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Meher Baba's Pilgrimage Sites
Meher Spiritual Center
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.
Meher Spiritual Center 10200 Highway 17 North Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
843-272-5777
Email:
Web Site: www.mehercenter.org |
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Avatar's Abode
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.
Contact Information:
If you wish to contact the Avatar's Abode please call:
Ros or Roy Hayes:
telephone: 61 (07) 5442 1544
fax: 61 (07) 5442 1700.
Email: Web Site: www.avatarsabode.com.au
or by mail: c/o
Avatar's Abode Information
19 Meher Road
Woombye, Qld 4559, Australia.
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Meher Baba's Tomb (Samadhi)
Meherabad Hill - (Upper Meherabad)
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
dis-used 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 centre 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, not tea...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
pilrims who would like to stay nearby, Lower Meherabad's Pilgrim
Centre 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.
Contact Information:
Pilgrim Reservation Office
Avatar Meher Baba Trust
Post Bag 31- Kings Road
Ahmednagar, MS 414001 INDIA
(91) -241-341821 phone for fax
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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
Post Bag 31- Kings Road
Ahmednagar, MS 414001 INDIA
(91) -241-341821 phone for fax
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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
Pilgrim Center in Lower 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.
Contact Information:
Pilgrim Reservation Office
Avatar Meher Baba Trust
Post Bag 31- Kings Road
Ahmednagar, MS 414001 INDIA
(91) -241-341821 phone for fax
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