Introduction

Forward     Acknowledgments   About Avatar Meher Baba  

Shoe parking lot, Meherazad, India

"I may give you more, much more than you expect-- or maybe nothing, and that nothing may prove to be everything. 

 

So I say, come with open hearts to receive much or nothing from your Divine Beloved. Come prepared to receive not so much of My words but of My Silence." 

 

-- Meher Baba

This guidebook provides practical information for those interested in traveling from the West to Meher Baba's home in  India, and back again. Although the book is written especially for those who have never been to India before, experienced travelers should find the material helpful.

Major topics cover basic information about preparing for the trip, transportation, accommodations, and so on. Detailed maps are included of Mumbai (Bombay), Pune (Poona), and Ahmednagar. The topic "More about..." covers supplemental information about such things as lost luggage, cultural differences, sightseeing, and bringing children to India.

Throughout this book you'll find addresses and phone numbers of people in a number of cities who have volunteered to act as emergency contacts for Baba followers. Please note that these contacts are for true emergencies only where you are unable to seek help through other means, such as hotel desks, travel agencies, or tourist information centers. Please do not ask these people to make hotel or travel reservations for you, and do expect to be responsible for any necessary expenses.

Because this edition is available on the World Wide Web, you can click words underlined like this, called hyperlinks, to go directly to another topic. You can click other hyperlinks whenever your cursor turns into the shape of a hand. 

The electronic version now enables us to make this information available to readers around the world and keep it up to date without great expense. We have isolated information that changes frequently, such as transportation and hotels, so that you can print it easily. To learn what has recently changed, check the date at the end of each topic and the summary of changes here.

In a reference of this sort, it is impossible to predict schedules and prices accurately. Airline and railway times change frequently without notice, and inflation increases the cost of everything (perhaps 15-20% a year). As always, we recommend that you consult friends and travel agencies and double-check to make sure that critical information is up to date. To provide links to more current information, several external web sites are also listed, but we do not guarantee the accuracy of their information.

You, too, can help us keep this information up to date. Your contributions will help all of Meher Baba's followers who travel to India.