Since time immemorial many great men have incarnated in this mortal world who have propounded for us principles that help us live life the right way. The collection of such principles came to be known as religion.

Religion in its true sense is about living its principles. When the so-called caretakers of religion, in their selfishness, incorporated complexities into religion and mislead people, to pull them out of these complexities, pretences and malpractices came into existence a philosophy called Sufism. Many great dervishes who brought with them this philosophy had to bear the tortures of the then governing regimes and some even had to sacrifice their lives. Their sacrifices kept bearing fruit from time to time and kept introducing people to the true definition of religion. Sufism is that easy path which brought relief to the society of the medieval times that was entangled in ritualistic religion. Along with protecting people from the unreasonable expenditure on rituals and teaching them true charity, these Sufi saints connected them directly with Paramatma, Allah, Waheguru, God. Interestingly, these Sufi dervishes never belonged to one particular religion or community but came from different religions. It can safely be said that they believed in all religions and stressed on living the core principles of religions.

Among these dervishes, the founder of Dera Sacha Sauda, Beparwah Shah Mastana Ji Maharaj’s name is taken with great respect. Honoured by H.H.’s Guru, Sawan Shah Ji Maharaj, with such titles as 'The Carefree One' and 'The King of Bagarh,' Shah Mastana Ji Maharaj in his powerful yet mellifluous voice taught people who had turned away from religion and God and put them on the road to salvation while disentangling them from the web of longstanding malpractices and connecting them with the true definition of religion. In the form of Dera Sacha Sauda, H.H. founded a spiritual college where today crores of people from various religions and communities come in great faith. Along with taking from here the goal of leading an ideal life, they receive from here the Holy Name of the Almighty, by practicing meditation on which they experience even in this age of degeneration, while living on this very earth, happiness that is perhaps greater than what is found in heaven. Until 1960, Beparwah Ji removed thousands of people from the darkness of ignorance and illuminated their lives with the light of Knowledge. In order to attract people away from their busy lives and get them to listen to him, H.H. gave away in abundance gold, silver, money and other such materialistic things, and he went to many a city and village and raised the voice of Truth.

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H.H. Beparwah Shah Mastana Ji Maharaj, acting upon the command of His Satguru, established Dera Sacha Sauda on April 2, 1948.  Before this, Shahenshah Ji along with some satsangis decided on a site for the ashram. This is the same place where today Dera Sacha Sauda’s Shah Mastana Ji Dham stands.  This place is situated about two kilometers from the city in the southern direction, on the Sirsa-Bhadra road which is now famous as Shah Satnam Singh Ji Marg.  At that time this place was very desolate, extremely rugged, and scattered with trees, thorny bushes and pits.  Shahenshah Ji turned the first spade of soil and laid the auspicious foundation for the ashram. A devotional song, “Hari ki katha kahaniyan, Gurmeet sunaiyan (the stories and legends of the Lord, narrated by the beloved Guru)” was sung by a disciple from Mumbai at the opening ceremony and Mastana Ji expounded on the song.

The service of construction of the ashram began in all earnest.  First, a hut was built.   Devotees began to come from the hamlets adjacent to the ashram and from the city of Sirsa to provide their services.  The construction work went on for days and nights.  Shahenshah Ji Himself stood near the devotees and oversaw the work.  Thorny bushes were uprooted and the earth leveled at the site where the ashram was to be built.  Many snakes, scorpions and other poisonous creatures surfaced from the earth.  Shahenshah Ji ordered the volunteers, “No animal should be killed. It should be caught and let off at a distant place.”  On the command of Shahenshah Ji, neither was any animal killed nor did any of the snakes, scorpions or other poisonous creatures harm anyone.  The volunteers would catch the snakes, scorpions, etc. and immediately take them to a place far away from human settlements and leave them there.  This practice of nonviolence is still followed at Dera Sacha Sauda.

The first problem was water.  The underground water was not fit for drinking.  Drinking water used to be brought from the city of Sirsa.  There was a stream adjacent to the ashram that used to carry the water from a dam. The water from the stream would often break away and fall into a nearby pit and fill it.  This water was used to knead mud.  Raw bricks were then made with the mud.  Shehanshah Ji marked with His dangori (walking stick) the site where the foundation for the rooms was to be laid and thereafter the construction of the rooms of the ashram was begun.  Raw bricks were made in the night and in the day rooms were constructed using the dried bricks. The work was still in progress when the water from the dam stopped.  A crude tank was then dug in the premises of the ashram and water was collected in it.  Later on the ashram began to receive its share of the dam water.  Also, by H.H.’s grace the underground water became sweet and a tubewell was sunk to draw the water.

First, a hut was built for H.H. Mastana Ji.  Adjoining the hut was built a cave, the entrance of which was inside the hut.  The ceilings of the cave and the hut were the same height.  Small rooms with enough space only to sit and not to lie down were constructed for the volunteers where they could meditate and also keep their belongings.  A verandah was built in front of the rooms.  On the opposite side a small room with an attic on top was built.  Thorny shrubs were cut and piled into a strong, high fence around the ashram.

When the ashram was ready, H.H. Shahenshah Ji gathered the devotees and told them that He wanted to give a name to the ashram and He asked them to suggest a name.  The devotees became silent.  Then H.H. Shahenshah Ji Himself suggested three names:  Roohani College (Spiritual College), Chetan Kutiya (Hut of Consciousness), and Sacha Sauda (The True Deal).  H.H. Shahenshah Ji asked the devotees to select a name from the three.  A devotee stood up and said “Sacha Sauda”.  It is believed that it was Shehanshah Ji Himself who prompted the devotee from inside to choose the name “Sacha Sauda”.  In this manner this holy place was named Sacha Sauda, or rather Dera Sacha Sauda.

At the time Beparwah Mastana Ji declared, “This Sacha Sauda is that which has been coming down ages since the earliest times.  This is not a new religion or wave.  Sacha Sauda stands for the true deal.   The truth here is Bhagwan, Ishwar, Israar, Waheguru, Allah, Khuda, God and the deal is to chant His Name or earn the wealth of His Name.  Other than the deal of the Name of God every other deal in this world is a lie.  There is nothing in this world that will always exist or remain constant.  The only true trade in this world is to chant the Name of Ishwar, Waheguru, Khuda, God.”

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