Shirdi is one of the most sacred temples in India, the abode of the famous saint Shri Satchidanand Sadguru Sainath Maharaj, fondly known as ‘Saibaba’. Streams of devout that follow him vehemently flock to the temple all year round. The main deity in the temple is Sai baba’s 'samadhi' where worshippers come to seek his blessings. People of all faiths, religion and caste visit the temple with a belief that baba will fulfill their wishes warding off the evil.
According to the lore, Sai baba came to Shirdi during his teens as a mysterious 'fakir'. He continued to live in the village for over 60 years. Soon people discovered he was no ordinary man seeing the magical abilities that he used on multiple occasions. In the beginning, he used to live under a Neem tree located on the outskirts of Shirdi. That sacred spot is today known as Gurusthan. Afterward, he moved to an abandoned mosque in Dwarkamai and then to Lendi Baug. All these places are now converted to holy spots where pilgrims come to pay homage to Saibaba. His generosity was appreciated everywhere as he preached love and equality.
Shirdi temple complex is a remarkable assortment of significant places related to major life incidences of Saibaba. It covers an area of 200 sq. m. encapsulating Khandoba temple, Gurusthan, Lendi Garden, Samadhi Mandir, Chavdi and Dwarkamai. Samadhi Mandir is the spot where Saibaba took rest in his final days. One of his strong followers Shri Gopalrao Butti of Nagpur built it as a tribute to him. On the right, Samadhi Mandir is flanked by Gurusthan, the place where Saibaba spent the majority of his time. Here, you will see the tomb of Saibaba under a Neem tree. On the left of Samadhi Mandir lies Dwarkamai, featuring a garlanded wall with no image of any deity. Another attraction in the temple complex is Lendi Garden. You will love this sprawling garden with water channels and colorful flowers. People come here to see the tombs, shrines and two lamps lit by baba. There is also an open kitchen where devotees are offered free food as Prasad.
People who visit Shirdi also make sure to see popular places in its proximity. These include Shani Shingnapur, Dwarkamai Masjid, Sai Heritage Village and Maruti Mandir.
The location of Shirdi makes it easily accessible by all major modes of transport. If you are coming by train, then Sainagar Shirdi is the closest railway station. It offers regular trains from all important cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. For those planning to come by air can get down at the nearest aerodrome, Pune International Airport in Pune city. Shirdi is also well connected by road. State-run buses, as well as private buses, run regularly to the slow-paced town. You can board one from cities like Kopargaon (15 km), Ahmednagar (83 km), Manmad (87 km) or Nashik (80 km).
MarcoFrance1965
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE !
I just came back from a 12 days Rajasthan tour. It was just myself and my 14 year olde daughter. I found Caper surfing the web and had non suggestion from friends and had never read comments or reviews about it. Totally "blind-choice". I was very lucky. The organization was really excellent. The agent that followed us, Mr. Praveen Juyal did a great job. I decided our itinerary and he punctually gave me suggestions on the best management of my choices. The hotel choice was fine and confirmed expectations. We had tour guides in every site seeing location and they were all extremely professional, very punctual and really kind and polite.
But I must say that what made the trip even better was our driver; Mr. Deshraj.
One of those persons that you really wish you could meet once in your life. Not only an excellent driver but always helpful, respectful and friendly. He explained us many things about Indian life along the journey and sometimes stopped for short breaks in beautiful places on the road that were not even mentioned in the guide books. My only regret is that at the end of the trip I didn't have much money left and I left a tip probably not adeguate for the kind of service but I will definitely send him try to sort this maybe in a next trip. Thank you very much Caper and Deshraj.
Dreamer802943
A Memorable Trip
We recently concluded a 12 day driving tour of New Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan with Caper Travel. It was most enjoyable !! The logistics arrangements were excellent - from tour planning , hotel selection , vehicle condition to driver. Mr Alok handled the planning, and Mr Vikram was our Tempo driver throughout the journey. Mr Vikram was very helpful , accommodating and patient throughout the tour, despite long hours of driving on the roads ( not to mention India traffic}. We would not hesitate to recommend Caper to our fellow travellers who are thinking of visiting India. Thank You Caper !
goochie33, London, United Kingdom
Golden triangle goa and mumbia
Just come back from an amazing 2 week trip to India. First we done the golden triangle which we chose to do the train trip from Delhi to Agra a must you have to do if not just for the experience. All the cities were wonderful but be prepared to see lots of temple one seems to run into another but wow the taj was my highlight along with the Hindu temple in Delhi. The driving the cows the dogs are everywhere are all an experience. Goa was beautiful we stayed at the taj exotica. In mumbia we done a city tour and ended our trip in the taj for afternoon tea another must. It is a exhilarating trip but one I will never forget. From booking with Manika to all the drivers and guides they were always there to meet us from the airport and hotels on time. They really looked after us thank you all.
Aileen M
Wonderful trip
We have just returned from our first trip to India and we must say it was absolutely fascinating. The itinerary was first class and covered everything we could have wished for. On arrival we were met by a very nice rep and driver who took us to our hotel and sorted out the necessary paperwork with us. We had our driver Vishan for our time in the north and he was terrific, kept the vehicle spotless and kept us supplied with water. We then flew to the south of India and met up with our driver Suhdeer who again was very nice and very informative about things as we drove along. The guides we had on all our trips were excellent and again very informative.
The only down side to it all was that in our package we paid for the drivers accommodation, food and allowance only to find out that the drivers don’t receive this money and if they want accommodation they have to pay for it themselves. We ended up paying one of our drivers an amount for the nights that we had him for him to get somewhere to sleep and food as we were concerned that if he slept in his car he wouldn’t be rested enough to take on the next day driving for 4-5 hours.
All in all Caper Travel are excellent in their planning and can’t fault them for that.
Urquiola, New York City, New York
Caper travel
Recently traveled to India on a private guided tour with Caper Travel. Ms. Mumtaz Khan worked with me on arranging my itinerary.
She was always available to answer all my concerns immediately. On my arrival in Delhi I was welcome with warm smile at the airport by a young gentleman name Kapol Joshi . My experience with the company was amazing and I would highly recommend to anyone traveling to India.
I would also like to mention the personal attention I received at Amritsar by Aman Shara and his lovely wife who welcomed me and my son to their home
and soon to open their beautiful hotel.
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