Om Sai Ram,
In reply to the post of video of Shirdi Railway Station i got the following query from subscriber. I am sure there must be many first time visitors who have the same questions in mind. So am writing a post that would be helpful for the first time visitors to Shirdi. Some Tips and a sort of simple guide which covers most essentials for Shirdi visit. No travel Guru, travel package provider will give you so many tips, mostly if it's a pilgrimage. A visit to sacred shrine and a lover and devotee of Baba who want's to know the details of each sacred place associated with Baba.
For your online booking for Hotels, Flights, Railways tickets, buses, cars on rent you can check out with following website and compare the prices for best online booking experience Clear Trip Travel Service, Travel Guru , Travelocity , Yatra ,
Do you know ? The prophetic words of Sai Baba about Shirdi century back.
The query had few questions like
Nearest railway stations if the train to Shirdi is not available from your city.
Accommodation and food. Reaching to Shirdi with minimum cost and convenience.
Om Sai Ram,
Below are essential tips and guide to Shirdi visit, It covers most topics to make your Shirdi trip a pleasurable and divine experience with minimum hassles.
How to reach Shirdi ?
From Mumbai you can travel through bus to Shirdi. I don't think Shirdi railway station is operational. It might take some time, to visit Shirdi by train.
However you can make a search on Indian railways website, for availability and online railway ticket booking. There is a search train option which you can use. From your city (any city within India) you can choose for Shirdi railway station the code for the same is SHIRDI O A (SAIO).
The nearest railway stations from Shirdi are Kopergaon (16 kilometers from Shridi in distance) often spelt as Kopergaun (this spelling is not available on railway site) the code for same to make a search on Indian railway booking site is KOPARGAON (KPG). Another nearest railway Station from Shirdi is Manmad code for the same is MANMAD JN (MMR) (60 kilometers to Shirdi in distance ). So that solves the problem for finding a train from one destination to Shirdi railway station or the nearest railway stations in India.
Another option to travel to Shirdi is by Bus. There are bus service provider all around India for the same and it is the most widely used mode of transportation from earlier days until these days. Things might change once the trains starts arriving at Shirdi Railway Station.
Traveling from Major cities like Mumbai , Pune, Ahmednagar, (Maharashtra)
or cities like Surat, Baroda and Ahmedabad the best route available is traveling by road. So the trip can be your car, a taxi or bus.
Shirdi location and map will be quite helpful for Shirdi visit via road. Decided to write a new post and have linked from here as this post has much details for Shirdi visit.
Below is the list of cities nearest to Shirdi with railway connections and airports from all part of country. From these cities, bus services and taxi services are easily available to travel to Shirdi.
Distance from Mumbai to Shirdi by road is about 300 kms ( distance varies from various destinations like railway station, domestic airport, international airport)
Distance from Nashik to Shirdi is 100 kilometers (Has Domestic Airport)
Distance from Ahmednagar to Shirdi is 100 kilometers (Has Domestic Airport)
Distance for Aurangabad to Shirdi is 120 Kilometers (Has Domestic Airport)
Distance from Pune to Shirdi is 220 kilometers (Has Domestic Airport)
For cheap (not exactly cheap, Sri Saibaba Sansthan, Trust Shirdi, provides more facilities for the cost paid than any other hotels or guest houses) accommodation there are many provided by Sansthan, Trust, check the same at sansthan's web site's accomodation page for complete details. The rooms provided by Sansthan cannot be booked in advance but are given on first come first serve basis. Shirdi Sai Sansthan however books the room for the padyatris (group of devotees traveling on feet to Shirdi from their cities, carrying the Palkhi of Sai Baba) in advance, those devotees also don't have to wait in queue for Darshan at Samadhi Temple.
Speaking of que for Samadhi Darshan Temple there are ample facilities for the same. Devotees in queue are well taken care of. Facilities for sitting are found ever few meters.For old age visitors, children and sick people. (Senior citizens and physically impaired people can ask for direct darshan passes from Sansthan, which means they don't have to pass through the waiting of standing in queue for long time. ) Also every few meters one finds fans to cool the body, as well as TV sets providing the darshan of Samdahi Temple are always in view. Good devotional music with Sai Baba Bhajans or mantra chanting can be herd all the time. Immediate refreshments like water, tea, coffee, biscuits are available at very cheap rates every few meters.
If you cannot get accommodation there, there are lots and lots of hotels and guest houses. Visit few, and find the best that comes in your budget. There you might face many touts claiming to book a hotel or guest house for you.Even the bus service provider might try to persuade to book a hotel for your stay. Do not rely on any one, but have a look yourself for all the facilities and cleanliness that the hotel or guest house provides. Only after that choose a room for your stay. Best would be to rent a place to stay near Samadhi Temple or Dwarkamai. Similarly while you go for Darshan in the Temple people would gather around claiming to help you out in getting the darshan soon. It does not happen. What happens is, you end up buying pooja articles like garland at much higher cost then available at other shops. So if you require any help Sri Saibaba Sansthan, Trust's office would be the best place to visit. If you want to buy books, puja articles Sansthan's book store and Sansthan's stores located around the Samadhi Temple are the best spots to check out first.
Don't Don't Don't listen to people gathering around you to provide help to you.
However on three major festivals of Shirdi 1. Ram Navami, 2. Guru Poornima and Vijaya Dashmi or Dussera or Baba's Mahasamadhi day. Shirdi is crowded to Suffocation. If you plan to visit Shirdi on one of these these festival days make bookings of Hotels and travel, well in advance.
