Dayalbagh

Dayalbagh or Dayal Bagh (Hindi: दयाल बाग़, Urdu: دیال باغ‎) means 'Garden' (bagh) of 'Mercy' (daya), inferring "Garden of the Merciful", is a locality in metropolitan Agra in western Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the headquarters of the Radhasoami faith, where the 8th revered leader (Sant Satguru) lives and presides over the satsang (holy service).

It is a self-sustained colony, where its inhabitants lead an active, disciplined and co-operative community life, conforming to the spiritual ideals of their faith. It has affiliated educational institutes such as the Dayalbagh Educational Institute.

History

The colony of Dayalbagh was founded on the Basant Day (translation: first day of spring) on 20 jan 1915 by Huzur Sahabji Maharaj, the Fifth Revered Leader of Radhasoami Faith, as an ashram or a spiritual home for the followers of the faith, by planting a mulberry tree.

Community life

The colony is laid out in an open garden setting. The land where the colony was established once consisted of sand dunes. For more than 60 years residents of the colony - men and women, young and old - have worked with quiet dedication in a vast programme for reclamation of land launched in 1943 by Huzur Mehtaji Maharaj, the sixth Revered Leader of the Faith. The result is a lush green 1,200-acre (4.9 km²) farm where food-grains, oil-seeds, fodder, and vegetables are grown.