Shirdi, popularly known as the land of Sai Baba and the Home of Sai Baba, is located 122 km away from Nasik in Ahmednagar which is a district in Maharashtra. People believe that in the year 1858 Sai Baba came to Shirdi and spent around 60 years until the year 1918 when he attained salvation. This place is very famous for the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple.

Shirdi sai baba temple

The Shirdi Sai Baba temple is one of the richest temples present in India. The Shirdi Sai Baba temple complex covers 200 square meters of area. Throughout the year a large number of devotees visit the temple. In order to be precise, 50,000 devotees, on average, visit the Shirdi village daily. In fact, at the time of the festival even more than 100,000 devotees come to the temple that too on a daily basis.

How to reach?

You can reach Shirdi via Air, Rail and Road.

Reach Shirdi via Road:

You can reach Shirdi from Pangri (35 kms) , Ahmednagar (86 kms), Sinnar (56 kms), Pune (188 kms), Nasik (216 kms), Mumbai (238 km), and it is well connected through the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). 

Reach Shirdi via Rail:

Shirdi has a Railway Station of its own, which is known as the Shirdi Railway Station. This Railway station is 10 km away from the Shirdi Sai Baba temple. This Railway Station is well connected to major Indian cities such as Mumbai, Chandigarh, Pune, etc. 

Reach Shirdi via Air:

The nearest international airport to Shirdi is the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. It will take around 4 hours to reach this international airport from Shirdi.

The Shirdi sai baba temple is an extremely significant temple and it witnesses a great amount of crowd every year. The daily program in the Shirdi sai baba temple includes Aarti, bhajan, pothi, etc. This temple also offers the option of live darshan, accommodation, and donations to its devotees. The Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust manages the Shirdi sai baba temple. 

Where can you stay in Shirdi?

Checkout the below-listed hotels:

  • St Laurn the Spiritual Resort
  • Hotel Temple Tree, Shirdi Newly Renovated 
  • Sun-n-Sand Suites, Shirdi
  • Goradia’s Lords Inn
  • Hotel Sai Leela

What can you shop in Shirdi?

Visiting the Land of Sai Baba, you may wish to bring back a memory of that place. Since Shirdi is a place of religious importance hence something that you must buy from there are Sri Sai baba statue, Shawls, Prasada, and religious books. Some items that you can shop for are listed below:

Oranges:

If you plan to visit Shirdi between the month of September and January then you can take a lot of oranges along with you since oranges are extremely sweet in the month of January. The orchards of the oranges are present on the outskirts of the city. 

Shawls:

You can buy some really good quality shawls from Shirdi and use them for various occasions.

Prasada:

You may buy some Boondi Ladoo for home as Prasada or as a sweet dish. It has been a very common practice to take home this Prasada from Shirdi and share it with friends and family members. 

Sri Saibaba idol and Religious books:

A common book that is bought in Shirdi is the Sri Sai Satcharita. The life events of Sri Sai baba are present in verses in this book. You may even buy a beautiful Sri Sai baba Idol from this place.

Fond of Lockets and Finger rings?

You can get lockets and finger rings with Sai baba’s images engraved in them.

What are the other tourist spots in Shirdi?

Sai Teerth Theme park:

You must check out the first-ever spiritual-themed park of India in Shirdi. The four main attractions of Sai Teerth are:

Teerth Yatra:

A ride exhibiting journey across India. The religious hubs like Badrinath, Tirupati, Meenakshi, and Kedarnath are depicted. 

Dwarkamai:

A robotics and animatronics show which will take your breath away. Imagine Sai baba speaking to every visitor! Sounds unreal? This has been made possible with the help of great technology! 

Lanka Dahan:

Enjoy an amazing 5D movie experience that depicts Hanuman’s adventure in Lanka.

Sabka Malik Ek:

A giant theatre experience is waiting for you. This theatre shows an hour-long film which is on the life of Sai baba

Shani Shingnapur:

A miraculous lord Shani temple. The history and story of this temple are extremely interesting.

Wet N Joy Water Park:

Have a fun time with friends and family at one of the best tourist spots of Shirdi, “the Wet N Joy Water Park”. 

Hanuman Mandir:

Hanuman Mandir is also known as Maruti Mandir and it is quite an old temple present in Shirdi. 

Khandoba Mandir:

A temple dedicated to Lord Khandoba. It’s been believed that Lord Khandoba was an avatar of Lord Shiva. This temple is present at a 5-minute walking distance from the Sai Baba temple.

Baba Chavadi:

A Hindu temple, Baba Chavadi, is where alternative nights spent by Sai baba during the last ten years of his life. 

You must check out this video on the YouTube Channel TFS- Travel Food Stay, this video captures the visit to Shirdi Sai Baba Temple and also provides a clear guide on how to reach Shirdi. Hence, if you are planning a trip to Shirdi then this video will be of great help to you! 

The best time to visit the Shirdi sai baba temple is definitely throughout the year but usually, the peak season comes from October to November. Many tales of renowned Shirdi Sai are associated with Shirdi. His dedication and selfless love for the poor earned him the respect for which we worship him now.

You must plan a trip to Shirdi and do not forget to visit the Shirdi Sai Baba temple, it is among the best pilgrimages to visit near Pune. It is beautifully built with exquisite designs and great detail. The Sai Baba statue is a marvelous piece of art that projects him sitting on a throne. This beautiful statue is made up of Italian Marble.  The Shirdi Sai Baba temple opens at 5 A.M. and closes at 11 P.M. Large number of devotees queue up in order to seek the blessings of Sai Baba. Hence, if you plan a trip to Shirdi you must visit the Shirdi Sai Baba temple!

Written by: Nehal Sharma

(Disclaimer: This article is from the author’s perspective. Kindly check with experts before following. TFS – Travel, Food, Stay will not be responsible for any kind of inconvenience and incorrect or misleading information.)