Location :
Shirdi is located in Maharashtra State, India. It is approx. 229 km from Bombay (Mumbai) and approx. 209 km from Pune.
Reaching there:
From Bangalore you can reach as below :
a) Travel by Karnataka Express from Bangalore To Kopargaon Railway Station
b) Plenty of cabs would be available from Kopargaon Railway Station to Shirdi. Shirdi is approximately 17 kms from Kopargaon railway station
From Mumbai :
The nearest International Airport is Bombay (Mumbai). Most of the major airlines fly to Mumbai. Pune has an international airport too, but very few international airlines fly directly to Pune.
The nearest domestic airport is Aurangabad (approx. 144 km). There are direct flights from Mumbai to Aurangabad .
If you prefer train travel, then take an express train from Mumbai to Nashik, which takes approx. 4 hrs. From Nashik you can take a luxury (Volvo a/c) bus or car, which takes around 1.30 hrs –2 hrs.
Other option is to take a luxury bus from Mumbai to Shirdi. There are many bus operators who run Volvo a/c buses from Mumbai to Shirdi. You can check with the Mumbai travel agents for more information and booking.
Alternatively you can rent a car. The approx. rate for a/c car is Rs. 7-8 per km. The travel time between Mumbai and Shirdi by road is approx. 5 hrs.
Climate:
Shirdi has a dry climate that swings to extremes, from a high of 40° C in May, to a low of 7° C in January. But the monsoon months - June to September - are pleasant, with scanty to heavy rains.
Best time:
One can visit Shirdi through out the year.
Peak Season:
On any given Thursday and Weekend (Saturday & Sunday) sizable number of devotees throng the temple for Baba’s darshan.
The following periods are considered as peak seasons.
• Mid-April to mid- June,
• Diwali holidays (around October/November)
• Mid-December to first week of January.
Staying in Shirdi :
Shirdi has a lot of good hotels as per one’s requirements.
5 Star accommodation : Sun-n-Sand hotel (http://www.sunnsandhotel.com/)
Mid-range luxury hotel : Sai Leela Hotel (http://www.hotelsaileela.com)
MTDC Hotels : Pilgrims Inn Shirdi (http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in)
Shirdi Sai Sansthan’s Cheaper Accomodation : Shirdi Sai Sansthan provides cheaper accommodation. For more details please visit the site (http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/shirdi/shirdi/accommodation.asp)
Duration of stay:
It takes just half a day for darshan. But if you wish to participate in aartis then 1-2 days stay is advisable.
Useful tips:
Special Pass :
For overseas devotees, the Shirdi Sai Sansthan provides special passes, which can be obtained from the PRO office, near to the Nanda-Deep. (Please refer to Annexure 1 for map)
Cameras & Mobile Phones :
Cameras and mobile phones are not allowed inside the temple. But there are locker facilities available, for depositing the camera and mobile phones, within the temple complex.
Flowers, Prasad & Shawls for Sai Baba :
You can buy flowers, prasad and Shawls from the stalls outside. The rates are not fixed and you need to bargain.
For Shej aarti you need not buy any flowers or prasad as the same cannot be offered.
Footwear counter :
You can leave your footwear at the footwear counter.
Queuing :
Off-Peak seasons :
For normal darshan it takes 30-45 minutes. For Aartis (other than Kakad aarti), it takes around 1-1.30 hrs. For Kakad Aarti you need to be in the queue by 3.30 or before for a better darshan.
Peak seasons :
During peak seasons the time taken will be double than the off-peak season.
Aarti Timings:
Kakad Aarti : 5.15 am
Madhyana Aarti : 12 noon
Dhoop Aarti : 7 pm
Shej Aarti : 10 pm
Sai’s Darshan
To have Baba’s darshan you need to queue in the waiting hall. There are sufficient benches for sitting while queuing for darshan.
