Shirdi is a small town on the Ahmednagar- Manmad highway. Situated around 307 km northeast of Mumbai, the town is around 6 hr drive from Mumbai. Shirdi is a silent place with population of around 15000. The city earns the major part of its revenue from the tourists and pilgrims whose number sometimes crosses the 30000 mark with utmost ease. This holy destination is a home to a great legend Sai Baba who lived her for around eighty years before he went into his samadhi some 80 years ago in 1918. Shirdi is mainly a religious center. The town is tiny and is of just 2 Sq km. It has a main street and is full of narrow by lanes that are covered with small shops, most of them selling material that are offered at the temple.
Sai Baba - Spirituality Personified
Sai Baba, the legend who showed us the path to the ultimate nirvana is how he is remembered. He was a paradigm of unmitigated spirituality. As for all other true saints, information about Sai Baba is also very less and unconfirmed, like the town and year of his birth. As the legend has it, Sai Baba reached Shirdi as an unknown man and used to roam around the outskirts of Shirdi, in the adjacent forests or used to sit under a Neem tree completely immersed in his lord( The All Mighty). He was of a very simple appearance and wore a kafni (a long shirt). He also tied a white cloth around his head. He used a sackcloth to sit and sleep on. A woman named Bayyaji Bai was one of the earliest persons who saw his divine powers and started believing in him. She used to take food in a basket on her head into the deep jungles, searching for him. Later on, as if out of consideration for Bayyaji Bai, he started spending his time in a bedraggled mosque on the outskirts of the town. He used to call it 'Dwarkamai'. Everyday he used to distribute the money that he got as Dakshina, to the poor and needy. He started solving problems of people, sometimes even by using miracles because he never liked any body leaving his place empty handed. Everybody started addressing the less known fakir as Sai Baba. Devotees started pouring into Shirdi and the town became a pilgrim centre for all.
Sai baba raised a flower garden in the village and used to water the plants everyday. He spent a lot of his later years in that garden. Sai Baba went through his divine mission by providing the needy with his love, compassion, purity and spiritual knowledge that helped them live a happy and dignified life. Sai Baba left his physical body and went into Samadhi in 1918.
Sai Baba's place Shirdi (Maharashtra State) is a very sacred, powerful and important place of pilgrimage in India.
Khandoba Mandir: This place is near Shirsainath Hospital. Baba stepped here in Shirdi at the foot of banyan tree near Khandoba Temple along with Chand Patil's wife's nephew's marriage party. The then Pujari Mhalsapati welcome Him by calling "Ya Sai".
Gurusthan Mandir: This is the place where Baba first appeared to the world as a boy of 16 years & this place is supposed to be Baba's Gurusthan. the famous Margosa (Neem) tree is here. it has a reference in Shri Sai Sat-charita. Devotees claim that their ailments are cured by burning incense here on Thursday & Friday.
Sai Baba's Samadhi Mandir: This is the place where Sacred Body of Baba is resting in Samadhi. The articles handled by Baba are preserved & displayed here in a special showroom. All rituals consisting of Pooja. Abhishek & daily four Aratis are performed here. The Samadhi Mandir of Shri Sai Baba was actually owned by a millionaire from Nagpur and a famous Sai devotee Shreemant Gopalrao, also known as 'Butti Wada'. He wanted to keep an idol of Murlidhar there. However, according to the legends, Sai Baba manifested himself as Murlidhar and the temple became the Samadhi Mandir of Baba. The Samadhi of Baba is built with white marble stones. The railings around it are full of ornamental decorations. The idol of Baba is a marvelous statue made up of Italian marble built by Late Balaji Vasant in 1954. The temple has an assembly hall for about 600 devotees. The first floor of the temple has the pictures depicting the life of the saint. The temple opens on 5 AM with morning prayers and close down at 10 PM with night prayers.
