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Shirdi is the place where the divine saint Sri Saibaba has lived over 60 years. His message to the mankind was to have 'Shradha' (Dedication) and 'Saboori' (Patience).
For more information on Shirdi please visit the official website of Sri Shirdi sai Samsthan at http://www.saibaba.org
Our organisation has a satram at Shirdi with 28 rooms. Two of them are air-conditioned. The satram caters food around 500 piligrims a day. It has a big dining hall for this purpose.
Sai Baba of Shirdi, (28 September 1835 – 15 October 1918; resided in Shirdi) also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master who was regarded by his devotees as a saint, fakir, and satguru, according to their individual proclivities and beliefs. He was revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees, and during, as well as after, his life it remained uncertain if he was a Hindu or a Muslim. This, however, was of no consequence to Sai Baba. He stressed the importance of surrender to the true Satguru or Murshid, who, having gone the path to divine consciousness, will lead the disciple through the jungle of spiritual training.
Sai Baba is worshipped by people around the world. He had no love for perishable things and his sole concern was self-realization. He taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, and devotion to God and guru. He gave no distinction based on religion or caste. Sai Baba's teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam: he gave the Hindu name Dwarakamayi to the mosque in which he lived,[4] practised Muslim rituals, taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions, and was buried in Shirdi. One of his well known epigrams, "Sabka Malik Ek" ("One God governs all"), is associated with Hinduism, Islam and Sufism. He also said, "Trust in me and your prayer shall be answered". He always uttered "Allah Malik" ("God is King").
Sai Baba's real name, his birthplace and date of birth are unknown. When asked about his past, he often gave elusive responses. The name "Sai" was given to him upon his arrival at Shirdi, a town in the west Indian state of Maharashtra. Mahalsapati, a local temple priest, recognised him as a Muslim saint and greeted him with the words 'Ya Sai!', meaning 'Welcome Sai!'. Sai or Sayi is a Persian title given to Sufi saints, meaning 'poor one'[page needed] and in Banjara language, "sayi" means good one.[citation needed] The honorific "Baba" means "father; grandfather; old man; sir" in most Indian and Middle Eastern languages. Thus Sai Baba denotes "holy father", "saintly father" or "poor old man". Alternatively, the Sindhi and Urdu word "sāī.n" (سائیں), an honorific title for a virtuoso, a saint, or a feudal lord (i.e. a patron), is derived from the Persian word "sāyeh", which literally means "shadow" but figuratively refers to patronage or protection. The Hindi-Urdu word "sāyā" comes from the same borrowing. Thus, it could also mean "Master Father." However, Sāī may also be an acronym of the Sanskrit term "Sakshat Eshwar", a reference to God. Sakshat means "incarnate" and Eshwar means "God".Some of Sai Baba's disciples became famous as spiritual figures and saints, such as Mahalsapati, a priest of the Khandoba temple in Shirdi, and Upasni Maharaj. He was revered by other saints, such as Saint Bidkar Maharaj, Saint Gangagir, Saint Janakidas Maharaj, and Sati Godavari Mataji. Sai Baba referred to several saints as 'my brothers', especially the disciples of Swami Samartha of Akkalkot.
In 1858 Sai Baba returned to Shirdi. Around this time he adopted his famous style of dress consisting of a knee-length one-piece Kafni robe and a cloth cap. Ramgir Bua, a devotee, testified that Sai Baba was dressed like an athlete and sported 'long hair flowing down to the end of his spine' when he arrived in Shirdi, and that he never had his head shaved. It was only after Baba forfeited a wrestling match with one Mohiddin Tamboli that he took up the kafni and cloth cap, articles of typical Sufi clothing. This attire contributed to Baba's identification as a Muslim fakir and was a reason for initial indifference and hostility against him in a predominantly Hindu village.[13]For four to five years Baba lived under a neem tree and often wandered for long periods in the jungle around Shirdi. His manner was said to be withdrawn and uncommunicative as he undertook long periods of meditation. He was eventually persuaded to take up residence in an old and dilapidated mosque and lived a solitary life there, surviving by begging for alms, and receiving itinerant Hindu or Muslim visitors. In the mosque he maintained a sacred fire which is referred to as a dhuni, from which he gave sacred ashes ('Udhi') to his guests before they left. The ash was believed to have healing and apotropaic powers. He performed the function of a local hakim and treated the sick by application of ashes. Sai Baba also delivered spiritual teachings to his visitors, recommending the reading of sacred Hindu texts along with the Qur'an. He insisted on the indispensability of the unbroken remembrance of God's name (dhikr, japa), and often expressed himself in a cryptic manner with the use of parables, symbols and allegories.
