Visit Avatars Northern India

On the morning of 16th October 1949, Avatar Meher Baba with His sixteen men and four women companions crossed the Ahmednagar Railway Crossing... and their New Life (Navjeevan) actually began. His New Life of complete renunciation and absolute helplessness.

"This New Life is endless, kept alive by those who live the life of complete renunciation of falsehood, lies, hatred, anger, greed and lust, and who, to accomplish all this, do no lustful actions, do no harm to anyone, do no backbiting, do not seek material possessions or power, who accept no homage, neither covet honor, nor shun disgrace, and fear no one and nothing; by those who rely wholly and solely on God, and who love God purely for the sake of loving, who do not let go the hand of Truth, and who, without being upset by calamities, bravely and wholeheartedly face all hardships with 100 percent cheerfulness, and give no importance to caste, creed and religious ceremonies.

This New Life will live by itself eternally, even if there is no one to live it." M.B.

"Avatar Meher Baba ends His Old Life of cherished hopes and multifarious activities and with a few companions began His' New Life of complete renunciation and absolute hopelessness."

For his New Life Companions: "The first period of training will be spent in Belgaum comprising of physical labor. The second period of training will be spent at Benares, comprising begging and langoti [life in loincloth]. The third and last period of training will be spent on the way to Hardwar, comprising gypsy life... From January 1. 1950 onwards, whether on the way to Hardwar or wherever God takes us, will be endless New Life of hopelessness in real earnest." M.B.

From Mumbai fly south to Belgaum, nestled high in the Western Ghats. Elevation 2,500 ft. Belgaum was founded in the 12th century. Belgaum (or Belagavi) is a city in Karnataka. It is 84% Hindu. The old town area with cotton and silk weavers stands besides the modern, bustling, tree-lined British Cantonment.

'Shiv Jayanti' is celebrated with great fervor, and Belagavi is known for its unique traditions and celebrations of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Maharashtra's greatest warrior king (1630-1680). He once marched through Belgaum with his army. The rebellious local king attacked the army and was killed. His queen took up arms and attacked Shivaji but became captive. Shivaji forgave her, she then became a devotee of Shivaji and now there are many statues of Shivaji in Belgaum.

Belgaum Train station... Meher Baba: "We leave Belgaum, all twenty-one of us, by third class train to Benares." , Baba and the men and women companions left Belgaum for Bombay by train then continued to Benares by train.

"Avatar Meher Baba ends His Old Life of cherished hopes and multifarious activities and with a few companions began His' New Life of complete renunciation and absolute hopelessness."

The New Life companions of Meher Baba wandered with Him from place to place begging for food, The meaning of this truly symbolic act was to beg for and constantly yearn within the heart for the love and compassion of the Lord and that He should remain their Constant Companion.

The very essence of spiritual India. Every enlightened master and millions of aspirants have spent time in Varanasi. The River Ganges is the destination of every Hindu. Varanasi (formerly Benares or Kashi) was the city of Shiva for millenium. Lord Buddha gave his very first sermon, 700 BC, during this time, in His ashram in the nearby 'deer park' town of Sarnath. Varanasi is strongly Hindu and is known as the city of Lord Shiva.

Meher Baba has visited almost all the places visited by Him in His previous advents as Zoroaster, Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed and He would not only visit these places but also He would be doing His work in seclusion there.

Meher Baba: "This New Life will be kept alive by those who live the Life of complete renunciation of falsehood, lies, hatred, anger, greed and lust and who, to accomplish all this, do no lustful actions, do no harm to anyone, Do no backbiting, do not seek material possessions or power, who accept no homage, neither covet honour nor shun disgrace, and fear no one and nothing; by those who rely wholly and solely on God."

Meher Baba has disclosed that Jesus came to India along with two disciples and He went to different places of pilgrimage in India such as Rameshwaram, Dwarka, Benares and other places in India and also Rangoon.

The three aspects of God: Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer.

...Their rules for begging in Benares, the four pre-requisites were: bare feet, kafni, brass bowl and jholi (cloth satchel with
pockets) to receive different kinds of breads, grains or any
thing that is dry and uncooked)...From 26th November the companions began going out into the streets of the city to beg. Their appearance was similar to Babas - barefoot, in white kafnis, carrying the brass begging bowl and orange cloth satchel, wearing green turbans. They begged in groups of two walking from house to house until they had recovered
Bhiksha........................

Meher Baba spent some time in Benares during the New Life and started the phase of begging from Benares. He then went to Sarnath walking. Sarnath is the place of Buddha and there He lead the life of nakedness and meditation (langoti life).

Starting November winter is comfortable with average day temperatures of 25° C, nights around 7°C. BUT: the AIR POLLUTION is very, very bad. November air pollution in Varanasi can be bad . Summer day temperatures can rise up to 45° C. Monsoon rain: July till early October. The Ganges will be swollen and un-navigable.

Buddha Ruins. Buddha came back North to Sarnath 650 BC, after His awakening in Ceylon. He trained his disciples here, who later spread his teachings to every corner of the Eastern World. Various Buddhist Temples from many countries now surround the Buddhist 'Deer Park'. A nicely maintained monument, the archaeological museum at Sarnath is a must visit for visitors. Archaeological Remains are in the museum.

