Shirdi Sai Baba was born on September 27, 1838. He was born in a poor Brahmin family in the village of
Pathri in Aurangaabaadh District. For various reasons the parents left the child. A fakir found him. As he was a foundling, the fakir had no natural affection for him. After some years the boy was handed over to one Gopaal Rao Dheshmukh, who was also called Venkusa by the people on account of his scholarship and wisdom. The boy grew up in Venkusa’s home for some time. However, he was not inclined to stay there for long. In 1854 he went to Shirdi. At Shirdi, Mhalaspathi saw him entering the local temple. Looking at his appearance as a Muslim, Mhalaspathi turned him out of the temple. The boy went back and sat under a neem tree. He was sixteen years old at that time. No one knew then what his name was. If anyone asked for his name, he would give no answer. He would sometimes retort saying, “Why do you want to know my name?” Because of this, nobody could find out his name.
Sai Baba the healer
Some villagers from nearby places used to visit him under the tree and get relief for their ailments. He would take out some leaves, crush them and give them to the ailing person as a medicine. In this manner he cured many persons of their illnesses. News of the healing powers spread to all the surrounding villages. As a result a large number of persons used to come to him, receive the crushed leaves from him and get cured of their ailments. Suddenly, one morning he disappeared. A futile search was made in the nearby areas to trace him. Later, in 1858, he came to Shirdi again after three years. There was a village called Dhoop in Aurangaabaadh. One Chandhubhai Patel, belonging to a middle class family, lived in Dhoop.As no other form of transport was available in those days, people used to go on horseback. Chandhubhai went on his horse to Aurangaabaadh on some urgent business. When he had finished his business there at the end of three days, he found that the horse was missing. Disappointed over the missing horse, Chandhubhai was returning to Dhoop passing through dense forests on the way.
Nearest airports are Mumbai (260 km), Pune (185 km), and Aurangabad (125 km). Flights for all the major cities in India and abroad can be taken from Mumbai. The nearest railway station is Manmad (60 km) on the Central Railway, which is connected to many parts of the country with express trains. Most of the trains touching Nasik Road railway station also touch Manmad. Shirdi has railway reservation office for trains from Manmad. Taxis and buses are easily available at Manmad railway station for transfer to Shirdi. Regular taxi service also operates between Manmad railway station and bus stand. State Transport Corporation and private operators run coaches to Shirdi from Mumbai. The easiest way to get to Shirdi is by bus. If you fly into the Mumbai airport, hire a taxi (the ones that are in lines at the very front of the airport) to take you to the Dadar Bus Stand. The cost is about Rs.-150 to Rs.-175 (make sure they turn the meter on). There are also people who will try to redirect you to their own "private" taxis. These "private" taxis charge between Rs. 400 to Rs. 600 to take you to the Dadar Bus Stand. At the Dadar Bus Stand, there are long lines of small ticket counters that sell bus tickets to Shirdi. Preferably, try to get an A/C direct bus (Rs.-300). If you are not able to get an A/C direct bus, get a non-A/C direct bus (Rs.-150). Buses leave almost every 3 hours from Mumbai to Shirdi. So your wait will not be long. The buses make about 2 stops for food. The restaurants are non-vegetarian. So make sure you pack some snacks and bottled water for the trip. Keep an eye on your luggage! Try to get a bus that departs before 11am so you will not arrive too late at Shirdi.
Where to stay and eat:
I would personally recommend (for foreigners) to stay at Hotel Neeta. Hotel Neeta is directly across from the Shirdi Temple Complex. Hotel Neeta is also easy to find, close to bus-booking agencies and gift shops. The best vegetarian restaurant I found was a restaurant called Sai Sagar, which happens to be located on the ground floor to Hotel Neeta. I tried various vegetarian restaurants and found Sai Sagar to be the best. Their prices are very reasonable and the food portions are generous. Hotel Neeta costs between Rs.-700 to Rs.-1200 per night (depending on whether you want A/C or Non-A/C rooms or single or double beds). That is approximately $20 US Dollars per night. If you would like to make reservations at Hotel Neeta, you can call them at: 952423-255802 / 255801. For your information, I do not have any sort of relations or contacts with Hotel Neeta. I am simply recommending them from my own personal experiences with them. I also stayed at Sai Leela, which is also a very nice hotel, but I did not like their food and thought it was very expensive for the portion size and quality. Sai Leela is similarly priced as Hotel Neeta. Sai Leela has a swimming pool and is about a 10 minute walk to the Shirdi Temple Complex. On the way to Shirdi, there are many billboards advertising the Sai Leela Hotel, saying the cost for rooms is around Rs.-500. Those billboards are old and the prices are incorrect. If you want a swimming pool, you can stay at Sai Leela and eat at Sai Sagar.
Once you go inside the Temple for Darshan, you can expect long lines if it is a Holy Day. Otherwise, you will not have to wait long at all. Avoid Holy Days (the lines are extremely long and the wait can easily exceed 5 hours). You can expect police officers and Temple workers to be screaming loudly at people to hurry up and move forward. I would suggest you get in the furthest left-hand side line. In that line, you can touch Sai Baba's actual samadhi and the silver chappals that are located there. You can offer flowers and there are places where you can offer money. As soon as you offer your flowers and touch his samadhi, kindly leave the area. Winters are the best season to visit Shirdi. The months from September to April being the ideal period. The daytime temperature is pleasant during this period, making the days excellent for visiting the tourist attractions of the town. The summers can get very hot (May-August). Make sure you drink bottled water.
There are lots of good hotels in shirdi. Hotel Sai Mahal, Hotel Sai Leela and Hotel Sharan are a few of the popular hotels in Shirdi.
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