West India · Maharashtra
Shirdi, Maharashtra
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia
Before you go
Sai Baba's town; the Samadhi Mandir runs from pre-dawn Kakad Aarti to the night Shej Aarti. Shani Shingnapur (~70 km) and Nashik/Trimbakeshwar (~90 km) are common same-trip stops.
About Shirdi
- Inland
Where it is
Shirdi is a town in the Rahata taluka of Maharashtra, on the Deccan plateau between Nashik and Aurangabad, a short way south of the Godavari river at Kopargaon.
History
Shirdi was a small farming village when a young fakir, later revered as Sai Baba, settled there in the mid-19th century and made his home in an old mosque he called Dwarkamai. After his death in 1918 he was laid to rest in the Buti Wada, which grew into the Samadhi Mandir, and the village became one of India's major pilgrimage towns, with its own railway station and airport.
People
Shirdi's residents speak Marathi, and much of the town lives from the pilgrimage, running lodges, flower and offering stalls and eateries, while the villages around it grow sugarcane. Sai Baba's devotees come from many faiths and from across India and abroad.
Known for
- Shri Saibaba Samadhi Mandir
- Dwarkamai, the mosque where Sai Baba lived
- The Chavadi and Gurusthan shrines
- Ram Navami, Guru Purnima and Vijayadashami festivals
Did you know?
The dhuni, the sacred fire Sai Baba kept burning in Dwarkamai, is still tended there, and its ash, known as udi, is given to pilgrims.
Shrines and sites
- Shri Saibaba Samadhi Mandir
- Dwarkamai Masjid
- Chavadi
- Gurusthan
Traditions
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.