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Shirdi - The Birthplace Of Sai

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Shirdi is a quaint little village in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, at a distance of approximately 88 km from Nashik. Today, it has transformed into a hustling pilgrimage centre.

Shirdi was the home of Sai Baba, the great saint of the 20th century. Baba lived in Shirdi for more than half a century, i.e., he spent more than 50 years of his life transforming this insignificant small village to a huge pilgrimage site, where devotees from all over the place used to come to visit him and offer their prayers.

The Abode Of The Mystical Sai

Sai Baba’s origin is known by none and a mystical enigma surrounds his birth details; however, he entranced everybody since the first time he appeared under a neem tree, at a nubile age of 16.

The saint devoted his entire life for the upliftment of the poor and the suffering. Sai Baba was famed as the Child of God as he was believed to be an embodiment of Lord Shiva. He spent his entire life at Shirdi preaching the message of universal fraternity and peace amongst all religions, often heard quoting – ‘Sabka Maalik Ek.’

Shirdi, then on, was thronged with visitors and believers, who travelled from every corner of the country, just to see his miraculous form with their own eyes. The great saint left for heavenly abode in 1918, and his samadhi is visited by lakhs of tourists even today.

Tourist Places In Shirdi

The point where Baba came to Shirdi as a Bal Yogi is called the Gurusthan. Today, a temple and a small shrine are built in the same place. Another place of interest that was associated with Sai Baba in some or the other capacity includes the Dwarkamai Mosque, where Baba slept on alternate nights.

The Khandoba Temple, Sakori Ashram Shani Mandir, Changdev Maharaj Samadhi and the Narsimha Mandir are other places that attract tourists who visit Shirdi.

The Lendi Bagh is a small garden that was made and watered by Baba himself. Baba used to visit this place daily and rest under a neem tree. An octagonal deepgriha, lighthouse, called Nanda Deep was built in stone in memory of this place.

The small town of Shirdi brims with fragrance of devotional intensity, emanating from devotees from across the world. The hamlet is placed highly on the world map of spirituality. There also exist temples of other village deities, like Shani, Ganapati and Shankar, that must be a paid a visit.

Devotees generally start queuing up right from dawn to catch a glimpse and seek blessings from the life-size statue of Sai Baba. Thursdays is especially crowded, and is marked by a special puja and darshan of Baba’s statue.

The temple opens at 4.15 am daily with morning prayers and closes at 10.30 pm in the night with night prayers. It has an assembly hall with a capacity for about 600 devotees. The first floor of the temple has pictures depicting the life of the great saint and is open for observation. The streets of the holy town are full of shops which sell records of Sai Baba's life. Below are the timings of the pujas held daily in the temple.

Bhupali - 4.15 am

Kakad Aarti - 4.30 am

Holy Bath - After Kakad Aarti

Satyanarayan Pooja - 8 am & 10.30 am

Abhishek - 7 am, 9 am & 12.30 pm

Mid-day aarti -  12.00 pm

Evening aarti - Sunset time

Bhajan, kirtan & vocal music - 8.30 pm to 10.00 pm

Shej Aarti  -  10.30 pm

Best Time To Visit Shirdi

This holy shrine can be visited at almost any time of the year; however, the monsoons are generally preferred, given the inviting climate the region has to offer during that period.

Visitors can plan their trip along the three main festivals celebrated in Shirdi – Guru Purnima, Dussehra and Ram Navami. During these festivals, uncountable devotees flock here and the whole atmosphere comes to life with vibrant bhajans and Rath Yatra that can be participated in. These are also the only days when the Samadhi Mandir of Shirdi is kept open for the entire night.

How To Reach Shirdi

The holy abode of Sai Baba is easily accessible by road, rail and air. The town is well developed and is connected by bus routes to Nasik, Pune and Mumbai. An airport is also being built in the vicinity, and this will only add to the comfort of travelling for the millions of devotees who fill in from all parts of the world.

By road, it is accessible via the Ahmednagar-Manmad State Highway No. 10 and is approximately 15 km away from Kopargaon, a small town in Ahmednagar.

Shirdi is Famous for

Shirdi Weather

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How to Reach Shirdi

  • By Road
    Shirdi is well connected to all neighbouring cities by Government owned buses. Depending upon the type of bus you choose, the fare ranges from Rs.200 to Rs.400 per head. From major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, and many more, one can opt for private luxury and deluxe buses to Shirdi. State Transport Corporation and private operators run coaches to Shirdi from Mumbai. State Transport buses also ply regularly from Nashik, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Pune and Kopargaon. Taxis are available from Mumbai to Shirdi and costs about Rs 6000. The distance from Mumbai to Shirdi by road is about 241 km and from Nashik to Shirdi, it is about 88 km. Aurangabad is 109 km away from Shirdi, while Pune is 187 km away.
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  • By Train
    Just recently, train services have also begun operating from different parts of the country to Shirdi. Shirdi�s newly built railway station is merely 10 km away from the Temple and runs several trains to different cities within India. The train travel is economical and affordable by everyone who is a true devotee and who wishes to visit Shirdi. Shirdi Fast Pas and Janshatabdi Special are two trains that run from Mumbai�s Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus Station. There are 51 more such trains, and they ply on all day with a few exceptions. The duration of the journey varies accordingly. Shirdi Express plies from Chennai and it takes close to more than a day to reach Shirdi. Kopargaon and Manmad are two major railways stations close to Shirdi, at a distance of 13 km and 52 km respectively. Both the station are connected to all the major cities within and outside Maharashtra via several trains. Regular taxi service also operates between the two stations and bus stand.
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  • By Air
    The closest International Airport is the Mumbai Chatrapati Shivaji Airport, 305 km away from Shirdi. All the major cities in India are connected to this airport. The other domestic airports near Shirdi are: Gandhinagar Airport (Nasik) � Aerial Distance: 76 km Chikkalthana Airport (Aurangabad) � Aerial Distance: 104 km Lohegaon Airport (Pune) � Aerial Distance: 147 km The state government has also announced Shirdi to have its very own airport by the end of 2012. The work is still in progress.
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