While taking the darshan you can touch the Samadhi of Sai Baba. (except after the Shej Aarti). If you wish to have your personal things like books, keys to be consecrated by Sai Baba, you can give them to the priest and ask them to place at Baba’s feet and give them back to you.
Udi and Prasad :
Udi and Prasad are available at the Udi counter besides the Samadhi Mandir.
Donation :
There is a donation office near the Samadhi Mandir, next to the Udi/Prasad counter (Please refer to Annexure 1 for map). One can also donate shawl and other things.
Other temples and places of interest :
Gurusthan : Sai Baba used to meditate at this place under the neem tree. It is located just behind the Samadhi Mandir.
Dwarkamai : Sai Baba lived in this masjid during his lifetime. It is near to the Samadhi Mandir.
Chavadi : This is the place where Sai Baba used to sleep on alternate day. It is very near to the Hanuman temple, just opposite to the Dwarkamai.
Ganesh, Shani and Shiv-Parvathi Temples : Next to the donation office are the temples of Ganesh, Shani and Shiv- Parvathi.
Nanda-Deep : This is place is 2-3 minutes walk from the Gurusthan, near the PRO office. This is situated in Lendi Gardens.
Hanuman Temple : It is very near to Dwarkamai.
Khandoba Temple : This is the place where Mhalsapthi first addressed Sai Baba as ‘Sai’. It is far from the main Samadhi Complex.
Restaurants :
There is lot of good Indian restaurants near the temple. Shirdi Sai Sansthan also provides food at nominal rates at Annadan center.
Other Poojas :
You can participate in various poojas performed in the temple. You need to book in advance. For more information you can contact the Donation Office.
Places of interest near Shirdi :
Shani-Shingnapur : The unique feature of Shani-Shingnapur is that there is neither any image of specific deity nor any particular idol, but there is a stone pillar, which is supposed to embody the image, which is worshipped with deep respect and reverence.
It is approx. 80 kms from Shirdi.
Tryambakeshwar :
It is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is approx 1 hr drive from Nashik.
Shirdi is located in Maharashtra State, India. It is approx. 229 km from Bombay (Mumbai) and approx. 209 km from Pune.
Reaching there:
From Bangalore you can reach as below :
a) Travel by Karnataka Express from Bangalore To Kopargaon Railway Station
b) Plenty of cabs would be available from Kopargaon Railway Station to Shirdi. Shirdi is approximately 17 kms from Kopargaon railway station
From Mumbai :
The nearest International Airport is Bombay (Mumbai). Most of the major airlines fly to Mumbai. Pune has an international airport too, but very few international airlines fly directly to Pune.
The nearest domestic airport is Aurangabad (approx. 144 km). There are direct flights from Mumbai to Aurangabad .
If you prefer train travel, then take an express train from Mumbai to Nashik, which takes approx. 4 hrs. From Nashik you can take a luxury (Volvo a/c) bus or car, which takes around 1.30 hrs –2 hrs.
Other option is to take a luxury bus from Mumbai to Shirdi. There are many bus operators who run Volvo a/c buses from Mumbai to Shirdi. You can check with the Mumbai travel agents for more information and booking.
Alternatively you can rent a car. The approx. rate for a/c car is Rs. 7-8 per km. The travel time between Mumbai and Shirdi by road is approx. 5 hrs.
Climate:
Shirdi has a dry climate that swings to extremes, from a high of 40° C in May, to a low of 7° C in January. But the monsoon months - June to September - are pleasant, with scanty to heavy rains.
Best time:
One can visit Shirdi through out the year.
Peak Season:
On any given Thursday and Weekend (Saturday & Sunday) sizable number of devotees throng the temple for Baba’s darshan.
The following periods are considered as peak seasons.
• Mid-April to mid- June,
• Diwali holidays (around October/November)
• Mid-December to first week of January.
Staying in Shirdi :
Shirdi has a lot of good hotels as per one’s requirements.
