Many persons who are considered as rebirths of gods have lived their life in India. One of such person is Sai Baba of Shirdi. Shirdi is a small town in State of Maharashtra, around 50 miles away from Nasik. There are millions of followers of Shirdi Sai Baba in the world today. That is why Shirdi remains full of pilgrims all through out the year. All castes of people like Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, Sikhs, and even Christians have faith in Sai Baba of Shirdi and they regularly visit Shirdi for the darshnas of Baba.
It is easy to reach Shirdi by road from Mumbai in a luxury bus or a hired car or taxi. The round trip tours to Shirdi are also available from Mumbai. It takes around 9 hours to reach Shirdi from Mumbai by road. If you happen to visit Nasik, Shirdi is only 50 miles away from Nasik and you can easily drive to Shirdi from Nasik. Any time is a good time to visit Shirdi but try to avoid visiting on Thursdays as there is always a very heavy rush on Thursdays. You must plan to stay for one night here at Shirdi so as to get good time for the darshnas. However, you will have to book your hotel in advance as there is heavy rush sometimes and no rooms are available in the hotels. The hotels like Sai Baba International, Pilgrim Inn, Sai Villa, Shreyas, and Sun and Sand are available here to stay. Sai Baba International is the best hotel here that offers 3 star facilities at the rate of around Rs. 2400 ($60) per day for air-conditioned double room. We had stayed at this hotel only. The hotel is very close to the main temple.
The temple remains open from 7 am to 12.30 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm normally. There are three arthis performed here at 7 am in the morning, 12 noon, and 7 pm in the evening. There is a very heavy rush of pilgrims at this time. So, if you want to attend arthi, make sure to reach at least one hour early. The arthi lasts for around 35 minutes and once you are stationed near the statue of Baba during the arthi, you will not be able to move out until the arthi finishes. It may not be advisable to go very close to the statue for the heart and asthma patients during these arthi times. However, the total environment is charged with holy electricity during these arthis. The statue of Baba is made of white Italian marble and has excellent face expressions of love, and sympathy for all. All the pilgrims make sure to take vibhuti of the holy fireplace that is done opposite the statue of Baba as a Prasad. The packets of these vibhuti are also available from the temple office. The tree under which Baba was sitting everyday in the evening is still present and all the pilgrims bow their heads at this most holy and sacred place. Sai Baba is considered as the rebirth of great Guru Dattatreya. So, most of the pilgrims consider Baba as their Guru and invariably come here on Guru Purnima day. The place of residence of Baba is called Dwarikmai’s monument. This is the small house where Baba was born and brought up till the age of 15. There are many places here at Shirdi, which are connected with the life of Baba. The Samadhi place of Baba can also be seen near the temple. There is a small market where you can buy all the items like photographs, vibhuti, holy malas, rings, and various books and cassettes containing bhajans of Baba.
It is also said that Shirdi Sai Baba has taken rebirth as Satya Sai Baba in Bangalore. Satya Sai Baba is still alive at the age of 82 years and does all sorts of religious activities at Puttparthi near Bangalore. Most of the Indians, irrespective of the caste, have a hearty desire to visit Shirdi. I sincerely hope that this article shall help them all to fulfill their wish at the earliest.
