Shirdi- A Must Visit Sacred Place for Everyone

Introduction to Shirdi

Shirdi is a small town located in Rahata Tahsil in Ahmedanagar District of Maharashtra (India). The tiny village is approximately 100 km away from Nasik. Today, Shirdi is a hustling-bustling holy centre of India. Shirdi was the abode of great saint Sai Baba who spent almost 50 years of his life in this small village. Sai Baba is respected as one of the greatest yogi, guru and fakir in Indian history, bestowed with extraordinary powers and worshipped as a God personified.

This mystifying saint entered unexpectedly in Shirdi as a youth and stayed at this place throughout his life, he changed the lives of people by his teachings. Sai Baba taught an ethical code of forgiveness, love, contentment and charity to his devotees. The spiritual and religious perfection of Sai Baba is still pulling countless believers to him from the farthest corners of the world.

Life History of Sai Baba

The name Sai Baba is an amalgamation of two words ‘Sai’ means ‘Saint’ and ‘Baba’ means ‘Father’. The name is given by the first follower of Sai Baba, Mahalsapathi. The name simply reflects devotion, respect, love and charity. The origin of Sai Baba is totally unidentified to this day. He never revealed where he was born and brought up, but appeared as an answer to all sort of communal and religious diversities. He arrived at Shirdi village when he was sixteen years old and due to his great teachings, he became popular amongst villagers. Sai Baba preaches that God is the almighty and has given equal chances to all the human beings to reach him.

He never differentiated between rich and poor, he said every human being is equal and we have no right to discriminate them in terms of religion, caste etc. Due to his teaching, the small town of Shirdi was becoming a centre of pilgrimage for devotees. But the life of great saint remained unaltered, calm and undisturbed. Sai Baba left his body on 15^th October 1918 leaving his numerous devotees and believers crying.

Sai Baba’s Teachings

The mission of Sai Baba is to give blessings and he proved it in ample of ways: saving lives, protecting the helpless, warding off accidents, healing the sick and giving offspring pecuniary help to needy ones. An excellent aspect of Sai Baba is that he was far away from distinctions of creed, caste or religion. Hindu and Muslin find their congregation point in Sai, and people from all communities got united by the reverence and love given by Baba. Sai Baba once said that “I am formless and available at every corner of the world”. He always said that “Allah Malik” and considered himself as a slave of God.

Sai Baba said that God is omnipresent and lives in every being and has its essence can be seen in all the people. In his teachings, he laid emphasis on the significance of performing one’s duty without affection to materialistic matters. For Sai Baba, the inner purity mattered and he said no amount of external cleansing would serve any purpose if a human being remained impure in heart and mind. Himself as a quintessence of love and compassion, Sai Baba taught kindness to his believers.

Pilgrimage Attractions in Shirdi

Sai Baba Temple

• Opening time- 4:00 am
• Closing time- 11:15 pm
• Darshan begins from- 5:40 am
• Highlights- Samadhi of Sai Baba
• Constructed by- Shreemant Gopalrao

Sai Baba Temple is a beautiful holy place of worship that was constructed over the Samadhi of Sai Baba in 1922. The temple is located approximately 296 km away from Mumbai and draws attention of millions of devotees of all castes, creeds and religions who come to pay reverence to Sai Baba. The shrine was built by a Nagpur-based businessman who was an ardent follower of Sai Baba. The temple comprises of a beautiful statue of Sai Baba, in addition with his Samadhi that is known as Shree Shirdi Sai Mandir. The Samadhi of Baba is constructed with pure white marble and wholly decked with ornamental embellishments.

In the temple premises, there are two silver pillars in front of the Samadhi that are bejeweled with beautiful designs. Behind Samadhi, there is an enormous idol of Sai Baba, wrapped in Italian marble, in this Baba is shown seated on a throne. The temple complex also has an assembly hall that showcases several things used by Sai Baba in olden times. The shrine kept open three days in the year – Ramnavmi, Dussehra and Guru Poornima.

