Museum Building

Museum Building Meherabad

The Museum Building was originally called west room of the water tank or reservoir on the Meherabad hill, when Meher Baba stayed here in the 1920’s. The entire water tank building was extensively used for his work, stay and seclusion, and also modified from time to time for his work. Finally, in the 1970’s, the West Room became a Museum housing some of the God-Man’s treasures. How touched and amazed visitors are when they walk down the steps into the Museum and realize they are face to face with these sacred treasures, especially considering this unique room has been garlanded and lived in by Baba Himself. It has had discourses and music and lovers of God—all within its walls.

The Museum Building is just around the corner of Meher Baba Samadhi on the Meherabad hill and is open everyday for Pilgrims visiting here for Darshan. This Museum is now maintained by the Trust and Some of the Spiritual treasures available in the Museum Building are as follows:-

Meher Baba in Kamli Coat and sandals. Meherabad 1927. The Kamli Coat of Meher Baba which he wore continuously while he was with Shri Upasni Maharaj is available at the Museum for Darsha. The coat the Sandles or Chappals are preservedin a Glass case housing them safely.

Standing in one corner of our Museum on the Hill at Meherabad is an interesting antique a hand-drawn rickshaw of the type which was used in many Asian countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This rickshaw was brought to Meherabad for Baba in September, 1927. Baba was asked to sit in it and He complied, asking Baily, His long-time disciple and school chum who had arrived at Meherabad the same day, to be the first to pull Him in it. Baily pulled Baba in the rickshaw swiftly down the hill to the railway line and back up again. A photographer from Ahmednagar, G.M. Shah, who took beautiful early photos of Baba, was asked to take this one of Baba in the rickshaw. This rickshaw is on display in the Museum on the Hill. The boys of the Meher Ashram and Prem Ashram (1927-1929) loved to pull Baba in the rickshaw. Baba would allow them to pull Him around the ashram, though the ground was usually rough and so was the ride! The mandali also pulled Baba occasionally in the rickshaw, sometimes for practical purposes such as when Baba was fasting or feeling unwell. In February 1928 Baba ended a four-month period of fasting and seclusion in His crypt-cabin on the hill (which later became His tomb). At the same time the Meher Ashram underwent an upsetting event—Ali, one of Baba’s favorite boys, was taken away by his father. Baba indicated that His work in seclusion was undone and that He was considering closing down the ashram. But the event of His coming out of His seclusion was celebrated anyway, and the rickshaw was decorated gaily for carrying Baba all round the hill and down to lower Meherabad. When Baba neared the area of the dhuni and table-house in His rickshaw, an extraordinary event was witnessed. Ramjoo Abdullah described it in his book Sobs and Throbs, “Just as the Master’s rickshaw passed the dhuni on this particular day, it suddenly burst out into a distinct flame! I witnessed this extraordinary phenomenon, as I chanced to look at it just at the right moment. Many others also remember having seen it.” After riding around a few more minutes, Baba returned to the dhuni and sat near it for 15 minutes. He then told the mandali, “The dhuni has just conveyed to me a message: ‘Continue and go on with the work.'” And in fact Baba did not close the ashram at that time.

Meher Baba’s Bicycle prototype which he used to ride to College when he met Babajan at Pune. When He was still Merwan, Baba often rode bicycles around Poona. In May of 1913, at the age of 19, Baba most famously got off his bicycle when Babajan beckoned him. After receiving her embrace, Merwan wandered home in a daze, leaving the bicycle behind. Although that bicycle was never recovered, the photo above shows another one from Baba’s youth, which is on display in the Museum on Meherabad Hill.