Shri
Sai Baba's life and teachings are well documented in Sai Satcharitra
by Shri Hemadpant in Marathi which was personally blessed by Shri
Sai Baba.
Shri
Hemadpant got Shri Sai Baba's blessings in 1910 to write this work.
Said Shri Sai Baba "Let him make a collection of stories and
experiences, keep notes and memos; I will help him. He is only an
outward instrument." Subsequently SaiSatcharitra has been
translated into a number of different languages. The one in English
is called Shri Sai Satcharitra by Shri Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji.
The
following is a very short summary on the life of Shri Sai Baba to
serve as an introduction. We recommend that you read one of the more
authoritative books to really understand the life and teachings of
Shri Sai Baba.
Chandbhai,
the headman of a village called Dhoopkhede (in Aurangabad, India),
once lost his horse and was looking for it. Suddenly he heard a
voice say "You look tired. Come here and rest a while". He
turned around and saw a young Fakir (Baba). The fakir smiled at him
and said "What are you looking for in this jungle, Chandbhai".
This surprised Chandbhai and he wondered how the fakir knew his
name.
Slowly,
he said "I have lost my horse. I have looked for it everywhere,
but cannot seem to find it". The fakir told him to look behind
a clump of trees. Chandbhai was pleasently surprised to find his
horse grazing peacefully behind those trees. He thanked the fakir
and asked his name. The fakir said "some people call me Sai
Baba."
Sai
Baba then invited Chandbhai to have a smoke with him. He got the
pipe ready, but there was no fire to light it with. Sai Baba thrust
a pair of tongs into the ground and brought out a burning coal.
Chandbhai was wonderstruck. He thought "this is no ordinary
person" and invited Baba to come to his house and be his guest
for a few days.
Next
day Baba went to Chandbhai's house and found everybody in a very
joyful mood and festivities going on all around. He found that
Chanbhai's wife's nephew was getting married. The bride was from
Shirdi and the marriage party was going to Shirdi. Chandbhai invited
Baba to accompany the marriage party to Shirdi. At Shirdi they
camped in a field next to Khandoba's temple.
After
the wedding, Saibaba stayed on at Shirdi. At first he lived under a
neem tree and begged for food whenever he needed it. He then went to
Khandoba's temple, intending to stay there, but the temple priest
met him at the entrance and told him to go to the mosque. That is
how Baba, started staying at the Mosque which was later called
Dwarkamayi.
Baba
preached at Shirdi all his life and performed numerous miracles to
convince people that God exists. He healed people's diseases,
provided moral and material comfort to his Devotees. Baba helped
bring Unity and Harmony between all communities. He said that God is
one, but called by different names. He said follow your own religion
and seek the truth.
One day a rich millionaire named Booty came to Sai Baba and said he
was going to construct a stone building for Shri Krishna. Baba
helped him plan the building. Before the building was completed Baba
fell very ill. On the 15th of October 1918, he breathed his last.
His last wish was to be buried in Booty's building.
Booty's stone building came to be known as Samadhi Mandir. Shri Sai
Baba was buried here and a beautiful shrine was built over it. To
this day, people flock to Shirdi to pay homage to Shri Sai Baba
Shirdi
is located approximately 296 Kilometers from Mumbai (Bombay)
City in India. The nearest railway station is Kopargaon 15
kilometers on Manmad-Daund section of Central Railways.
To
get to Shirdi from outside India:
First, you have to travel to India. (Check
with the Office of Consulate General of India in your region for
visa and travel requirements.). You could either go by Sea or by
Air. Presuming that you want to go by Air, the first choice of
landing airport should be Mumbai (Bombay) . Alternatively you could
land in any other city which has an international airport. After
reaching India, you have many options to travel to Shirdi.(see
below).
To
get to Shirdi from within India:
1. From Mumbai (Bombay):
a.
You could take a Cab, hire a private taxi or drive. (If you are an
international tourist you may want to check the requirements for
Driver's licence and road regulations with the Maharashtra State
Road Transport department.)
b.
You could take a Maharashtra State Transport Bus.
c.
You could take a Bus operated by Private operators.
d.
You could take a Central Railway train of the Indian Railways from
Mumbai (Bombay) V.T. station to Manmad station and then take a bus
to Shirdi. State transport buses are available from Manmad to
Shirdi.
For
Fares, Schedules and other details contact your local travel agent,
the Government of India Tourism Office, the Maharashtra State
Tourism Board Office, the Central Railway booking office or the
Maharashtra State Transport booking office.
2.
From any other City within India:
a. You could first go to Mumbai by train,
bus or an airplane and then follow the steps listed above.
b. You could take a train from the city of origin to Manmad. Not all
trains go directly from point to point. You have to check if the
train goes directly to Manmad or if you have to break your journey
and change over trains. From Manmad you have to take a bus or cab to
Shirdi.
c.
