I was in Mumbai last month for an office conference. I was swamped at work
the entire week, but I had some time off on the weekend and a friend of mine
suggested that I take a trip to Shirdi.
When it comes to travelling I am always ready. So, I chalked out a schedule and
switched on my computer to book my bus tickets to Shirdi. Online bus
ticket bookings are the easiest thing I have
come across, where your pass to travel, is just a click away. I booked my
ticket from “My Bus Tickets” and luckily I
found a window seat.
I was leaving on a Friday
evening and it so happened, that Narendra Modi had a rally that evening
too. Mumbai traffic becomes nerve
wracking as it is, and with the rally in full swing, it was nothing short of mayhem.
I finally reached my pick up point for the bus and was all set to visit Shirdi.
It takes about four and a half hours to reach Shirdi from Mumbai and
it was a pleasant ride because of the magnificent sights through the Konkan
region. Shirdi is not just about the
Sai Baba temple but about the city itself. The sombreness of the place is its
biggest attraction.
A cup of coffee at sunrise, in my
room, overlooking the sea made the trip all the more worthwhile My exploration
started with two local beaches in town, followed by the sacred Sai Baba temple.
I also payed my respects at Baba Chavadi, Dwarkamai Musjid, Khandoba Mandir and
other small temples in and around the city. During all of this, what caught my
attention was a beautiful little museum called Dixit Wada, located within the
Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust Comp which houses the belongings used by Sai Baba
during his lifetime. Apart from the city’s sacred spirit, the biggest plus
point about Shirdi is its authentic
Marathi cuisine. With all the local flavours, my taste buds just went on a
joyride.
This is Khandoba Temple
This is the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple
This is the beautiful Shirdi beach.
All I can say is that my trip was
worth every penny. I felt refreshed and rejuvenated with the austerity of the
place, the vintage Marathi cuisine and the sheer magnificence of the city. Shirdi truly cleanses ones soul with all
its purity.
NOTE:
This is a guest post by Sri Hari Venkat from http://www.mybustickets.in/mybusblog/. The copy right of the the content and the photographs in this post (only) are with Sri Hari Venkat and may not be copied or used or published in any form with out permission from the author.
I loved reading this article on Shirdi and also many other posts on his blog. You will find many travelogues with some very beautiful Photographs on his blog http://www.mybustickets.in/mybusblog/. Please do visit and read the articles. It is helpful to all those who want to visit these places.
