India /Maharashtra /Ahmednagar /Shirdi

Shirdi is a town in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, and 100 km from Nashik. It is today a hustling pilgrimage center of India. Shirdi was the home of Sai Baba, the great saint of the 20th century. The saint lived in Shirdi for more than 50 years of his life. He made the small village a big pilgrimage site for devotees. Devotees throng from all over the world. Sai Baba entered this village when he was 16 years of age. He appeared under a neem tree and was engaged in a hard self-mortification. The saint devoted his entire life for the upliftment of the poor and the suffering. The saint’s origin and early life are covered in enigma. He is believed to be an embodiment of lord Shiva. The whole village and every corner of it have some association with the great saint. The great saint left for heavenly abode in 1918 and his Samadhi is visited by thousands of tourists even today. The place where Sai Baba came to Shirdi as a Bal Yogi is known as Gurusthan. There is a temple at this site and a small shrine in Gurusthan. The small town of Shirdi is full of fragrance with the devotional intensity of devotees from across the world. The hamlet is placed highly on the world map of spirituality. The streets of the holy town are full of shops which sell Sai Baba record of his life. Anyone can visit the holy place easily. The town is well developed and is connected by bus routes.

Quick Facts-Edit

Category : Pilgrim

Time Zone: UTC + 5:30 Hours

Pincode: 423109

STD Code: 2423

Info Website: shrisaibabasansthan.org

Best Time to Visit:  June – March

HistoryEdit

Shirdi is one of the most revered among the spiritual destinations of India and is situated in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra near the sacred city of Nasik. Both Hindu and Muslim pilgrims visit this town from far corners of India and tourism in Shirdi is gaining huge popularity, drawing considerable number of foreign tourists as well. The key attractions of Shirdi are Sai Baba mandir (temple) and his samadhi (memorial), Dwarkamai (mosque), Gurusthan, Chavadi, Lendi Baug, Maruti Mandir, Chawadi and Samadhi of Abdulbaba. Find more information about Shirdi that will prove to be of useful help to the travelers planning to visit this place.

Places to VisitAdd

Ahmednagar sightseeing

How to ReachEdit

By Air : Mumbai Chatrapati Shivaji International airport, which is 245 km away from Shirdi is the nearest airport. All the major airlines have service from Mumbai to all major cities in India and many cities abroad including Singapore, Hong Kong, Colombo and gulf countries. Taxis are available from Mumbai to Shirdi and costs about Rs 6,000. The nearest domestic airport is at Nashik. The state government has also announced the city to have its own airport by the year 2012, the work for which has already commenced.

By Train : Trains services have also began operation from the different parts of the country for Shirdi. Located just 10 kms away from the temple, the newly built railway station of Shirdi now runs many trains from across the country like Delhi (Swarna Jayanthi), Mumbai (Sainagar Dr Exp), Chennai (Snsi Chennai Ex), Bangalore (Adi Sbc Express). The trains also have air conditioned compartments and various classes to suit every pocket.

By BUS : Shirdi is well connected to all neighboring cities by Government owned buses. Private A/C and non A/C deluxe buses are also available from Nasik, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune to Shirdi. Bus fare is about Rs 200 to Rs 400 per head, depending upon the type of bus and seat selected.

By Taxi : There are taxis available from the station and they take an hour to reach the town. They usually charge around Rs 400 for the trip. Cabs can also be hired from Shirdi and they charge between Rs 900 to 1500 per day depending on the car. Local cab agencies also provide A/C cars which is more expensive than ordinary cabs.

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Top HotelsAdd

Budget  – Up to Rs. 800

Hotel ABS, Shirdi ; Pimpalwadi Road, Shirdi 423109 ; Ph – N.A ; Facilities – Restaurant, Room service

Economy – Up to Rs. 801 to Rs. 1200

Hotel Ashoka Executive, Shirdi ; Nagar Manmad Highway, Opposite Bhakti Niwas 500 Rooms, Next To Axis Bank, Shirdi 423109 ; Ph – N.A ; Facilities – Room service, internet

Deluxe – Up to Rs. 801 to Rs. 1200

Hotel Lee Grand, Shirdi ; Pimpalwadi Road, Behind hotel Neeta, Shirdi 423109 ; Ph – N.A ; Facilities – Restaurant, Room service, internet, coffee shop.

Luxury – Rs. 2501 and above

Best Western Hotel Goradias, Shirdi ; Opposite Main Samadhi Temple, Shirdi 423109 ; Ph – N.A ; Facilities – Restaurant, Room service, internet, Business center, coffee shop, pool

Top RestaurantsAdd

• Sai Sahavas Hotel ;  Off Pimplewadi Road, Opp. Mahalaxmi Temple Lane, Shirdi – 423109 ; M –  02423 256 363 ; Food Serve :  Indian

• Rajdhani Restaurant ;  Level 1, Sai Complex, Near Sai Temple, Pimpalwadi Road, Shirdi ; M –  02423 256 907 ; Food Serve :  Indian

Must Eat FoodAdd

Must Do ActivitiesAdd

Must ShopAdd

Nightlife (Pub / Disc / BAR)Add

SpaAdd

FestivalAdd

Guru-purnima ; Venue:  Shirdi ; Period :  July-August ; Details:  Guru-purnima festival was started with Baba’s permission during his time. This day is marked for offering worship to one’s spiritual Master with reverence and love. It falls on the full moon day of the Hindu month ‘Ashaad ‘ (July-August). The celebrations continue for three days. The temple is open for the whole night for darshan on main day. Various devotional programmes are conducted on this occasion for all the three days.

Ram Navami ; Venue:  Shirdi ; Period :  April ; Details:  Ram Navami (Birthday of Lord Ram the Incarnation) celebrations were started with Baba’s permission in Dwarkamai mosque in the year 1898. Devotees regarded this auspicious day as the birthday of Lord Sai alike Lord Ram, an incarnation. The celebrations continue for three days.

Safety / WarningEdit

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HelplineEdit

• Police : 100
• Fire : 102
• Ambulance : 102

ItineraryEdit

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