Shiridi Sai Baba

Overview
Shirdi is a small village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. The small village is 100 km from Nashik. Today it is a hustling pilgrimage center of India.

Shirdi is the home of the Sri Sai Baba temple and is also known for its religious significance. Sri Sai Baba is among the most influential spiritual gurus of India.

History
Chandbhai, the headman of a village called Dhoopkhede (in Aurangabad), once lost his horse and was looking for it. Suddenly he heard a voice say "You look tired. come here and rest a while". He turned around and saw a young fakir . The fakir smiled at him and said "What are you looking for in this jungle, Chandbhai". Chandbhai was surprised and he wondered how the fakir knew his name. Slowly, he said "I have lost my horse. I have looked for it everywhere, but cannot seem to find it". The fakir told him to look behind a clump of trees. Chandbhai was pleasantly surprised to find his horse grazing peacefully behind those trees. He thanked the fakir and asked his name. The fakir said "some people call me Baba."

Sai Baba then invited Chandbhai to have a smoke with him. He got the pipe ready, but there was no fire to light it with. Sai Baba thrust a pair of tongs into the ground and brought out a burning coal. Chandbhai was wonderstruck. He thought "he is no ordinary person!" and invited Baba to come to his house and be his guest for a few days.

Next day Baba went to Chandbhai's house and found everybody in a very joyful mood and festivities going on all around. He found that Chandbhai's wife's nephew was getting married. The bride was from Shirdi and the marriage party was going to Shirdi. Chandbhai invited Baba to accompany the marriage party to Shirdi. At Shirdi they camped in a field next to Khandoba's temple.

After the wedding, Saibaba stayed on at Shirdi. At first he lived under a neem tree and begged for food whenever he needed it. He then went to Khandoba's temple, intending to stay there, the temple priest (Mahalsapathi) met him at the entrance first called him Sai (mean "saint") and told him to go to the mosque. That is how Baba, started staying at the Mosque which was later called Dwarkamayi.

Baba helped bring Unity and Harmony between all communities. He said that God is one, but called by different names. He said follow your own religion and seek the truth.

One day a rich millionaire named Booty came to Sai Baba and said he was going to construct a stone building for Shri Krishna. Baba helped him plan the building. Before the building was completed Baba fell very ill. On the 15th October 1918, he breathed his last. His last wish was to be buried in Booty's building.

After Sri Sai Baba was buried, Booty's stone building came to be known as the Samadhi Mandir. Sri Sai Baba was buried here and a beautiful shrine was built over it. To this day, people flock to Shirdi to pay homage to Sri Sai Baba.

Samadhi Mandir
The Mandir is built with stones and Sai Baba's Samadhi is built with white marble stones. railing is built in marble around the Samadhi and is full of ornamental decorations. In front of the Samadhi are two silver pillars full of decorative designs. Just behind the Samadhi is Sai Baba's marvelous statue made of Italian marble, which shows him seated on a throne. This idol was made by the late Sri Balaji Vasant. This statue was installed on 7th October 1954. Above the statue is an open, silver umbrella.

The front of the Mandir has an assembly hall where about 600 devotees can be accommodated. Here is a showcase where various things handled by Sai Baba are kept. On the first floor of the Mandir are pictures that depict Baba’s life. The daily routine of the temple starts at 5 o'clock in the morning with Bhoopali, a morning song, and closes at 10 o'clock in the night after the Shejarati is sung. Only on three occasions the temple is kept open overnight i.e. on Gurupoornima, Dassera, and Ramnavami. Every Thursday and on each festival, a Palakhi with Baba's photo is taken out from the temple.

Dwarkamai
Sri Sai Baba came to Shirdi with a marriage procession. He stayed at Dwarkamai till the very end of his life. Dwarkamai is situated on the right of the entrance of Samadhi Mandir. Here he solved problems of the people, cured their sickness and worries. Before Baba's arrival in Shirdi, Dwarkamai was an old mosque in a dilapidated condition.

Baba turned it into Dwarkamai and proved that God is one. The first level of Dwarkamai has a portrait of Baba and a big stone on which Baba used to sit. This level has two rooms. One contains the chariot and the second a palkhi. Just in front of the room where the chariot is kept is a small temple. A saffron flag flies over it. The second level of Dwarkamai has a square stool made of stone, which Baba used for taking a bath.