*During the New Life travels Meher Baba started on foot for Sarnath from Benares with the companions on 1st December with their meagre belongings. Baba walked to the underground rooms in the subterranean passages of the Sarnath ruins with His men companions, each clad only in langotis. Each one read the prayer in their minds for fifteen minutes.

This was the last phase of the training from 12th
December to 31st December 1949 spent on the way from
Sarnath to Hardwar. It was the journey on foot only and
baggage was sent to Majri Mafi by goods train.
A camel christened "Bhola Ram", the camel cart, two
cows with a calf, two she-donkeys and a white horse sent by
Dr. Nath and Dr. Khare arrived in Sarnath. Padri arrived in
Sarnath with the caravan, bullock-cart and four bullocks.
At 7 o'clock in the morning of 12th December 1949,
Meher Baba left on foot with the four women and Eruch fol
lowed two hours later by the whole caravan. The white
horse followed by the caravan pulled by the black English
bull "Raja", followed by the camel-cart, bullock cart, two
cows, calf and two donkeys.The companions and Baba were
dressed in white kafnis with green turbans. This was the
beginning of the Gypsy life. Passers-by were curious about
the strange group of travelers.

*Leaving Sarnath, on their way to Haridwar, the New Life companions halted at Jaunpur, Moradabad, Najimabad (and to Haridwar, Rishikesh) and then Dehradun.

Note: if you are leaving Varanasi or Sarnath by car and driver, get an early start. Best to stay closest to the highway going north to Lucknow, Jaunpur or towards the airport. Should you wish to see Ayodhya you can drive to Fazizabad, spend the night, visit Ayodhya and then drive on to Lucknow.

Kaka suffered a heart attack in Najibabad and became debilitated and it was decided to proceed by train. The donkeys, Sakoo and Thakoo, were sold at this time, They left Najibabad on the six o'clock train and reached Dehra Dun station around ten-thirty that morning.

Najibabad is 71% Muslim. Rohilla, a Muslim warrior of the Mughal Empire. "Nawab Najib-ud-Daulla". From 1757 to 1770 he was governor of Saharanpur, ruling over Dehradun. Many architectural relics of the period of Rohilla remain in Najibabad.

They arrived in Manjri Mafi after an eight-day journey. Meher Mafi in Dehra Dun. The property is much nearer to Dehra Dun than Hardwar. This property is situated at a village called Manjri Mafi. The name of the village means "cats are forgiven". So [Baba joked] perhaps this implies that there aren't any rats there! This property has a small structure consisting of two rooms, a verandah, kitchen and bathroom. It had been found and bought. A will was made.

Baba stayed there during the New Life. The four women, Mehera, Mani, Meheru and Goher, stayed with Baba in Manjri Mafi, living according to the original conditions of the New Life. Don was to stay in Dehra Dun, open a dispensary and work as a doctor there. Though Kaka and Gustadji were to remain with Baba, they chose to regain their old-life freedom. Their maintenance was to be undertaken by Don.

Having given up the gypsy life, on 28 July 1950, the New Life caravan arrived back in Ahmednagar from Dehra Dun. (Padri towed it from Poona.) The New Life caravan, along with the Blue Bus, was a significant vehicle of Baba's travels during this advent, and they are preserved at Meherazad.

Garhwali Kingdom was one of the few kingdoms that never came under the Muslim rule influence. The history of Garhwal is older than that of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Worshipping Lord Shiva, according to the great Mahabharata, Garhwal is believed to be the land where the Vedas and the Shastras were made.

Meher Baba: "If we want to know God as He is, we must be as honest as He is. The least hypocrisy creeping into our hearts keeps Him away. So let us be honest."

Drive (one hour) from Haridwar to Rishikesh. You must walk over the bridge into Rishikesh. Take a walk along the clean, blue Ganges riverside. Always be careful of cows walking towards you! Just give them a little extra room.

Kedarnath is an ancient Shiva temple of great pilgrimage, located at 11,600 ft. Said to be built by the Pandavas. Reconstructed in 8th century AD, It is more than 1000 years old. You can take a helicopter ride there and back, same day, from Rishikesh. About $100.RT. You may need a special ID from the Haridwar railway station to board the helicopter.. Or hike 14 miles up! Cross back over the bridge and drive (one hour) up to Dehradun.

Many temples to visit. Get your ID/permit at the railroad station if you plan to take a helicopter ride up to Kedarnath in Rishikesh

To visit: Avatar Meher Baba Samadhi Tomb Shrine. Fly from Delhi to Pune. There are many hotels in Pune, which is a 2 hour drive from Meherabad (Ahmednagar). There are a few new hotels in Ahmednagar with restaurants. The car ride from town to Meherabad is 15 minutes. There is a pilgrim guest house in Meherabad available for people genuinly interested in Meher Baba, only with prior reservations through the Trust Office.

The Samadhi can be visited directly from either Pune or Ahmednagar. You need to hire a car with a driver who knows how to drive to the parking up the hill, near the Samadhi. Open to everyone from 7 am to 7 pm.



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