Sai Baba opposed all persecution based on religion or caste. He was an opponent of religious orthodoxy — Christian, Hindu and Muslim. Sai Baba encouraged his devotees to pray, chant God's name, and read holy scriptures. He told Muslims to study the Qur'an and Hindus to study texts such as the Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Vasistha. He was impressed by the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita and encouraged people to follow it in their own lives. He advised his devotees and followers to lead a moral life, help others, love every living being without any discrimination, and develop two important features of character: devotion to the Guru (Sraddha) and waiting cheerfully with patience and love (Saburi). He criticised atheism. In his teachings, Sai Baba emphasised the importance of performing one's duties without attachment to earthly matters and of being content regardless of the situation. In his personal practice, Sai Baba observed worship procedures belonging to Hinduism and Islam; he shunned any kind of regular rituals but allowed the practice of namaz, chanting of Al-Fatiha, and Qur'an readings at Muslim festival times. Occasionally reciting the Al-Fatiha, Baba enjoyed listening to mawlid and qawwali accompanied with the tabla and sarangi twice daily. Sai Baba interpreted the religious texts of both Islam and Hinduism. He explained the meaning of the Hindu scriptures in the spirit of Advaita Vedanta. His philosophy also had numerous elements of bhakti. The three main Hindu spiritual paths — Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Karma Yoga — influenced his teachings. Sai Baba encouraged charity, and stressed the importance of sharing. He said: "Unless there is some relationship or connection, nobody goes anywhere. If any men or creatures come to you, do not discourteously drive them away, but receive them well and treat them with due respect. Shri Hari (God) will certainly be pleased if you give water to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked, and your verandah to strangers for sitting and resting. If anybody wants any money from you and you are not inclined to give, do not give, but do not bark at him like a dog."
The Shirdi Sai Baba movement began in the 19th century, while he was living in Shirdi. A local Khandoba priest, Mhalsapati Nagre, is believed to have been his first devotee. In the 19th century Sai Baba's followers were only a small group of Shirdi inhabitants and a few people from other parts of India.[citation needed] Because of Sai Baba, Shirdi has become a place of importance and is counted among the major Hindu places of pilgrimage.[citation needed] The first Sai Baba temple is situated at Kudal, Sindhudurg. This temple was built in 1922. It is believed that Sai Baba gave one Rupee to Dada Madye ji with which he built the temple in Kudal. The Sai Baba Mandir in Shirdi is visited by around 20,000 pilgrims a day and during religious festivals this number can reach up to 100,000. Shirdi Sai Baba is especially revered and worshiped in the states of Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. In August 2012, an unidentified devotee for the first time donated two costly diamonds valuing Rs 11.8 million at the Shirdi temple, Saibaba trust officials revealed.
During Sai Baba's life, the Hindu saint Anandanath of Yewala declared Sai Baba a spiritual "diamond". Another saint, Gangagir, called him a "jewel". Sri Beedkar Maharaj greatly revered Sai Baba, and in 1873, when he met him he bestowed the title Jagad guru upon him. Sai Baba was also greatly respected by Vasudevananda Saraswati (known as Tembye Swami). He was also revered by a group of Shaivic yogis, to which he belonged, known as the Nath-Panchayat. According to B.V. Narasimhaswami, a posthumous follower who was widely praised as Sai Baba's "apostle", this attitude was prevalent up to 1954 even among some of his devotees in Shirdi.Sai Baba is worshiped by prominent Zoroastrians such as Nanabhoy Palkhivala and Homi Bhabha, and has been cited as the Zoroastrians' most popular non-Zoroastrian religious figure. Meher Baba, who was born into a Zoroastrian family, met Sai Baba once, during World War I, in December 1915. Meher Baba was a youngster named Merwan Sheriar Irani, when he met Sai Baba for a few minutes during one of Sai Baba's processions in Shirdi. This event is considered as the most significant in Meher Baba's life. Shri Sai Satcharita (Sai Baba's life story), makes no mention of Meher Baba. But in Lord Meher, the life story of Meher Baba, there are numerous references to Sai Baba. Meher Baba credited his Avataric advent to Upasni, Sai Baba, and three other Perfect Masters: Hazrat Babajan, Hazrat Tajuddin Baba, and Narayan Maharaj. He declared Sai Baba to be a Qutub-e-Irshad (the highest of the five Qutubs, a "Master of the Universe" in the spiritual hierarchy).There are many Sai Baba temples in India. There are also temples located in countries outside India, including in the United States, Netherlands, Kenya, Cuba, Canada, Pakistan, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan. In the mosque in Shirdi, in which Sai Baba lived, there is a life-size portrait of him by Shama Rao Jaykar, an artist from Mumbai. Numerous monuments and statues depicting Sai Baba, which serve a religious function, have been made. One of them, made of marble by a sculptor named Balaji Vasant Talim, is in the Samadhi Mandir in Shirdi where Sai Baba was buried.
