Information for Pilgrims Planning to Visit Meherabad

Meherabad is the site where Avatar Meher Baba did a major portion of His Universal Work, and the place to which people journey from all over the world to pay homage at His Tomb (Samadhi), on Meherabad Hill.

Accommodation facilities are available for Baba lovers on pilgrimage to Meher Baba’s Samadhi and for those who come to learn more about Him.

Here is some useful information regarding these places of Pilgrimage, especially if you are planning a visit.

Meher Baba Places

Meherabad

Meherabad is the site of Avatar Meher Baba’s Tomb-Shrine. Meher Baba’s Tomb is open for darshan every day from 6:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.  Arti (prayers and devotional music) is at 7:00 a.m. and again at 7:00 p.m. SILENCE SHOULD BE OBSERVED IN AND AROUND THE TOMB.

• The Dhuni, located at lower Meherabad, is lit on the 12th of every month at sunset.
• The Pilgrim Reservation Office is located in the Meher Pilgrim Centre (MPC) at lower Meherabad.
• The Welcome and Information Center is located at the MPC, lower Meherabad.
• The Meherabad A.M.B.Trust Office, located at lower Meherabad, accepts donations Mon. thru Sat. 9:30am-1pm and 3:00-5:30pm.
• There is a Post Office at lower Meherabad.

Meherazad

Meherazad is Meher Baba’s home, where He and close mandali resided from 1944 onward.  Pilgrims are welcome on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings during the posted timings.  Meherazad remains closed to pilgrims on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. All must leave Meherazad by the scheduled hours.

Meherazad will open for visitors from 3rd July 2022. Timings : Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 10:45am – 12:30pm.

Meher Nazar

Meher Nazar Compound, King’s Road, Ahmednagar is the site of the Avatar Meher Baba Trust Office. The Ahmednagar Meher Baba Centre holds meetings every Saturday evening from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. These usually feature devotional music and singing. The Centre maintains a small library of Baba books.

Accommodations at Meherabad

Pilgrim Year

Baba lovers on pilgrimage to the abode of Beloved Avatar Meher Baba are welcome at Baba’s Samadhi year round. However, our accommodation facilities are closed during part of the year.  Hostel D and Dharamsala are closed from 15 March to 25 May.  MPR is closed from 15 March to 15 June. Meherazad is closed from 1 March to 1 July.  

SPECIAL NOTE:  In 2022, MPR and Hostel D will remain open for pilgrims during March, April and May.

The Meher Pilgrim Retreat

The Meher Pilgrim Retreat is located at upper Meherabad and can house a total of 200 pilgrims with men and women accommodated separately. Three meals a day plus tea twice a day are provided; vegetarian food only. Pilgrims may request an initial reservation for up to one week; their stay may be extended if space is available. Those on longer visits may need to stay elsewhere when the Meher Pilgrim Retreat becomes full.

Children

Pilgrims coming from outside India are asked not to bring children under age 6, Only those age six and older are accommodated at Meherabad. Indian residents may bring children of all ages; those under two years are not accommodated in Meher Pilgrim Retreat and families with those young children should therefore make their reservations in the Hostels.

To Make Reservations for MPR

Email: pimco@mail.ambppct.org

Phone: +91-241-254-8736 (Please use this number for inquiries only.  Reservations will NOT be confirmed over the phone)

THE DHARAMSALA AND HOSTELS are dormitory-style accommodations at lower Meherabad. 

Contact:

Email: jaibaba@mail.ambppct.org   

Phone: (0241) 254-8777

Note:  All Meherabad accommodations are vegetarian only. Please do not bring in any meat or fish products.

Arrival and Check-In

Pilgrims arriving from abroad must first check-in with their passports and visas in the Pilgrim Reservation Office, at MPR or at MPC.  Pilgrims with confirmed Reservations may do their passport sign-in between 9:30am and 5:00pm.

[NOTE: All foreigners in India must report their presence to the local police via “Form C.” For those staying in MPR, this is done by the Pilgrim Reservation Office. Those staying privately need to make their own arrangements for submitting Form C.]

