Papaji, also known as H.W.L. Poonja, is most closely associated with Lucknow in North India, which became the heart of his teaching life. In his later years, his home there served as the principal gathering place for seekers drawn to his Advaita Vedanta guidance. Satsangs in Lucknow formed the living context in which his presence and words were most widely encountered, especially by visitors from many parts of the world. Over time, this city came to be recognized as the central locus of his work, the place where his role as a teacher was most clearly and consistently expressed.

Earlier in his life, before settling in Lucknow, Papaji met and guided aspirants in various locations in northern India. Accounts speak of his presence in places such as Haridwar and Rishikesh, as well as other parts of the region, where he would meet people and offer informal spiritual guidance. These encounters, however, did not take the form of an established teaching center in the way that later developed around him in Lucknow. Thus, while his influence touched several sacred sites and cities, it was ultimately in Lucknow that his teaching found its most stable and enduring home.