Avatar Meher Baba Trust - History and Charter

History and Charter

Meher Baba signed the Trust Deed on April 6, 1959 on Meherabad Hill, near Ahmednagar, India. The Trust was inactive for the remaining ten years of his life, but he encouraged the trustees, who were his close disciples, to meet intermittently on trust matters. In the 1960s, he gave certain instructions to them for the future about spiritual training and educating the public about his life and message. These were later incorporated into the Trust Deed.

One of the purposes of the Meher Baba Trust was to provide for his disciples who were dependent on him, and to care for his future Tomb and his property at Meherabad, located near Ahmednagar, India. Meher Baba also specified in the Trust Deed that after he had died the Trust should maintain and care for his Tomb at Meherabad, create facilities for pilgrims there, foster spiritual and cultural activities relating to the spreading of his message, and carry out certain charitable activities for the benefit of humanity irrespective of caste, creed, religion, sex or nationality.

In the years since, Meherabad and Baba’s nearby home Meherazad have become places of pilgrimage. Meherazad was incorporated into the Trust in 1999. Free clinics, a hospital, a school, a library, museum and study hall, a veterinary clinic, and a variety of accommodations for visitors have been established at Meherabad in accordance with the Trust's directives.

Mani Irani, Baba’s sister and close disciple, was the Trust’s chairman for over 20 years. Since then, Bhau Kalchuri, another of Baba’ s close disciples, has occupied the seat of the chairmanship. The nine trustees are all dedicated followers of Meher Baba.