Along with the other details asked i will like to add few more details. Most people take the darshan in Samadhi Temple and that all for them. There are few more important places associated with Sai Baba like Dwarkamai, Chavadi Gurusthan (Clicking on the links provided will take you to the pages which tries to give more details about each sacred places). You can also check out what to buy in Shirdi.
There are two very good books with details of Shirdi published ambrosia in Shirdi (link will take to online version of book) This book is must for first time visitors of Shirdi as well as those visiting again and again. One will find details of important places to visit in and around Shirdi. You can buy this book from the author herself (I bought the books from her :)) Ms. Vinny Chitluri. Two other must read books written by her are Baba's Vaani and Baba's Rinanubandh.
Vinny Chitluri
304-Bhagchand Apts, Pimpalwadi Road,
Shirdi - 423 109
Ph : 02423 - 255835
Other option is to buy the book from Shirdi Sai Sansthaan book shop. Online source for the same.
You can buy online amazing books written on Shirdi Sai Baba by Vinny Chitluri from sterling publishers web site Baba's Rinanubandh and Baba's Vaani.
Three sacred places to Visit around Shirdi i would not miss are 1. Meher Baba's Samadhi (About 100 kiolmeters in distance from Shirdi to Ahmednagar) Checkout road map to Ahmednagar from Shirdi, 2. Tomb of Zar Zari Zarbaksh in Khuldabad(about 120 kms in distance from Shirdi very near to Ellora caves (towards Aurangabad ), a famous tourist destination) don't forget the cave nearby if you visit there. 3. Sakori - Ashram of Upasni Baba (5 kilometers in distance fro Shirdi (takes about 10 minutes by road )). For traveling from Shirdi there are many travel agencies operating in Shirdi. Check with few of them to make decision. Avoid people pulling you towards a particular travel operator as you would do with the ones pulling you towards particular Hotel.
Another good book written with details of places in Shirdi is experiencing Sai Baba's Shirdi, by Allision Williams. One can read the same online from the link provided.
Both these books with essential guidance for places in and around Shirdi are available in various stores in Shirdi, so grab them while in Shirdi.
One thing these books might not have is the Museum in Shirdi. It has been built after this books were published. The museum displays articles used by Sai Baba. So do not forget to visit the Museum in Shirdi, it near Gurusthan.
Another tip is not to miss the food provided at prasadalaya where simple food as prasad of Baba is served. Devotees and visitors can eat unlimited food (rice, vegetables, dal, rice and a sweet) at nominal cost of Rs.5/- per person. The food is cooked in hygienic environment and most of the food is cooked using solar energy (good for global environment). The capacity of prasadalaya is huge and 100,000 people can dine in a single day. It is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Otherwise there are loads and loads of restaurants and food joints serving different kind of food.
Good luxrious hotel recommended for those provided with much money and does not mind spending them are Hotel Goradias (positive point very near to Temple and good food).
Other two hotels are Hotel Sun n Sand Shirdi and Hotel Park Inn Shirdi (earlier known as Shraddha Park Inn).
Short list of places to visit in Shirdi (details given in online books above)
List of other Temples (Mandir) in Shirdi
1. The three temples (Lord Ganesh, Shani Temple and Shiva Temple) very near to Samadhi Temple. Sai Baba often gave money for repairs of these temples.
2. Khandoba Temple
3. Mahalaxmi Temple
4. Hanuman Temple (on the way left from Dwarkamai to Chavdi)
5. Narshima Temple
6. Jain Temple
7. The five Samadhis (Abdul Baba, Tatya Kote Patil, Nanavali, Bhau Maharaj Kumbhar, V. P. Iyer)
List of houses of Sai Baba devotees in Shirdi
1. Abdul Baba's house
2. Laxmibai Side's house
3. Bhagoji Sinde's house
4. Bhagt Mhalsapati (also spelt Mahalsapati) house
5. Shama's house
and list of 5 houses from where Sai Baba regularly begged for food.
1. Vaman Gondkar
2. Vaman Shakhram Shelke
3. Baijabai Tatya Kote Patil
4. Bayaji Appa Kote Patil
5. Nandaram Marwadi
Daily routine Programme of Shri Saibaba Temple
Bhupali Arati 4.15 AM
Kakad Aarti 4.30 AM
Holi Bath of Shri Sai Baba 5.00 AM
Darshan Begins 7.00 AM
Satyanarayan Pooja 8.00 AM, 10.00 AM
Abhishek 9.00 AM
Mid - Day Noon Aarti 12.00
Dhup Aarti Sun Set
Shej Aarti 10.00 PM
Mandir Closes after Shej arati
Every Thursday at 9.15 p.m. Sai Baba's Palakhi Utsav Programme
You can watch videos of all the Aartis performed in Shirdi.
plus download audio mp3 files of all Aartis and chants played in the Shirdi Temple.
plus get the lyrics of all the aartis sung in Shirdi Temple
Below is the play list of the videos of the future plans for Shirdi which was shown on India Tv News Channel. A virtual tour of the Shirdi in near future. Work is already in progress and huge amount of money has already been spared for the same. Devotees and visitors of Shirdi will see Shirdi with maximum facilities. However the commentary in the video is in Hindi language.
Below is the video of the flagging of the first train to Shirdi by railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. Finally the regular railway journey from Puntamba to Shirdi has started. Next major cities like Lucknow, Patna, Delhi and Hyderabad will be connected to Shirdi, in near future as well. You can see the pictures of this event at this link, also it contains a picture of a sign board displaying fares for different destinations from and to Shirdi.
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