You could drive, hire a cab or private taxi to take you directly to
Shirdi. (If you are an international tourist you may want to check
the requirements for Driver's licence and road regulations with the
Maharashtra State Road Transport department.)
For
Fares, Schedules and other details contact your local travel agent,
the Government of India Tourism Office, the Maharashtra State
Tourism Board Office, the Central Railway booking office or the
Maharashtra State Transport booking office
A
small village in Ahmedanagar district Shirdi, has acquired a lot of
fame & followers for Sant Shree Sai Baba.Sai Baba attained
samadhi on Dassera day in 1918.Sai Baba preached at Shirdi all his
life & renewned people's faith in God.Devotees from every faith
throng here all year round to pay their respects to his memory.
Khandoba Mandir,Samadhi of Shree Sai Baba,Dwarkamai mosque,Mhasoba
temple all these places are within a periphery of 1km & can be
covered on foot.
Getting there :
By Air : Nearest airport is Aurangabad
By Train : Nearest railway station is Kopargaon,15
kms on the Manmad -Daund section of the Central Railway.
By Road : Mumbai-Shirdi ,296 kms,Nashik -Shirdi is
112 kms .State transport buses & private buses ply regularly to
Shirdi.
Day 01 : Arrive Mumbai
Transfer to hotel.
Day 02 : Mumbai - Nasik
Drive to Nasik a sacred city on the banks of the River Godavari, is
now a throbbing industrial town. Its beautiful architecture, temples
and caves are a mute testimony to its rich, eventful history. An
ancient city, yet, one that has ridden astride the wheels of history
and bears its footprints. The Egyptian historian Ptolemy (A.D. 150)
had found this place a flourishing center for trade and commerce.
The place abounds in temples, some of them more than two hundred
years old. The Sundranarayan Temple with its richly carved and domed
porticoes, its highly ornamented central dome and spire Ð all made
of beautifully dressed stone is a treat for the eyes. The
Kampaleshwar temple of lord Shiva wearing a skull. Temple of Balaji
built on the confluence of the Godavari and the Saraswati that flows
underground has copper images of Balaji, Ramadevi and Laxmi decked
with valuable jewellery and Balaji wears a gold mask. The other
temples of note are the Kalaram Mandir, the Goraram Mandir and the
Rameshwar or Bell temple. In some temples, the lingas date back to
the age of Rama. It is no wonder then that Nasik is called the
Benares of southern India and the Godavari, the Ganges of the South.
Day 03 : Nasik
Drive
to Trimbakeshwar. It is famous for the Trimbakeshwar Temple and
source of the Godavari River. Trimbakeshwar enshrines one of the 12
jyotirlingas dedicated to Shiva and this one is considered to be the
main jyotirlinga. Legend has it that Guatam Rishi performed a
rigorous ritual of prayer and penance or tapasya to Shiva on
Brahmagiri Hill which rises above the present-day temple. Pleased
with this devotion, Shiva is said to have blessed him and brought
down to earth from heaven the sacred rivers of Ganga, Gautami and
Godavari. At the Kushavarta Teerth, devotees usually dip themselves
into the waters and purify themselves of all sins before entering
the temple. To this day, Hindus offer shraad prayers (prayers for
the souls of the departed) here. It is also believed that bathing in
the waters of the Godavari will bring moksha or salvation. Mondays
are considered particularly holy and the priests carry the idol of
Trimbakeshwar in a palanquin on their shoulders around the temple.
The annual festival of Shivratri is also celebrated with great pomp
and gaiety and attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over. For
overnight return to Nasik.
Day 04 : Nasik
Day reserved for Kumbh at Trimbakeshwar. Overnight at hotel in Nasik.
Day 05 : Nasik-Shirdi
Drive to Shirdi visit Mahasamadhi temple of Sri Sai Baba. Abode of
one of 
Maharashtra's
most revered saint -- Sai Baba of Shirdi. Popularly known as the
'Child of God', Sai Baba preached tolerance towards all religions
and the message of universal brotherhood. Every activity at Shirdi
revolves around the vast temple complex dedicated to Sai Baba.
Devotees start queuing up in the early hours of dawn to catch a
glimpse and seek the blessings of the life-size statue of Sai Baba.
Thursday is marked by special pujas and darshan of the Sai Baba
statue. Visit Dwarkamani Mosque where the Baba meditated and slept
on alternate nights. Near the mosque, in a corridor is the dhuni or
eternal flame that burns day and night. Other places of importance
are the Gurusthan, the Kandoba Temple, Shani Mandir, Narsimha Mandir,
Changdev Maharaj Samadhi and the Sakori. Overnight Hotel.
Day 06 : Shirdi-Mumbai
Back to Mumbai
