Nashik : Shirdi : Shirdi Saibaba temple of Humanity: Pilgrimage to Shirdi

122 kms from Nashik is the abode of one of Maharashtra's most revered saint -- Sai Baba of Shirdi. Popularly known as the 'Child of God', Sai Baba preached tolerance towards all religions and the message of universal brotherhood. Every activity at Shirdi revolves around the vast temple complex dedicated to Sai Baba. Devotees start queuing up in the early hours of dawn to catch a glimpse and seek the blessings of the life-size statue of Sai Baba. Thursday is marked by special pujas and darshan of the Sai Baba statue. There are other places of interest that devotees can visit as well including Dwarkamani Mosque where the Baba meditated and slept on alternate nights. Near the mosque, in a corridor is the dhuni or eternal flame that burns day and night. Other places of importance are the Gurusthan, the Kandoba Temple, Shani Mandir, Narsimha Mandir, Changdev Maharaj Samadhi and the Sakori Ashram.

Sai Baba's place Shirdi (Maharashtra State) is a very sacred, powerful and important place of pilgrimage in India. One can visit this holy place easily. It is a well-developed town connected by bus routes. There is an important Railway Station, Kopergaon, though which the Karnataka Express from New Delhi to Bangalore passes. A number of trains from Bombay and Delhi also pass through Manmad station. Shirdi is only about 58 kms. from Manmad and buses and taxis are easily available to reach there. The distance of Shirdi from some important cities is as under:
Bombay       -  266 kms.
Nasik           -   90 kms.
Hyderabad   -  610 kms.
Surat           -  373 kms.
Nagpur         -  618 kms.
Jalgaon        -  233 kms.
Ahmednagar -    83 kms.
Delhi            - 1166 kms.
Pune            -  207 kms.
Sholapur       -  312 kms.
There are arrangements for boarding and lodging at the Shirdi Sai Sansthan but since the crowd of people on all days, especially on Thursdays is very large, find it difficult to get accommodation. Besides, there are large number of good hotels to cater to the needs of all classes of devotees. They have to seek the same in hotels, lodging places and private houses. Although there are arrangements for selling breakfast, lunch and dinner packets at the sansthan, yet due to the heavy rush most people have to eat outside in the market or in the restaurants.