Nestled in Maharashtra, the temple town of Shirdi is woven around the teachings of Sai Baba, the revered saint who lived here for over five decades. Shirdi attracts over 60,000 devotees and followers of all faiths and religions every day, making it one of the busiest pilgrimage sites in India. Located at the heart of the town is Shirdi Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir, where his mortal remains lie today. When is the best time to visit Shirdi?That depends on whether you want to hit the most auspicious dates on the calendar, or prefer some peace when you visit. The festive months of September-December are the busiest in Shirdi, with maximum crowds during Dussehra and Diwali. Other peak times are before and after school exams, Holi, Guru Purnima, and Gudi Padwa, the start of the new year per the Marathi calendar.The least crowded days of the week to visit the Shirdi temple are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Crowds usually start arriving on Wednesday night for Thursday, which is considered an auspicious day for Sai Baba devotees.
Weekends tend to be more crowded than weekdays. The best time for a quiet darshan is between 12 noon and the evening on weekdays.Weather-wise, December to March is the best time to visit Shirdi. How to get to Shirdi?Shirdi is well connected to most major Indian cities and you can take the road, rail or air to get in and out:By road: Shirdi is 83km from Ahmednagar, 307km from Mumbai, 112km from Nashik and 126 km from Aurangabad. Most highways are in decent condition, though the heavy traffic of buses and zig-zagging tourist cabs can be stressful.By rail: Shirdi is connected by rail to several major cities in South and Western India, including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai.By flight: This is the quickest way to get to Shirdi.
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The Sri Sai Baba International Airport is around 15km from the Samadhi Mandir, or the centre of town. Alliance Air operates daily flights from Mumbai to Shirdi.
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Earlier this month, SpiceJet started daily non-stop flights from Delhi; it already operates a flight from Hyderabad to Shirdi. And from 15 November, regional carrier Trujet has announced flights from Vijayawada to Shirdi.By helicopter: operates a heli-taxi service from Mumbai’s Juhu aerodrome to Shirdi. You will be whisked to Shirdi and back the same day on a six-seater chopper. The package includes VIP darshan and travel within Shirdi. The charter is priced at Rs3.3 lakh (incl taxes) for a group of six.
How does one get VIP darshan at Shirdi?You can do it the hard way: queue up like everyone else does for the Baba’s blessings. But if you’re in a hurry, you can also opt for the VIP darshan, tickets for which can be booked in advance on the temple’s. On the day of the darshan, proceed to Gate 3 and get your identity verified to proceed further. Alternatively, tickets can also be bought on site at Gate 1. This is highly subject to availability.Morning aarti (4.30am): Rs500Madhyan aarti (12pm): Rs300Dhoop aarti (sunset): Rs300Shej aarti (10.30pm): Rs300Another option is to opt for the Quick Darshan provision for a sum of Rs1,500. However, many argue that this would take away from the quintessential Shirdi darshan experience. What are the aarti timings at Shirdi’s Sai Baba temple?The Samadhi Mandir, where Sai Baba’s mortal remains lie after the Mahasamadhi 100 years ago, is the hub of all activity.
This is the main temple, and attracts the most number of devotees. A post shared by (@shirdikesairaja) on Oct 14, 2018 at 2:42am PDTMost of what you do in and around Shirdi will invariably work around the aarti timings at the Samadhi Mandir. These key hours of the day guide the ebb and flow of devotees into the mandir and, as a result, also at the other places of interest in town. The temple is open from 4am to a little after the last aarti at 10.30pm. You can visit any time in between.
A post shared by (@mangomando) on Nov 16, 2017 at 3:25pm PSTSri Sai Prasadalaya: The Prasadalaya is a vast dining hall with a seating capacity of almost 5,000 people, run by the Sri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust. It provides subsidised and free meal options to the devotees visiting the Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir. Prasadalaya is a short walk away from the main temple, located less than a kilometre away. It offers simple Indian food. Unlimited lunch and dinner meals are available at a nominal price of Rs40 for adults and Rs20 for kids.
Breakfast is available at a cost of just Rs4 as well.Rajdhani Restaurant: This restaurant has almost become a mandatory pit stop for every devotee visiting Shirdi. It offers an impressive range of vegetarian Rajasthani and Gujarati cuisine.
One thing you cannot miss is the Rajdhani thali featuring dishes such as kadhi khichdi, dal baati churma and basundi, priced moderately at just Rs350.Ahaan: This is the in-house restaurant at the Daiwik Hotel. It offers a spread of vegetarian European and Indian cuisine. The two stand out items on the menu are the Maharashtrian thali priced at Rs275 which features a fantastic bajra roti and shreekhand and the South Indian breakfast buffet priced at Rs210 per head, featuring crispy medu vada and masala dosa. Where are the best hotels in Shirdi?Over the course of time, multiple hotels and guesthouses have sprung up in Shirdi to shelter the huge numbers of devotees visiting. The most convenient place to stay is at the rooms provisioned by the Sri Sai Sansthan itself.
These need to be booked a month prior to your stay to confirm availability and can be booked. Sai Sansthan offers AC and non-AC rooms at a tariff ranging from Rs200 to Rs900. Other hotels:Hotel Bhagyalaxmi: This hotel offers only double occupancy AC rooms. It also has its own in-house restaurant, Madhuprabha which offers ‘Indo-Chinese’ cuisine.
It is located at a prime spot in town and is only 300m away from the Baba Samadhi Mandir, about 12kms from the airport and 1.5kms from the railway station. The tariff for a double room including taxes is Rs2800 which includes a complimentary breakfast for two.Daiwik Hotels, Shirdi: This hotel offers standard, superior, family deluxe and junior suite AC rooms. It also has an in-house spa, Vyom, a banquet and conference hall, Varta as well as a multi-cuisine vegetarian restaurant, Ahaan. Apart from providing regular facilities, Daiwik also offers a chargeable taxi service.
The tariff for a double room including taxes is Rs2500. At 13kms from the airport, 3kms from the railway station and less than 500m away from the Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir, Daiwik’s central location adds to the convenience of staying here.Marigold Residency: This hotel offers two types of double occupancy options, superior and superior deluxe AC Rooms.
It has an in-house multi-cuisine vegetarian restaurant – The Tulip which is among one of the nicest spots to eat in Shirdi. Marigold also offers a complimentary coach service for the commute to the temple and railway station, apart from conventional amenities. The tariff inclusive of taxes is Rs5310 for the superior and Rs5900 for the superior deluxe room. The hotel is just over a 1km away from the main temple, 3kms from the railway station and 15kms from the airport. Any other tips for those visiting Shirdi?.
Avoid Thursdays if you don’t like crowds. Thursday is considered the day of the Baba and is the most crowded, right from dawn till dusk. There is no hard and fast rule for what to wear in Shirdi. However, as this is a religious place, it is advisable to wear something that covers one’s shoulders and knees, out of respect. The waiting time in the darshan lines has been known to go up to over 3-4 hours before each aarti. The crowd may get a little impatient and unruly at times. Stay alert and anticipate all possibilities.
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Phones, cameras and other electronic devices cannot be carried inside the main temple area. You can deposit them in the lockers outside. Try and book your accommodation and darshan online in advance for a hassle-free experience. For those in need of wheelchair assistance, they are available for free, at Gate 5. A lesser known fact is that Shirdi is actually one of India’s largest exporters of fruits.
Be sure to try the fresh grapes, guavas and pomegranates grown here.