Gurusthan - Gurusthan means the “Seat of Teacher” is a sacred place that is situated in the surrounding area of Shirdi. It is the place where Sai Baba appeared first time to the world. The holy place is located under the sacred Neem Tree that is popular for giving shelter to Sai Baba. Portraiture of Sai Baba has been positioned in the shrine. A marble idol of baba is placed nearby shrine. In front of the portrait of Sai Baba, devotes can see statues of Nandi and Shivlingam. A shrine built at the site comprises of twelve jyotirlingas. It is believed that people who light incense stick here gets free from several ailments.

Shani Shingnapur Shani Shingnapur is another major place to see in Shirdi. The small village is situated in Maharashtra. Lord Shanidev is the presiding deity of this small town and people from all over the world pay visit to this sacred town. The sight of the divine being in black stone is awe-inspiring here. One of the distinctive features of this village is that the houses have no doors or locks on them for safety reasons. The villagers believe that it is the blessing of the deity that no crime happens in the small town. Tomb of Sant Shri Udasi Baba and Shri Dattatraya Temple are the close by attractions.

Dwarkamai - The arrival of Sai Baba in Shirdi took place with a cause to attend a marriage procession. He stayed at Dwarkamai till the last moments of his life. The sacred place is one of the treasures of Shirdi and located on the right side of Samadhi Mandir. Before the arrival of Sai Baba in Shirdi, Dwarkamai was an old mosque in a rinky-dink condition. The major attraction of this hallowed place is the oil painting of Shri Sai Baba sitting in an engraved wooden temple. Dwarkamai has many levels; the first level of shrine has portraiture of Baba on which the divine soul used to sit. The second level comprises of a square stool that is made up with stone that was used by Sai Baba for taking bath.

Shri Khandoba Mandir - A very old shrine, Khandoba Mandir is nestled in the outskirts of Shirdi village. The temple has carved idols of Banai, Khandoba and Mhalsai. This is the most recognized place of Shirdi where Sai Baba put his footprint or visited this place for the first time. Sai Baba decided to make this shrine his abode, but Bhagat Mhalsapati considered him a Muslim and did not permit him to stay there. Then after, baba made an old mosque his shelter and stayed there till the last breath of his life. The shrine is approximately 5000 years old, but simple, rural and natural. A stone statue of Lord Khandoba is placed in central point of the holy place.

Lendi Baug - Lendi Baug is another worth visiting place in Shirdi. The beautiful, serene and wonderful garden is the place where Sai Baba used to go on a daily basis for watering the plants and for meditation. The garden got its name from the drain that used to flow here. Baba used to take rest beneath the shade of the Neem tree. In the garden Sai Baba dug a 2 feet deep hole in the ground and put a deep (light) in this pit that is known as deepgriha. The octagonal deepgriha is framed in marble stone in the remembrance of this spot. At the entry gate of garden, devotees can see the Samadhi’s of passionate followers of Sai Baba.

Maruti Mandir - Maruti Mandir is located at a remoteness of few minutes from the cottage of Abdul baba who was an ardent follower of Sai Baba. This is the shrine where baba used to organize satsangs, along with a bal yogi- Devidas, who used to stay in the holy place before the arrival of Sai Baba. The temple is marked y two trees bordered by a rounded railing.

How to get in

By Air - Nasik is the nearby airport that is 75 kms away and Aurangabad airport is located at a distance of 140 km and well-connected with all the prominent cities. Visitors can also come till Mumbai and travel 296 kms to reach Shirdi. Mumbai has the facility of national and international airports that gives an excellent connectivity all across the globe.

By Rail - Kopergaon on Daund-Manmad Line is the nearby railway station that is approximately 16 km away from Shirdi and has a good connectivity with all the major cities of India.

By Road - One can easily reach Shirdi by taking a bus from approximately all the main cities of Maharashtra.

Fast Facts

• Location- Maharashtra
• District- Ahmednagar
• Famous for/as- Pilgrim
• Altitude- 504 m
• Languages: Marathi, Hindi, English
• Best Season to visit- June - March
• Weather- Summer 20°C to 40°C, winter 8°C to 34°C

Shirdi is one such place that attracts almost tourists of all castes, religions and creeds. The beautiful place is must visit for those who wish to pay homage to Shri Sai Baba.

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