The main attraction of this place is the oil painting of Sri Sai Baba sitting in a carved wooden shrine. This level also has the grinding stone and the wooden vessel called Kolamba in which Baba used to keep the Bhiksha brought from the village.


Gurusthan
Sai Baba first came to Shirdi in the form of Bal Yogi - a child ascetic. He was first spotted seated under a Neem tree. This place came to be known as Gurusthan. The renovation of Gurusthan was made on 30th September, 1941. The present temple was built after this period. There is a small shrine in Gurusthan. On a elevated platform of this shrine a big portrait of Baba is placed. On the side is a marble statue of Baba. In front of the portrait is a Shivling and the Nandi. Photos of twelve Jyotirlinga are kept in the temple. At a short distance lies Baba's Chavadi. Baba used to sleep here every alternate day.

Lendi Baug
At some distance from Gurusthan there is the Lendi Baug. This Baug (garden) was made and watered daily by Baba himself. It got its name from a Nalla (a drain) which used to previously 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 lit in that pit. One octangular Deepgriha 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 Peepal tree and on the other side is a Neem tree.


Khandoba Mandir
This temple is situated on the main road. In front of this temple Baba was welcomed by Poojari Mhalsapati, of this temple, saying "Aao Sai", when Baba stepped in Shirdi. In this temple there are icons of Khandoba, Banai and Mhalsai.

Sri Sai Baba Aarti
Aarti is a devotional prayer that has devotees standing before the image of a deity or consecrated saint accompanied with singing of devotional songs in unison. Sai baba's aarti is sung in Marathi. This singing is often accompanied by other musical instruments such as bells, gongs and cymbals. In Hindu rituals aarti is a rich and vibrant event, when the deity is adorned with garlands and showered with flowers along with aromatic incense sticks and waving of panchmukhi diya or five-wicks oil lamp around his figure in clockwise.

After offering the aarti before the deity, it is brought before all the devotees, who then pass their hands by turns over the sacred flame of the aarti lamp and quickly bring them closer to their faces and heads as a gesture of receiving the auspicious energy from the holy flame.

At Shirdi, there are four aarti sessions all through the day, during which devotees congregate invoking Sai Baba, seeking his blessings.

The day begins with the invocation of Sri Sai Baba with the morning aarti called the Kakkad Aarti at 5.15am.
Madhyan Aarti or Midday aarti is held at 12noon.
The evening aarti or the Sandhya Aarti takes place at 6.30pm and
The day closes with Shej Aarti or Night aarti at 10pm.

During these aartis devotees make offerings to Sai Baba in the form of new clothes, flowers, fruits and sweets, etc. A little bit of Udi (sacred ash) is also given to the devotees as a token of love from Sri Sai at the end of the rituals.

Visiting places around Shiridi
Shirdi is surrounded by other holy places like Shani Singanapur, Triambakeswar, Mukthi dham and Panchavati. World heritage sites Ellora and Ajantha are situated within a radius of 250 km from Shirdi.


How to Reach?
Shirdi is easily accessible from all parts of India.

By Air

The nearest airport to Shirdi is at Nashik, 75kms away.
Aurangabad is at a distance of 150kms, which is connected by all the major towns of India.
You can also come till Mumbai by air and travel down to 296kms to reach Shirdi. Mumbai has both international and domestic airports that grant connectivity to the world.
Domestic airport in Pune is about 231kms from Shirdi. There are regular public and private transport operators that ensure your easy access to the sanctum of Saibaba.

By Rail

Kopergaon on Daund-Manmad Line is an important railway station about 16kms from Shirdi.
Manmad is another important station about 58kms from Shirdi which carries a number trains from Mumbai and Delhi.
Nagarsul is 45Kms away from Shirdi and takes approx 50 mins by road. There are many buses available from Nagarsul, you can hire a cab as well.
Nagarsol is the nearest railhead for Hyderabadis to visit Shirdi.

By Road

Shirdi can be reached by taking a Bus from almost all major cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, etc.,


My experience

First time had visited this temple in 1994.
This time I found lots of changes around the temple complex.
They had raged the shops around the temple thus making it more convenient for the devotees. The waiting halls and queue rooms are well maintained.
I always find the temple well maintained. There is absolutely no harassment by temple authorities or other people, which is normally associated with any famous temple in India.
One really gets satisfaction in this temple.