Fast Facts:

• Best Season: June - March
• Languages: Marathi, Hindi, English
• Weather: Summer 20 to 40°C, Winter 8 to 34°C

Shirdi at a Glance:

This pilgrimage site mostly recognized for the great saint Shirdi Sai Baba is located in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar. This sacred place is also identified as the land of Sai and remains packed with pilgrims throughout the year. This destination, during the earliest 20th century shot to fame. Its name is interlinked with the lifestyle of Sai Baba. When Sai was just 16 years old then he visited this place and stayed here until the end of his life in 1918. This destination is sited at a distance of 82 km from Ahmednagar, 297 km from Mumbai and 80 km from the spiritual city if Nasik as well as 16 km from Kopargaon.

History:

Chidabaram at a Glance: The real facts about Sai Baba is unknown, however people regard him as an Indian Guru, Fakir, Yogi and Saint. He was followed by numerous devotees and one of his aficionados Hemadpant wrote legendary Shri Sai Satcharitra considering him as an embodiment of Lord Krishna. The first appearance of Sai baba over this spot took place under a neem tree. Sai observed here hard reparation and he devoted next 60 years of his life in uplifting the poor and the sufferers. In fact there is no evidence that he belongs to which community and at present the people belong to other cast and creed, follow his teachings and paths.

Major Attractions:

Samadhi Mandir: Constructed by a staunch follower of Sai, this pilgrimage site is considered the heart beat of the city. This Samadhi is made up of sheer white marble. Inside the place of worship is a life-size idol of Baba that also is built from white marble. The approx darshan timing is around an hour that goes up to 3 to 4 hours on Thursday. Each day, four main aartis are performed over here and one must attend more than one if possible. The Shri Sai Baba Sansthan carries out all devotional activities. All donations as well as offerings are made here and from here one can arrange the visiting to the temple premises and puja. Since the capacity of the shrine is limited, admission is strictly on a first come first serve basis. The temple gets bedecked specially on the three major festivals that include Guru Purnima, Ramnavami, and Vijaydashami. During these celebrations the shrine remains open for 24 hrs.

Open from: 5.00 AM to 10.00 PM

Note:Cameras and mobile phones are not allowable inside

Chawadi: This is a tiny stone construction where Sai used to retreat each other night. It features the the stone chair and the wooden bed that were used by him.

Open From: 7.00 AM to10.00 PM

Gurusthan: Situated at exterior of the Samadhi Mandir, it is a small place of worship under a neem tree, where Baba is supposed to have contemplated. This holy place features a Shiv Ling along with a portrait of Baba. The shrine is visited mainly on Thursdays as well as Fridays.

Open from: 5.00 AM to10.00 PM

Dwarkamai: This 2-storey structure is in fact an ancient mosque where Sai resided. At the moment it houses pictures of the saint along with the articles that he used, with an old grinding-stone, where he used to pulverized wheat and cereals for the poor plus a stone stool. Dhooni is the most important highlight of this mosque that keeps on burning for 24 hours and delivers the sanctified udi (ash) to the followers.

Open Timing: 7.00 AM to 10.00 PM

Khandoba Mandir: This shrine is to be found on the main highway. Baba was greeted by Poojari Mhalsapati in front of this holy place, when Sai placed his footstep in Shridi. In this place of worship there are icons of Banai, Khandoba and Mhalsai.

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