Location Details
Name of the temple: Shirdi Saibaba Temple
Name of the deity : Shirdi Saibaba
Location : Shirdi, Nasik, Maharshtra, India
Introduction
Located at Shirdi, in the Kopargam taluk of Ahmadnagar district, Maharashtra, the Shirdi Saibaba Temple symbolizes and propagates the life and teachings of Sri Sai Baba. Sri Sai Baba spent the major part of his life at Shirdi and hence the temple is dedicated to him.
Deity Worshipped
The principal deity of the Shirdi Saibaba Temple is Sri Sai Baba. The word ‘Sai’ signifies God as the absolute or Sakshaat Ishwar. Sri Sai appeared in Shirdi village as a mysterious youth and spent his entire life in the village addressing the problems and issues of people. The Shirdi Saibaba Temple also hosts the Samadhi of Sri Sai Baba which is thronged by thousands of devotees, especially during Thursdays.
Sri Sai Baba is aptly described by one of his devotee as, “The embodiment of the supreme spirit lighting the sadhakas (seekers’) path by his every word and action”. The temple also hosts an extremely beautiful marble statue of Sai Baba.
History
No authenticated information or records are available to establish the birth date or the birth place of Sai Baba. However, as per Sai Satcharita, Sai Baba had arrived at the village of Shirdi when he was 16 years old and he had left the village soonafter. During this period it is believed that he had interacted with many saints and fakirs and also worked as a weaver for a short span. He finally returned to Shirdi in 1858, by which time he had adopted his famous style of dress i.e. knee-length one piece robe or kafni and a cloth cap. Sri Sai Baba had spent almost four to five years under a Neem tree and was later persuaded to take shelter in a nearby mosque. Slowly and steadily the fame of Baba’s miraculous healing powers began to spread and reached Mumbai especially after 1910. He was considered as the miraculous saint and even as an Avatar. Sri Sai Baba was also very fond of growing plants and distributing the flowers amongst the nearby temples.
Scriptural references
The origins and ancestors of Sri Sai Baba are not yet clear to anyone. He manifested himself as a young sixteen year old lad, under a Neem tree. Once when asked about his origins by Mrs. Bayjamaa Kote Patil, when he had sought Bhiksha from her, he had replied, “From very long”. At a very young age he seemed to have possessed the knowledge of a Brahmin. Sri Sai Baba had already renounced all forms of worldly pleasures and kept on performing miracles to ensure the safety and health of his devotees. He was also often heard by his devotees to be saying, “My Leela is inscrutable”.
Cultural Significance
The Shirdi Saibaba Temple is of immense cultural significance, owing to the fact that there is no discrimination practiced by the temple. Devotees from all corners of the world, irrespective of caste, creed, gender, sex or religion visit the temple and pay obeisance to Sri Sai Baba. The preaching of Sri Sai Baba encompassed the salient aspects of all religions i.e. Islam, Parsi, Christianity as well as Buddhism.
Temple details
Spread across an area of almost 200 square meters, the Shirdi Saibaba Temple also hosts a museum containing the relics of Sri Sai Baba, which is directly under the management of Sai Baba Sansthan of Shirdi. The other salient aspects of the temple are as follows:
- Khandoba Temple: This is the place where Sri Sai Baba had first entered Shirdi and this is also the place where he had acquired his name.
- Gurusthan: Literally meaning the ‘place of the Guru’, it is at this place that Sri Sai Baba had spent most of his time after coming to Shirdi for the first time. This place is also recognized as the tomb of the Guru of Sri Sai Baba himself.
- Samadhi Mandir: This is the place where the tomb of Sri Sai Baba is located.
- Dwarkamai: This is the mosque where Sri Sai Baba had spent a chunk of his time.
- Chavadi: This was the Village Office of Shirdi which was used for collection of taxes, record keeping and other administrative tasks. Later the Chavadi was acquired by the Sansthan and was used for the purposes of storing books and accommodating pilgrims.
- Lendi Garden (Baba’s place of penance and paradise): The Lendi Garden was the garden which was frequented by Sri Sai Baba himself. The garden received a complete makeover in the year 1999. The garden also hosts some tombs, a shrine and a perpetually burning lamp which was believed to have been lit by Sri Sai Baba himself.
- Hanuman Mandir – Also known as the Maruti Mandir, the Hanuman Mandir was a place of special connection for Sri Sai Baba. He was often seen as standing in front of the temple and slowly moving his arms up and down.
- The Three Temples: The three temples of Lord Ganesh, Lord Shani and Lord Mahadev are located behind the outdoor theater. Tatya Kote Patil, a local devotee of Sri Sai Baba was very fond of offering lamps here.
- Mahalaxmi Temple – This temple is mentioned in the Sri Sai Satcharita and was often frequented by Sri Sai Baba.
- Narasimha Temple – This temple is located in Chavadi, next to Sakharam Shelke’s house.
- There are two Jain temples located in close proximity to each other. The first was built by the Sri Jain Swethambara Theertha Trust. The main idol of the temple is Adeshwar Bhagwan.
Festivals
The major festivals celebrated in the Shirdi Saibaba Temple are as follows:
- Ramnavami- Celebrated in the months of March-April
- Guru Purnima- Celebrated in the month of July
- Vijayadashami- Celebrated in the month of September.
Poojas, bhajans and recitation of religious scriptures are organized by the temple authorities during the celebrations.
