A Visit to Shirdi wale Sai Baba

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.

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