Pilgrimage Sites
Meherabad/Meherazad, India; Ojai, CA;
Myrtle Beach, SC; Prague, OK; Queensland, AU
Avatar Meher Baba Trust
Post Bag 31
King's Road, Ahmednagar
Maharashtra 414 001
India
w: ambppct.org
PILGRIM RESERVATION OFFICE
+91-241-2548733
e: pimco@ambppct.org
Meherabad
Meherabad means "a flourishing land of mercy, kindness and fullness". In April, 1923, Meher Baba and a few of His disciples came along the road from Ahmednagar to Dhond. They rested and refreshed themselves with water from a well about six miles from Ahmednagar. This place eventually became Meherabad.
Meher Baba's ashram consists of a lower and an upper part, the latter being on a small hill. In between the two parts, runs a railway track. A furlong away is Arangaon, a small farming village.
In lower Meherabad there is a hall where Baba used to hold meetings and sahavas programs. A dispensary was built to which the poor from the neighbouring villages came for free treatment. A little beyond were the men's quarters. Next to Baba's room was a weather-bleached teakwood cage, so small that one could not stand up straight inside it. In this confined space Baba spent about a year from July, 1925, writing a book which He said was to be published only after He dropped His body.
In addition to the dispensary, a hospital, an ashram for boys, a leper asylum, a mast-home for the God-mad, a dharamshalla or free shelter for the migrant poor sprang up. Baba supervised the boys, lepers and masts and washed their clothes and cleaned their toilets. All these were run free and were open to people irrespective of their caste, creed or class. Water is brought from the well in lower Meherabad to upper Meherabad.
The Pilgrim Center, is in Lower Meherabad just across the road from Meher Baba's Samadhi.
Contact Information:
Pilgrim Reservation Office
Avatar Meher Baba Trust
King's Road, Post Bag 31
Ahmednagar 414 001 India
Phone/Fax: (+91) 241 2548733
Email: pimco@ambppct.org
Website: avatarmeherbabatrust.org
Meherazad
Meherazad now is the private residence of a number of Meher Baba's close disciples. It is open to visitors several days a week, for short time periods. Pilgrim's staying at the Meher Pilgrim Retreat in Meherabad can make visits by bus.
Meher Baba lived in Meherazad from 1944 until He dropped His body on the 31st of January, 1969. "Azad" means "free". Meherazad is situated nine miles from Ahmednagar near the village of Pimpalgaon at the foot of Tembi hill. Two cabins had been built on the hill, one on the summit and one on a ledge a little further down. Baba remained in seclusion in the upper cabin. Due to bad weather and great inconvenience, both the cabins were brought down and reassembled in Meherazad within forty eight hours.
The house which had originally been a rest house for engineers working on the nearby reservoir was where Meher Baba stayed first with the women Mandali. Another two-storied house was built later to which He and some women Mandali shifted. His room in which He dropped His body is a large simple one. This house stands in a beautiful garden with a variety of shrubs and shady trees. Giving colour to the whole are the wide-spreading Gulmohrs, which when in bloom are a concentrated mass of crimson.
The quarters for the men Mandali are rather primitive, consisting of a row of small rooms. Opposite Baba's two storied house is the four room old rest house in which some of Baba's Western lovers stayed when they visited Baba. In Meherazad there is also the body of the blue bus in which Baba had travelled all over India in 1938-1939. The bus was meant for sixteen but carried twenty six passengers plus untold luggage and so had to be prematurely retired. Now the bus body has been set on an improvised base for Baba to sit in during His seclusion. At present, the surgical bed on which Baba dropped His body has been placed in the blue bus.
Meherazad estate covers some five acres and forms an oasis which is an earthly paradise of beauty and colour. It is a place blessed most with the physical presence of Baba. By day intense but quiet activity continues from dawn to sunset, and at night peace of such profundity prevails that it surpasses all understanding.
Meher Baba's Tomb (Samadhi)
Known for many years simply as the "Dome", this small stone structure on Meherabad Hill contains Meher Baba's physical form. It began as a small hut erected over a pit where Baba spent a number of months in seclusion. He also sat in seclusion in a cavity outside the compound. It was dug at His behest in 1927. Surrounding it were four walls, a door and one window in the East side. The roof was made of tin sheets. In 1938 it was roofed over with a dome and is now Baba's Tomb. The inside of the Tomb has been decorated with lovely murals by Swiss artist Helen Dahm. At each of the four corners of the domed roof is a symbol of a great world religion -- a cross for Christianity, a crescent for Islam, a flame for Zoroastrianism, and a temple for Hinduism. This snow-white building bears the inscription over the door, "Mastery in Servitude."
The main building on the hill was originally a unused stone water tank, 40' x 20' x 15' built by the British army during the 1st World War. Two doors and windows were added later, and it became a center for training Baba's women devotees in strict seclusion. In the early period before this, Baba used to descend to the dark floor of the tank for seclusion through one of the windows by means of metal rings set in the wall.