Dwarakamai the place where baba used to sit and talk to his devotees. It is near gate no 3 & 4.
Duni holy fire lited by sai baba and is still burning sai baba used to give the ashes of duni to his devotees as a cure to all their problems. Duni is in Dwarakamai and many people visit to get the blessings of sai baba. The ashes of Duni are still offered to devotees as Prasad inside the temple people can go inside the temple by the gate no. 4 and get the udi Prasad the ashes of Duni the eternal fire lited by sai baba and is still burning. It is near gate no 3 & 4.
Ganesh mandir , Shani mandir , Shiva mandir are inside the temple and can be visited by gate no 3 & 4.
Udi Prasad is given to the devotees inside the temple people can go inside the temple by gate no 3 & 4.
Gurusthan is inside the temple.
Chavadi is near Dwarakamai.
Lakshmi bai Samadhi and the 9 coins given to her by sai baba can be seen near Dwarakamai.
Mahalsapathi house and Shyama house are also near Dwarakamai.
Hanuman mandir near Dwarakamai is very famous people believe that this Hanuman is very powerful.
Mukh Darshan of Sai baba is between Dwarakamai and Hanuman temple which is used for the Quick darshan of Sai baba Samadhi from a distance, it is a long hall on one end the Samadhi of Sai baba is present and the other end is used for the bhajans and keerthanas of Sai.
Sai baba’s museum where the articles used by Sai baba are kept is inside the temple and people can go inside by gate no 3 & 4.
Lendi bahg where baba used to water plants is also inside the temple.
Khandoba mandir where baba was called as Sai by Mahalsapathi is beside Sai baba hospital opposite to BSNL office.
The famous temple of lord shani is near shiridi there are number of private vehicals that go up and down daily. Some people provide service only to shani shingnapur while others provide a package which includes Renuka matha , Bhagavathi matha ( kolhar ) , Ekmukh Dattatraya mandir ( sakuri ), Panchamukhi Ganesh mandir. The distance is 180 km up and down.
Thapoboomi in kopergav is a place to visit it is said that Sai baba did meditation in this place for some time, it is 16km from shiridi.
Sukracharya temple is located 3km from thapoboomi in kopergav, the distance between shiridi to kopergav is 16km.
Veerbhadra temple in rahatha is a place to visit, the distance between shiridi to rahatha is 5km.
The distance between shiridi to nashik is 280km up and down, the important places in nashik are MUKTIDHAM ( Birla mandir )
TRAYAMBAKESHWAR 10th jyothirling, kushwarthy tirth – Godavari River
PANCHAVATI – Ramkund, Kala ram, Goraram, seethe guha, Kapileshwar mandir, Shiv mandir, Lamba Hanuman, Triveni Sangam etc.
Note : private auto rikshaw at panchavati. No other vehicals are allowed even though you have your own vehicle you have to keep it in parking and should use autos for transportation.
The distance between shiridi to Aurangabad is 300km up and down, The important places to see are,GHRUSNESWAR ( 12th jyotirling ), ELLORA CAVES, BHADRA MARUTHI ( Sleeping Hanuman and glass temple ), MINI TAJMAHAL.
Ajantha caves closed on every Monday
Ellora caves closed on every Tuesday
There are many private travels that offer services to other places from shiridi some of them are below.
