1924 : Hardwar to Rishikesh

MEHER BABA'S

1924 : BRITISH INDIA

Hardwar to Rishikesh - Car Trip

1925 : Meher Baba at Meherabad, India on his 31st Birthday. Image rendition by Anthony Zois.

4. TRIP TO KASHMIR

13th August - 9th September 1924

On the 12th August at 7:30pm, Meher Baba and his 3 men left Calcutta from Howrah Station for Hardwar ( Haridwar ), taking 2 days to reach. The next day, they changed into the O. & R. Railway at Moghul Sarai Junction, near Benares, They arrived at Hardwar on the 14th August.

They went to a Hindu travellers' house, but there were no available rooms. However, they were allowed to stay in one part of the verandah. After some time they went to bathe in the sacred Ganges River, but the water at the bathing steps were in a muddied condition, so they returned to the shelter.

* Howrah to Hardwar : 1,517 kms / 943 miles ( rail )

Map shows the train route from Howrah to Hardwar. Map graphics by Anthony Zois.

August continued ...

They later hired a Ford taxi car to take them to Rishikesh, about 14 miles / 23kms away, where a number of ascetics lived. The car was very run-down, especially the seats which were torn. In addition, the tyres began deflating and the engine had problems. They decided to take a more costlier and better car instead.

The road was rough and zig-zagged all the way to Rishikesh. When they arrived, Baba bowed to many pilgrims and lepers as he had been doing throughout his tour.

He also had a conversation with an ascetic known as Nepali Baba.

From there they walked to the foot of the Himalayan to a rope bridge ( about 9 miles / 15kms), and then proceeded to the village of * Laxman Zula ( known as the Cradle of Luxman ).

At 1pm, they went back to Hardwar. Once there, they planned a foot journey to Sakori.

Adi and Vajifdar were telegrammed with instructions for Vajifdar to meet them at Lakhsar

( Laskar ) .

* The modern name is Lakshman Jhula & the Rope bridge is now a Suspension bridge named the Janki Bridge. A point of interest, near the village is the ashram the Beatles attended in early 1968.

LM p.671

RD p.359

Note : The 284 ft rope bridge that Baba crossed the Ganges river was washed away 2 months after his visit. A suspension bridge was built in 1930.

The property that the Beatles & other celebrities visited in 1968 for meditation, is now a tiger's reserve.

* Hardwar to Rishikesh : 17 kms / 11 miles ( road )

* Rishikesh to Laxman Zula : 13 kms / 8 miles ( road )

Total return : 30 kms / 19 miles

Howrah to Hardwar : 1,517 kms / 943 miles ( rail )