
SHIRDI | SHIRDI SAI BABA TEMPLE | TOURIST PLACES TO VISIT & TOUR PACKAGES
Pilgrimage
About Shirdi
Ideal Trip Duration: Full Day
Base Station: Shirdi
Nearest City to Shirdi: Pune (180 Kms), Mumbai (258 Kms)
Best Time to Visit Shirdi: January to December
Peak Season: October to November
State: Maharashtra | District: Ahmednagar
Shirdi Weather: Summer: Maximum - 42°C and Minimum - 16°C
Winter: Maximum - 35°C and Minimum - 7°C
At a distance of 58 km from Manmad, 82 km from Ahmednagar, 90 km from Nashik, 180 km from Pune and 258 km from Mumbai, Shirdi is a small town located in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. This is one of the holiest places in India and also one of the popular pilgrimage places you must include in Maharashtra packages. Shirdi, also known as the Land of Sai, is famous for the shrine of Shirdi Sai Baba, which is the main attraction for the devotees who visit this holy shrine. This is also one among the best pilgrimage places to visit near Mumbai.
Sai Baba, who belonged to 20th century, is known as one of the greatest saints of India. Sai Baba visited Shirdi when he was 16 years old and stayed there until his death in 1918. Sai Baba transformed this small village into a holy pilgrimage site for his devotees. Many tales of the renowned Shirdi Sai are associated with this village. His selfless love and dedication to the poor, earned him respect for which he is worshiped even now. Shirdi is the place where he attained his 'Samadhi' or final abode.
The Shirdi temple complex covers an area of about 200 square meters. It includes Gurusthan, Samadhi Mandir, Dwarkamai, Chavadi and Lendi Baug. Shirdi Temple is one of the richest temples in India with estimated donations of INR 4 billion per annum. Maruti Temple, Khandoba Mandir, Sai Heritage Village, Shanisinghnapur and Nashik are the other places of attraction situated in and around Shirdi.
Large number of devotees of all faiths flocks to the temple of Shirdi Sai Baba throughout the year. On an average, daily 50,000 devotees visit Shirdi village, to have the darshan of Sri Saibaba. In the festival season, more than 100,000 devotees visit the temple every day. The Sri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi) has provided 2,500 rooms of varied capacity for accommodation. Apart from the temple trust complex there are many accommodation options ranging from budget to star category in Shirdi.
Pune International Airport is the nearest airport, which is about 185 km from Shirdi and has daily flights from Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Kolkata and Goa. Shirdi is well connected by train with Ahmednagar, Pandharpur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Kalka, Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Chandigarh, Delhi, Agra, Bhopal, Manmad, Puri, Vijayawada, Vizag, Tirupati and Mysore. Manmad Junction Railway Station is the major rail head, which is about 58 km from Shirdi. Shirdi lies on the Ahmednagar-Manmad Highway and is well-connected by bus to major cities like Nashik, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Ahmednagar, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
The best time to visit Shirdi is throughout year but the peak season is from October to November.
None