THE GOD-MAN The Life, Journeys and Work of Meher Baba with an ...

THE FIRST TEN YEARS 81mountains, and retirement at the resting-place of a saint or a Master. Pleader had been at Baba'sorders to Mount Abu, Rishikesh, and Badrinarayan on the Himalayas, both places of greatreligious importance to millions of Hindus. The cave in the Tiger Valley is still in existence andis shown to visitors.Later on Baba made a tour to N asik, Hardwar, Rishikesh, Delhi, Quetta, and Bombay, and insearch of a place of retirement he visited various other places, returning to Meherabad at the endof May. These very long distances were covered on foot, by bus, and by train. He had beenfasting the last seven days of the tour and continued to fast for five days more. At the end of thefast he consented to receive visitors again.On 7 June the fifty-ninth birthday ofUpasni Maharaj was celebrated, though the actual datewas 25 May. Over twelve hundred people came to Baba, and he distributed sweets. About twohundred people washed Baba's feet. There was a special Hindu service in the village temple,with singing in the afternoon, and the day passed as on Baba's birthday except that the name ofMaharaj was in everybody's mouth. Many Parsees were present on this occasion.Baba made another tour on 10 July, this time in a bus with about twelve of the mandali,returning on 28 August. Everywhere he went his presence created a sensation. He visitedNasik, Khalghat, Gwalior, Agra, Delhi, Lahore, Srinagar, Harvan, and Dhulia.During this tour to Kashmir Baba expressed his desire to retire in seclusion in an isolatedspot. A suitable place was searched for, first by the mandali according to his instructions, andthen with him accompanying them. He decided to stay at the small village of Harvan, abouttwelve miles north of Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir State. It was very quiet, with beautifulsurroundings and an atmosphere suited to their purpose. Immediately after Baba's arrival atHarvan the people of the village and surrounding places came to see him and paid theirhomage and respects. The majority were poor, and Baba ordered a public feast to be given toall before he went into seclusion. Two small houses were hired at the foot of the hills, andafter an arduous survey a spot was selected on the side of a hill for Baba. Srinagar itself ismore than 5,200 feet above sea-level, and Harvan is still higher, so that the height of the spotmay be roughly estimated at 6,000 feet. Here a small hut was built with a room with justsufficient space for a man to lie down and no more, the roof jutting out on two sides to form ashelter for two of the mandali, who were ordered to stay there and keep watch. The villagers,under a devoted Muslim, helped in the erection of the