Samadhi of Meher Baba - History of The Samadhi

History of The Samadhi

In June 1927 a cabin of bamboo matting and tin was built for Meher Baba on Meherabad Hill. It had a door and window on the east side. In July of the same year, a pit four feet wide and six feet deep was dug in it, lined with stone and masonry and covered by wooden planks. It was referred to as the Khadda – the Ditch or Pit-Room, by the mandali. Later the tin was replaced by mud-mortared stones and more windows were added. From August 16th Baba started using this crypt-cabin mostly for staying in seclusion. In December, five temporary rooms (meditation cells) were built next to the building for some of his mandali. In May 1934 a severe hail storm tore away the tin roof and it had to be repaired. In 1938 Baba ordered a dome to be built over it, at which time everyone came to know that this was to be the site of Meher Baba's future tomb. The old stone walls were torn down and replaced by black stones which came from the original Post Office building of the estate, which had to be demolished the year before, after an order of the British government, because of its close proximity to the railway tracks. In the first part of August 1938 the dome was complete with four concrete models (a Christian cross, a Hindu temple, a Muslim mosque and a Zoroastrian fire) fitted onto the corners of the roof. Shortly after, Swiss artist Helen Dahm painted colorful murals on the inside walls of the tomb, completing them in November 1938. The sign over the entrance bears Baba's motto, "Mastery in Servitude."