SANCTIFIED BY DIVINE LOVE

 
As it was forecasted in old Puranas that during the ages of kalyug period, river Betva would be given an importance of the pious river Ganga and would be sanctified by divine love.

While Avatar of the age Beloved Meher Baba was crossing the river He dipped His toe of right leg in the water of Betva and took some water of the river with His hands to keep in His mouth and threw the same back in the flowing stream of Betva. That divine action of Avatar of the age sanctified and made river Betva pious and holy as Ganga had been made holy by Ram, the Avatar in that period.

And thus Baba fulfilled the forecast made in Puran, "Kalyugey Betravati Ganga" and gave it the same importance and reverence to river Betva and made it modern Ganga.

After that the group along with Beloved Meher Baba crossed the Betva river and proceeded to village Ichhaura....

Baba said, "Today, I am giving one of the most important days to Ichhaura; this has become a sanctified place in My love. In the future thousands will gather here to bathe in Betva."

Baba renamed the village and the area down to the banks of river Betva as "Prem Teerth" (Prem means 'Love' and Teerth literally means 'Anything sanctified by God').

In India, any place of spiritual importance, especially if it is situated by a river, is known as Teerth Kshetra (Kshetra means 'place'). By naming this particular site "Prem Teerth" Baba was, perhaps, emphasizing that those who would be visiting the place will reap the blessings of His love.