Highlights of Meher Baba's Travels in India

Panchgani - 1930s

Panchgani became an important mountain retreat for Baba and the mandali. 1930. His first and highly significant stay. A special cave was excavated into the cliffside for him overlooking Tiger Valley .Baba stayed in complete seclusion and fasted for two weeks while a dozen mandali camped nearby. He returned 1935 to work intensively in the Tiger Valley cave. .

In 1938 Baba shifted his entire ashram from Upper Meherabad to Panchgani to escape the intense summer heat for 3 months. During this major stay, a group of 24 Eastern and Western disciples lived and worked under his strict direction. The Western women, who were unaccustomed to intense manual labor, had to work side-by-side with the Eastern mandali cleaning cages, scrubbing down animals, and managing the constant mess of the pets. The Panchgani stay is considered a success because it successfully unified his Eastern and Western women disciples into a single, cohesive spiritual family.

Khuldabad- 1927 –1950s

The “Valley of the Saints,” Meher Baba visited Khuldabad several times, beginning in 1927. Baba sat in seclusion in the cave of the Sufi Qutub Zarzari Zar Baksh (Sai Baba's Master in one of Sai's previous incarnations), and also contacted a mast near the shrine. Baba then proceeded to Daulatabad, and there too sat in several shrines for a fixed time before returning to Khuldabad. Baba again returned November 1951. Baba spent time in seclusion at the shrines and performed acts of profound humility among both Muslim and Hindu families. It was in 1951 that Baba dictated his Prayer of Repentance.

Itarsi -

After landing back in Karachi, via ship from Persia, Baba and the mandali headed inland. They covered thousands of miles across British India using the extensive railway network. The group traveled through Hyderabad and across the desert landscapes of Rajasthan, stopping in Jaipur then continuing into Lucknow and as far as Raxaul, located on the border of Nepal. From the northern borders they turned south through central India up to Itarsi.

Itarsi was the scene of one of the most unusual episodes of Baba's early travels. After arriving by train, Baba left the men who had been traveling with Him and spent about a week alone, wandering through the town and surrounding countryside. The only recorded time during Meher Baba's adulthood that he traveled alone without any of the mandali with him.

Dakshineshwar ,-

Hardwar - 1920s–1940s

Baba visited Hardwar on several journeys with members of the mandali. He visited the holy places along the Ganges and met spiritual seekers and masts. During the extensive mast work of the early 1940s, Hardwar was among the northern Indian places where Baba sought out spiritually advanced souls.

Rishikesh - 1920s–1940s

Baba visited Rishikesh with members of the mandali and went on to Lakshman Jhula, where He met ascetics and pilgrims. In 1942 He returned with both the men and women mandali and remained there for about a month. The group lived simply while Baba continued His spiritual work.

Dehradun - 1940s–1950s

Dehradun became one of Baba's most important northern bases. He stayed there for extended periods with members of the mandali, carried out extensive mast work, and spent periods in seclusion. Both men and women accompanied Him there, while in later years, Dehradun became an important center during the New Life and the period of His Fiery Free Life.

Ajmer - 1939–1941

Ajmer was important particularly for Baba's work with masts. During His visits He contacted several spiritually advanced souls, including Chacha, Lakhan Shah and Qabristanwala. Baba also visited the sacred hill of Taragarh. Baba visited other places in Ajmer with the women, including Ana Sagar Lake, Pushkar Lake, the Hindu temple of Laxmi, a Jain temple.

MT. ABU -1949

While Baba and a few of the men mandali left the base frequently for strenuous, fast-paced "mast tours" across the region. The close women mandali remained at the Mount Abu headquarters. The temporary ashram, during the spring of 1949 was strictly secluded and highly disciplined base camp. The women mandali lived under absolute seclusion (parda). They did not leave the bungalow or have contact with outsiders. When Baba and his close assistants went out on essential errands or on fast-paced travels throughout the region, the women would simply provide them with strict shopping lists for food and other supplies.

The ashram served as the central base from which Baba undertook his intense and final “mast tours” across India. It closed permanently in May 1949, when Baba and the entire group left Mount Abu and returned to Meherazad. It was from this Mount Abu ashram that Baba composed his complete renunciation of all property, money, and personal ties as he prepared to enter the New Life.

Bangalore - 1939–1940

Baba visited Bangalore with members of the mandali during His travels in southern India. The most memorable event was His meeting with four masts in January 1940, when a well-known photograph was taken of Baba with them.

Hyderabad - 1940s–1950s

Hyderabad became an important place during Baba's later travels in southern India. He returned there on several occasions, meeting followers and carrying out His work with spiritually advanced souls. The city was also connected with the extensive darshan journeys of the 1950s.

Varanasi (Benares) - 1949

During the New Life, Baba came to Benares with His companions and lived under the severe conditions of the New Life, depending on God for everything. Baba and the companions went out begging for food and lived without money or possessions. After about two weeks, Baba led the group on foot toward Sarnath.

Sarnath - 1949

Baba and the New Life companions stayed in Sarnath during the beginning of the walking phase of the New Life. Sarnath was the real place of Buddha. The men and women were together as a wandering group, living with very few possessions. Baba also led the men into the ancient ruins, where they undertook a remarkable period of prayer in the place associated with Buddha.

Hamirpur - 1954

Hamirpur was one of Baba's most important later journeys. He traveled there with members of the men mandali while the women remained at Mahabaleshwar. Baba gave darshan to thousands of people, visited villages, and met many of His followers and workers. During the visit, on His 60th birthday, Baba made His first public declaration of Himself as the Avatar of the Age.

Andhra - 1954

Following the Hamirpur journey, Baba continued to Andhra with members of the mandali. He gave mass darshans and met large numbers of people, as well as groups of workers and followers. In Rajahmundry, He held a special meeting with workers concerning His spiritual work.

Mahabaleshwar - 1940s–1950s

Mahabaleshwar became an important mountain retreat for Baba and the mandali. He spent periods there in seclusion, including a remarkable 100 day period of seclusion in 1947 in a small hut on the Aga Khan estate. In later years He continued to return to Mahabaleshwar with the mandali.

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