Festivals in Shridi

Ramnavami : March/April
Guru Purnima : July
Shirdi Vijayadashmi (Sri Sai Punyatithi) October

Festivals are great time to visit Shirdi of Saibaba. There are three major festivals that are held in Shirdi attracting thousands of devotees from across the world. The three major festivals celebrated at Shirdi are Ramnavami, Guru Purnima and Shirdi Vijayadashmi. All these festivals are celebrated all across India with equal zest and excitement but at Shirdi they have some other significance. All these festivals have their special distinction to them in the way they are celebrated in the other parts of India. The distinction is the association of Saibaba himself which add to these festivals all new and exciting verve to them.

Ramnavami
Ramanavi is one of the most important festivals celebrated with great excitement and fanfare. In the year 1897 Goplarao Gund proposed holding in Urus in name of Saibaba in gratitude of a child which he was granted after so many childless years. Saibaba conceded to celebrate his urus on the condition that it be celebrated on Ramnavami. This was indeed an ingenious touch of Saibaba bringing together the Hindus and Muslims together. People may know Urus is a Muslim festival that is celebrated to honor a saint.

You can come to participate in Ramanavami at Shirdi, celebrated every year in March or April. This shows the kind of communal harmony that weaves people of different faiths at Shirdi. Ramnavami has equal and enthusiastic participation of both Hindus and Muslims. In Shirdi, two locally historic rituals are carried out during this festival. The sack of wheat that is kept in Dwarkamai is changed and the old one taken to prasadalaya to be used there, and secondly, the dwarkamai flags are replaced. This year that is in 2007, Shirdi is celebrating the Ramnavami from 26th to 28th of March.

Gurupurnima
Gurupurnima or Full Moon is also a wonderful time to visit Shirdi. It is the time to honor the Guru and seek his special blessing. Quite a significant festival in Shirdi Guru Purnima was the only festival which Saibaba has asked his devotees to celebrate. This is the time devotees all across the world converge in Shirdi to seek Saibaba's blessings. There is also Vyasa Puja that is held during Guru Purnima, in honor of Ved Vyasa who wrote the epic Mahabharata.

Shirdi Vijayadashmi (Dussehra)
Vijayadashmi is a big festival in Shirdi, venerated as a holy day when Shri Saibaba left his mortal body for heavenly abode. The festival is also celebrated as Shri Sai Punyathithi in Shirdi attracting great number of devotees from all over the world. Various religious activities are arranged Great number of people flock to Shirdi during this Festival. During this festival 'Brahman Bhojan' (Priests meal) is arranged with Dakashina (Donation to Guru). This year the festival is celebrated from 20th to 23rd October.

Om Sai Ram

About Shirdi

Shirdi is a small town located in the state of Maharashtra in western India. The place is around 296 km (around 6 hours drive) from Mumbai. Sai Baba's shrine has been incorporated as one of the holy places in the world's map of pilgrimage. Places of Interest Samadhi Mandir of Shri Sai Baba was actually owned by a millionaire from Nagpur and a famous Sai devotee Shreemant Gopalrao. He wanted to keep an idol of Murlidhar here. However, according to the legends, Baba himself became Murlidhar and the temple became the Samadhi Mandir of Baba.

The Samadhi of Baba is built with white marble stones. The railings around it are full of ornamental decorations. The idol of Baba is a marvelous statue made up of Italian marble built by Late Balaji Vasant in 1954. The temple has an assembly hall for about 600 devotees. The assembly hall also houses a showcase having various items used by the sage. The first floor of the temple has the pictures depicting the life of the saint. The temple opens on 5 AM with morning prayers and close down at 10 PM with night prayers. Situated on the right side of the entrance of the Samadhi Mandir is Dwarkamai, a mosque. This was the place where the sage stayed until the end of his life. Main attraction of the site is the oil paintings of the sage. The place from where Sai Baba first came to Shirdi in the form of a Bal Yogi (child ascetic) is known as Gurusthan. A temple has been constructed on this site.

There is also a small shrine in Gurusthan. At a short distance lies Baba's Chavadi. Baba used to sleep here every alternate day. The Chavadi is divided into two parts. One part of the Chavadi has a large portrait of Baba along with a wooden bed and a white chair belonging to him. There is a cottage of Abdul Baba, an ardent devotee of Shri Sai Baba, in front of the Chavadi. Photos and various items that were handled by Sai Baba and Abdul Baba are there in the cottage. There is a Maruti Mandir located at some distance from the cottage of Abdul Baba. This mandir was visited by Baba for the sat-sang with Devidas, a Bal yogi, who lived at the Mandir ten to twelve years before Baba arrived. There are also temples of village deities named Shani, Ganapati, and Shankar that are worth visiting.

At some distance from Gurusthan, there is the Lendi Bagh. This garden was made and watered daily by Baba himself. It got its name from a nullah (a drain), which used to flow there. Baba used to come here every morning and afternoon and take rest under a neem tree. Baba dug a pit, 2 feet deep, under the neem tree and kept a deep (a lighting object) lit in that pit. An octagonal deepgriha (lighthouse) called Nanda Deep has been built in marble stone in memory of this place. It constantly burns in a glass box. On one side of the deepgriha is a pipal tree and on the other side is a neem tree.

Other sites to visit are Datta Mandir and Khandoba Mandir. Sites nearby situated around 5 km from Shirdi is Sakori. The place is home to the Upasini Maharaj. Shanisinghnapur is 70 km from Shirdi. A temple devoted to Shani is located here.

Fairs and festivals - The most important festivals and events that are celebrated in Shirdi are Guru Poornima, Dussehra, and Ram Navami. These are the only days when the Samadhi Mandir of Shirdi opens for the whole night. Every Thursday, a palakhi bearing a photograph of the sage is taken out from the temple.

Where to stay - Shirdi has accommodation available to every income group, starting from budget to high-end. STD facilities are available in most of the hotels.

What to eat - The administrative body of Shirdi temple runs a prasadalaya to provide lunch and dinner to the devotees. Nearly one thousand devotees can take Baba's prasad at the same time. The kitchen of the prasadalaya is equipped with modern cooking machineries and is free of pollution. Food-packets are available to the devotees from 8:00 in the morning to 12:00 noon. There is a canteen service available to the devotees day and night.

How to reach - 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.

God is one

Sai Baba is a follower of GOD who had been sent on earth to give direction to direction less, to give support to support less and to give love to love less people all around the world. For him no one is poor and no one is rich. He always respect and followed one religion that is "mankind". My personal believe is that baba remains within all of us and always ready to help us whenever we need him. And he will stand besides you in every circumstances.

There is a kabir doha for this "Jaise Til Mein Tel Hai, Jyon Chakmak Mein Aag. Tera Sayeen Tujh Mein Hai, Tu Jaag Sake To Jaag" which means "Like seed contains the oil, fire in flint stone. Your temple seats the Divine, realize if you can"