Dwarkamai (Masjid): Baba stayed at this place continuously for 60 years. Innumerable devotees got blessing of Baba here. The Shila (Stone) on which Baba used to sit is located nearby. Also Sacred Fire (Dhuni) lit by Baba is ever burning here. Baba used to give Sacred Udi (Ash) to the devotees to solve their problems in life. Udi distributed to the devotees now is only from this Dhuni. Baba used to cook food here for distribution to devotees. Main attraction of the site is the oil paintings of the sage.
Chawdi Mandir: On every alternate day Baba used to proceed in procession from Dwarkamai to this place at night & halt & sleep here. Now also on every Thursday Palanquin procession of Baba's Photo. Holy Padukas & Satka is taken to this place between 9.15 p.m. & 10.00 p.m. The Chavadi is divided into two parts. One part of the Chavadi has a large portrait of Baba along with a wooden bed and a white chair belonging to him.
Lendi Baug: At some distance from Gurusthan, there is the Lendi Baug. This garden was made and watered daily by Baba himself. It got its name from a nullah (a drain), which used to flow there. Baba used to come here every morning and afternoon and take rest under a neem tree. Baba dug a pit, 2 feet deep, under the neem tree and kept a deep (a lighting object) lit in that pit. An octagonal deepgriha (lighthouse) called Nanda Deep has been built in marble stone in memory of this place. It constantly burns in a glass box. On one side of the deepgriha is a pipal tree and on the other side is a neem tree.
Other Places: The Samadhis of Shri Tatya Patil Kote, Shri Bhau Maharaj Kumbhar, Shri V.Padmanabha Iyer, Shri Nanawali & Shri Abdul Baba who were ardent Bhaktas closely associated with Shri Sai Baba during His life time are located in Sansthan premises near lendhi Baug.
Lendi Baug: This is the place where Shri Sai Baba used to go for stroll. Nandapeep is kept constantly burning near the Pimple tree planted by shri sai Baba Himself. There is also Datta Mandir in this garden & Shri Sai Baba's deloyed Horse 'Shamkarna'(Shamsunder) is taking Eternal Rest here. There is also a well here called as 'Baba's Shivdi'.
In addition 3 other Temples are in Temples premises complex : 1) Shri Ganesh Temple, 2) Shri Shani Temple & 3) Shri Mahadev Temple.
Directions To Shirdi Temple
How to get to Shirdi:
Nearest airports are Mumbai (260 km), Pune (185 km), and Aurangabad (125 km). Flights for all the major cities in India and abroad can be taken from Mumbai. The nearest railway station is Manmad (60 km) on the Central Railway, which is connected to many parts of the country with express trains. Most of the trains touching Nasik Road railway station also touch Manmad. Shirdi has railway reservation office for trains from Manmad. Taxis and buses are easily available at Manmad railway station for transfer to Shirdi. Regular taxi service also operates between Manmad railway station and bus stand. State Transport Corporation and private operators run coaches to Shirdi from Mumbai. The easiest way to get to Shirdi is by bus. If you fly into the Mumbai airport, hire a taxi (the ones that are in lines at the very front of the airport) to take you to the Dadar Bus Stand. The cost is about Rs.-150 to Rs.-175 (make sure they turn the meter on). There are also people who will try to redirect you to their own "private" taxis. These "private" taxis charge between Rs. 400 to Rs. 600 to take you to the Dadar Bus Stand. At the Dadar Bus Stand, there are long lines of small ticket counters that sell bus tickets to Shirdi. Preferably, try to get an A/C direct bus (Rs.-300). If you are not able to get an A/C direct bus, get a non-A/C direct bus (Rs.-150). Buses leave almost every 3 hours from Mumbai to Shirdi. So your wait will not be long. The buses make about 2 stops for food. The restaurants are non-vegetarian. So make sure you pack some snacks and bottled water for the trip. Keep an eye on your luggage! Try to get a bus that departs before 11am so you will not arrive too late at Shirdi.