5 Star accommodation : Sun-n-Sand hotel (http://www.sunnsandhotel.com/)
Mid-range luxury hotel : Sai Leela Hotel (http://www.hotelsaileela.com)
MTDC Hotels : Pilgrims Inn Shirdi (http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in)
Shirdi Sai Sansthan’s Cheaper Accomodation : Shirdi Sai Sansthan provides cheaper accommodation. For more details please visit the site (http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/shirdi/shirdi/accommodation.asp)
Duration of stay:
It takes just half a day for darshan. But if you wish to participate in aartis then 1-2 days stay is advisable.
Useful tips:
Special Pass :
For overseas devotees, the Shirdi Sai Sansthan provides special passes, which can be obtained from the PRO office, near to the Nanda-Deep. (Please refer to Annexure 1 for map)
Cameras & Mobile Phones :
Cameras and mobile phones are not allowed inside the temple. But there are locker facilities available, for depositing the camera and mobile phones, within the temple complex.
Flowers, Prasad & Shawls for Sai Baba :
You can buy flowers, prasad and Shawls from the stalls outside. The rates are not fixed and you need to bargain.
For Shej aarti you need not buy any flowers or prasad as the same cannot be offered.
Footwear counter :
You can leave your footwear at the footwear counter.
Queuing :
Off-Peak seasons :
For normal darshan it takes 30-45 minutes. For Aartis (other than Kakad aarti), it takes around 1-1.30 hrs. For Kakad Aarti you need to be in the queue by 3.30 or before for a better darshan.
Peak seasons :
During peak seasons the time taken will be double than the off-peak season.
Aarti Timings:
Kakad Aarti : 5.15 am
Madhyana Aarti : 12 noon
Dhoop Aarti : 7 pm
Shej Aarti : 10 pm
Sai’s Darshan
To have Baba’s darshan you need to queue in the waiting hall. There are sufficient benches for sitting while queuing for darshan.
While taking the darshan you can touch the Samadhi of Sai Baba. (except after the Shej Aarti). If you wish to have your personal things like books, keys to be consecrated by Sai Baba, you can give them to the priest and ask them to place at Baba’s feet and give them back to you.
Udi and Prasad :
Udi and Prasad are available at the Udi counter besides the Samadhi Mandir.
Donation :
There is a donation office near the Samadhi Mandir, next to the Udi/Prasad counter (Please refer to Annexure 1 for map). One can also donate shawl and other things.
Other temples and places of interest :
Gurusthan : Sai Baba used to meditate at this place under the neem tree. It is located just behind the Samadhi Mandir.
Dwarkamai : Sai Baba lived in this masjid during his lifetime. It is near to the Samadhi Mandir.
Chavadi : This is the place where Sai Baba used to sleep on alternate day. It is very near to the Hanuman temple, just opposite to the Dwarkamai.
Ganesh, Shani and Shiv-Parvathi Temples : Next to the donation office are the temples of Ganesh, Shani and Shiv- Parvathi.
Nanda-Deep : This is place is 2-3 minutes walk from the Gurusthan, near the PRO office. This is situated in Lendi Gardens.
Hanuman Temple : It is very near to Dwarkamai.
Khandoba Temple : This is the place where Mhalsapthi first addressed Sai Baba as ‘Sai’. It is far from the main Samadhi Complex.
Restaurants :
There is lot of good Indian restaurants near the temple. Shirdi Sai Sansthan also provides food at nominal rates at Annadan center.
Other Poojas :
You can participate in various poojas performed in the temple. You need to book in advance. For more information you can contact the Donation Office.
Places of interest near Shirdi :
Shani-Shingnapur : The unique feature of Shani-Shingnapur is that there is neither any image of specific deity nor any particular idol, but there is a stone pillar, which is supposed to embody the image, which is worshipped with deep respect and reverence.
It is approx. 80 kms from Shirdi.
Tryambakeshwar :
It is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is approx 1 hr drive from Nashik.