Check-in at MPR: Check-in is between 9:30am and 6:00pm ONLY.

LATE ARRIVALS:  Pilgrims arriving after the stated hours will have to make their own arrangements for that night in a hotel or private accommodation.

Rules and Guidelines

Three Important Directives

DRUGS: As per Meher Baba’s directive not to take drugs, except medicines prescribed by a medical practitioner, the Trustees expect all pilgrims to never use illicit drugs, including hashish & marijuana, while staying here. Any pilgrim violating this policy will be asked to leave Meherabad.

ALCOHOL: Alcoholic beverages are not permitted at Meherabad.

CONDUCT: Unmarried couples should honor Meher Baba’s wish by not sharing a room in a hotel or elsewhere in the Meherabad area or Ahmednagar.  Pilgrims (including married couples) should not overtly express affection in public (i.e. holding hands, kissing, embracing) as this is misconstrued by the townspeople and makes a very unfavorable impression. 

Miscellaneous Guidelines

CLOTHING: It is requested that pilgrims dress in a modest way at all times while on pilgrimage. This applies not only when at Meherabad and Meherazad, but also when in town. Please bring loose, non-revealing clothing. Rainwear is necessary June through October. A light jacket or sweater is necessary throughout the pilgrim year, as early morning and evening can be cool.  From November through February you may need something heavier. Comfortable shoes for walking are recommended. Please be sure to bring a hat and flashlight.

TOWNSPEOPLE: Unnecessary involvement with people such as rickshaw drivers, shopkeepers, tailors, hotel staff, or army people should be avoided as such contacts have caused numerous problems in the past. As followers of Meher Baba come to Ahmednagar on pilgrimage, they should not sell anything to anyone, or cash money with anyone in town, either on their own accord or when approached. Beggars and people shouting, “Jai Baba,” or asking your name should be ignored or they will continue to be a nuisance. Ahmednagar is a sensitive area due to the presence of the military. Pilgrims are asked not to photograph any military sites, equipment or buildings and not to enter any designated military areas.

CURFEW and SAFETY: Pilgrims staying at Meherabad must be on the property by 10:00 p.m. Those staying in Meher Pilgrim Retreat, must be in the Retreat by 10:30p.m.

BELONGINGS: While each room in the MPR has one cupboard per person, locks for the cupboards will not be supplied. These cupboards are lockable, but it is the individual’s responsibility to bring their own lock so they can secure their belongings inside them.  Be careful not to leave your belongings anywhere unattended (in rickshaws, unlocked hotel rooms, etc.). Even at Meherabad and Meherazad you should not leave your belongings lying about, but should keep them in the areas provided.

ANIMALS: It is requested that pilgrims NOT feed or touch any stray animals.

Message from Eruch Regarding Pilgrimage

19 August, 1994

We, His lovers, must not forget why we come to Meherabad in the first place. Meherabad is a place of Holy Pilgrimage. It is not a vacation spot, resort or retreat. It behooves each pilgrim blessed to cross His Threshold, to accept all conditions of their pilgrimage as the prasad given to them by their Beloved Lord. To have one’s pilgrimage accepted by the Lord is no easy task, for it means more than to merely bow down at His Samadhi. We must accept wholeheartedly any and all trials and tribulations that may beset us during our pilgrimage, knowing full well that these very difficulties when happily accepted without reservation or expectation mark His acceptance of our pilgrimage. Doubly blessed is the pilgrim who, in spite of all hardships, remains cheerfully resigned to the conditions of his pilgrimage. 

And yet, Beloved Avatar Meher Baba, in His Infinite Compassion and Benevolence, has made our pilgrimage so comfortable and easy that we have forgotten all that He Himself, as Man amongst men, suffered throughout His Ministry to awaken His love in our hearts. 

Dear brothers and sisters, we have been blessed to receive His gift of love; now it is time for us to return that love by dissolving all expectations, reservations, and desires in total gratitude and resignation to His Will. 

With warm regards in Love and Service of our Beloved Lord Avatar Meher Baba. 

Yours lovingly,

(signed)Eruch