Shirdi, A Perfect Place To Meditate And Find Inner Peace
Shirdi is a holy town in Maharashtra and held in incredible veneration by individuals. The explanation behind this is the town is conceived to be the spot where Sai Baba lived for a noteworthy period of time as he devoted his entire life in helping the needy and spreading the message of peace and brotherhood.
Shirdi is one of the most popular places in Maharashtra as well as in India. It houses the Sai Baba Temple, which contains an excellent sculpture/image of the Baba, alongside his samadhi. Known as Shree Shirdi Sai Mandir, the temple was built by Shreemant Gopalrao, a Nagpur-based businessman who was a passionate enthusiast of Sai Baba. Today, it is the most frequented one amongst the popular places to visit in Shirdi.
At first, Gopalrao needed to revere an icon of Murlidhar (Shree Krishna) inside the temple. In any case, following years saw Sai Baba being recognized as Murlidhar and subsequently, his deity was established here. After Baba attained the final samadhi, his samadhi was built inside the premises of the temple. Shree Saibaba Mandir made up of stone, while the samadhi has been developed utilizing white marble. Encompassing the samadhi is a railing, likewise of white marble and entirely embellished with fancy enhancements.
There are two silver columns, ornamented with dazzling designs and art, standing just before the samadhi. The life size idol of Sai Baba, made of Italian marble, in which he is portrayed as he is sitting on a throne, simply grabs the attention. The excellent icon was etched by late Shri Balaji Vasant and was placed inside the temple in October 1954. Giving shade to the statue is an open, silver umbrella. There is a gathering corridor before the Shri Sai Baba Temple, with a limit of 600 devotees. Inside this corridor are showcased different things that were once utilized by the saint.
The primary floor of the Shirdi Sai Mandir involves various pictures that delineate the life of Baba. The day at the temple begins at around 5:00 am, the point at which the Bhoopali, a morning melody, is sung. 10 at night is the closing time of the temple along with the singing of the night melody, known as Shejarati. Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir is kept open 24 hours, on just three days in the year, they are Guru Poornima, Ram Navami, and Dussehra. On each Thursday, a parade, containing Baba’s photograph is taken from the temple. Dwarkamai, the masjid where Baba stayed amid his life in Shirdi, falls to one side of the way to Samadhi Mandir. Needless to say, it is also a must-visit.
Shri Gurusthan Mandir is another popular spot here. It is said that Sai Baba was first seen here, when he showed up in Shirdi surprisingly, as a kid of 16 years. In fact, this spot is accepted to be the seat of Shri Sai Baba’s teacher, and that is the reason behind the name. The Neem tree that stands here finds reference in Sai Satcharitra. It is believed that in the event that you smolder incense at the Shri Gurusthan Mandir, your wishes will get granted.
Shri Khandoba Mandir is arranged close to the Shri Sainath Hospital. An imperative part of Shirdi tourism, it cherishes the symbol of Khandoba, alongside that of Banai and Mhalsa. Devotees believe that when Sai Baba set his foot in Shirdi for the second time, Khandoba was the primary spot where he was invited.
