrine opens early and stays busy through the day.
- Devotees offer flags, coconuts and prasad at the samadhi.
Getting there
By Air
Jodhpur and Jaisalmer are the nearest airports.
By Rail
Ramdevra has its own station on the Jodhpur–Jaisalmer line.
By Road
About 470 km from Ahmedabad; near Pokhran on the desert highway.
Know before you go
Ramdevra FAQ
Who is Baba Ramdev of Ramdevra?
A fifteenth-century folk saint, Ramdev Pir, revered across Hindu and Muslim communities of western India and enshrined at his samadhi in Ramdevra.
When is the Ramdevra fair?
Around Bhadrapad (August–September), when huge numbers of pilgrims gather, many arriving on foot.
How far is Ramdevra from Gujarat?
Roughly 470 km from Ahmedabad, reachable by road or by train to Ramdevra station via Jodhpur.
Why do Gujaratis visit Ramdevra?
Baba Ramdev is a hugely popular folk deity in Gujarat, and many undertake a padyatra on foot to his shrine.
What is the nearest big town?
Pokhran, about 12 km away, with Jaisalmer the nearest major city.
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Published 7 July 2026