Meher Pilgrim Center is a central administrative facility for the Meher Baba

Meher Baba

Meher Baba , , born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age....

 pilgrim retreat in Meherabad

Meherabad

Meherabad was originally an ashram established by Meher Baba near Arangaon Village, India in 1923 about south of Ahmednagar. It is now the site of Meher Baba's samadhi as well as facilities and accommodations for pilgrims...

 near Ahmednagar, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. From June 19, 1980 until March 15, 2006 it housed short-term accommodations for pilgrim

Pilgrim

A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...

s visiting Meher Baba's samadhi (tomb shrine) in Meherabad and his final home in Meherazad

Meherazad

Meherazad was the last residence of the Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba and is today a place of spiritual pilgrimage outside Pimpalgaon village, approximately north of Ahmednagar, India. More accurately, it is located at . Meherazad estate comprises about .Meher Baba lived at Meherazad from...

 located on the other side of Ahmednagar. Originally constructed for the Avatar Meher Baba Trust

Avatar Meher Baba Trust

The Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust is a Charitable trust created by Meher Baba in 1959 to fulfill after his death various directives given by him. Bhau Kalchuri is currently its chairman.- History and charter :...

 as an accommodation facility for pilgrims, it now houses offices and other administrative services for the Trust. In its heyday this attractive and comfortable building accommodated up to 56 guests in rooms housing one to eight people. Men and women were housed separately and all meals were vegetarian.

The Meher Pilgrim Center was designed by resident architect Ted Judson and commissioned by James and Elaine Cox. The paintings that decorate its dining room and verandas were done by Phyllis and Lyn Ott

Lyn Ott

Lynfield George Ott , better known as Lyn Ott, was an American painter and a follower of Meher Baba.- Biography :...

. Since its construction, various other structures were added to the surrounding area including a hostel, dispensary, free school, research library, and museum.

On June 15, 2006 new pilgrim facilities opened at the recently constructed Meher Pilgrim Retreat, an 88000 square feet (8,175.5 m²) pilgrim facility that provides meals and overnight accommodation for up to 200 pilgrims. The Pilgrim Retreat is on the opposite side of Meherabad from the Pilgrim Center. Drugs, alcohol, meat and fish, are all prohibited at the Pilgrim Retreat and men and women are housed separately.

Design and decoration

Both the Pilgrim Center and Pilgrim Retreat were designed by architect Ted Judson. The interior of the dining hall and surrounding verandas of the original Pilgrim Center are decorated by seventeen mounted paintings of Meher Baba's life by American painters Phyllis and Lyn Ott. Gardens and landscaping were designed by Janet Judson. Two stained glass mandala windows adorn the East and West walls of the original dining hall. Many artists have contributed to decorating the newly constructed Meher Pilgrim Retreat with stained glass windows, oil paintings, archival photographs, photographic engraving, etched stone benches, a plaster frieze, and a tile wall commemorating the life and work of Meher Baba. Among the many artists are the Iranian-born master glass painter Amir Chafai, the American painter Diana Le Page from Australia, and American painter Charlie Mills.

The Pilgrim Center area remains the site of the dhuni

Dhuni (Meher Baba)

The Dhuni is a fire ritual that Meher Baba coopted from other religious traditions and made his own. Thus his use of the word and modification of its performance is not precisely analogous to its traditional form as found in Hinduism.- Overview :Meher Baba's Dhuni was first lit on November 10,...

 ceremony, which is performed at sunset on the 12th of each month at Meherabad. The Pilgrim Center dhuni is a major focus of annual Amartithi

Amartithi

Amartithi is the day which commemorates Meher Baba's death on January 31, 1969.The word "Amartithi" appears to have been coined by Meher Baba and means "deathless day"...

activities, a religious festival that draws approximately 30,000 pilgrims annually to Meherabad in January of each year.

The Pilgrim Center and Pilgrim Retreat are closed during the hot Indian summer from March 15 to June 15 of each year.

External links

• Pilgrim Reservations and Travel Information
• Photos of newly completed Meher Pilgrim Retreat
• Murals by Phyllis and Lyn Ott in the Pilgrim Center
• Video of the construction and artwork of the Meher Pilgrim Retreat
• The Old Pilgrim Center was at coordinates 19.028717°N 74.719353°W
• The New Meher Pilgrim Retreat is at coordinates

19°1′43.37"N 74°43′9.66"E