Baba had once said, "The major portion of my Universal work was done on this hill (Meherabad hill). I have selected this spot for my last resting place; when I drop the body, it shall rest here in my Tomb. I have fasted here for six months. I used to lie down here in the crypt taking only water and coffee. After I drop my body the physical remains will rest here, and this hill will become an important place of pilgrimage of the world. After 70 years this place will be a place of great privilege and pilgrimage. A big township will grow around here."
The Tomb is open for darshan from 7:00 am until 7:45 pm. Meher Baba's prayers are recited and His arti is sung each day at 7:00 am and 7:00 pm. Visitors are asked to maintain silence in and around the Tomb.
A library and a museum with Baba memorabilia has been installed in the old water tank. There is also a small theatre on the hill where Baba's Birthday is celebrated each year with a play and entertainment. All pilgrims are welcome to visit Meher Baba's Samadhi and the surrounding sites on the hill. For pilgrims who would like to stay nearby, the Meher Pilgrim Retreat is available with food and lodging for a small sum.
You may contact the Trust Office in Ahmednagar for more information on making a reservation.
Meher Mount
MEHER MOUNT
9902 Sulphur Mountain Road
Ojai, CA 93023
U.S.A.
+1 (805) 640-0000
e: info@mehermount.org
w: www.mehermount.org
Meher Mount is a 170 acre, semi-wilderness area near Ojai, CA. At 2,600 feet above the Pacific Ocean it has a magnificent 360 degree view, including the nearby peak of the Topa Topa mountain range, the Channel Islands, Los Padres National Forest, and the Ojai Valley. After Meher Baba asked His lovers in the West to find a spot for a center two hours from a major city, Jean Adriel with Agnes Baron and several other followers discovered the property and purchased it in 1946.
Meher Mount is now a non-profit corporation dedicated to Avatar Meher Baba and open to everyone as a universal spiritual center. It is a place of beauty and refuge. And it is a place for work, meditation, and losing oneself in service. Most of all, it's a place where the Avatar of the Age walked, and it carries a special feeling and significance because of His presence.
Meher Spiritual Center
MEHER SPIRITUAL CENTER
10200 Highway 17 North
Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
U.S.A.
+1 (843) 272-5777
w: mehercenter.org/
e: MeherGate@aol.com
Meher Spiritual Center was established by Meher Baba in the late 40's as a spiritual retreat for rest, meditation, and renewal of the spiritual life, for those who love and follow Meher Baba, and for those who have heard of him and wish to know more. The Center continues to thrive today with more and more visitors each year.
It is a unique place of virgin land encompassing fresh water lakes, forest and the Atlantic shore but the special atmosphere of the Center goes beyond its natural beauty. Meher Baba blessed the Center with his presence on three occasions in the 1950's, calling it his "home in the West." People of all faiths and backgrounds, drawn by their interest in Meher Baba, come here to feel the atmosphere of love and peace he brought to the Center and which remains today.
The Center is open year-round for retreats of up to two weeks and for day visits by all who are sincerely interested in Meher Baba. Miles of trails provide for quiet walks in all seasons. Retreat cabins are simply-furnished and designed to fit into the natural beauty and atmosphere of quietude.
Special buildings, used by Meher Baba during his three visits in 1952, 1956, and 1958, offer settings for individuals to sit in quiet meditation, and are preserved as much as possible as they were during his visits.
There is a library, where a variety of written and audio-visual materials on Meher Baba's life and messages are available and a meeting place for programs which offer more opportunities for discovering and sharing in the stream of spiritual life.
For a reservation please call or email at least two weeks in advance as space is limited.
Avatar Meher Baba Heartland Center
7804 NBU / 1319 Barta Ave.
Prague, OK 74864
U.S.A.
+1 (405) 567-4774
w: mehercenter.org/
e: AMB.Heartland@gmail.com
Avatar’s Abode Trust
Avatar's Abode Information
19 Meher Road, Woombye
Qld 4559
Australia
+61 (07) 5442 1544
f: +61 (07) 5442 1700
w: avatarsabode.com.au/
Avatar's Abode in Australia, was blessed by Meher Baba during his visit in 1958. It was dedicated as Meher Baba's spiritual home in Australia and by His wish, it can never be sold, but must be kept as a place of pilgrimage, a priceless treasure for generations to come. In June of each year, there is a special retreat which pilgrims may attend, to commemorate the anniversary of Meher Baba's visit. Day visits are also available during the year.
Avatar's Abode is situated on 99 acres of great natural beauty on virgin bushland near Woombye on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
The heart of Avatar's Abode is Baba's Room, where Baba stayed during his visits. Visitors may spend quiet times there.
It is kept as a place for Baba-lovers and for those sincerely interested in knowing more about Meher Baba.