Nestled in Maharashtra, Shirdi is an important and popular pilgrimage site in the country. It is known as the place where saint Sai Baba resided, preached his teachings and attained Samadhi. Along with the renowned Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, the city also houses several religious spots, making Shirdi an ideal place to calm your soul.
Best time to visit Shirdi:
The ideal time to visit Shirdi is from January to March. It is usually crowded with pilgrims between September and November due to various Hindu festivals of India, including Sai Baba's death anniversary, Dussehra and Guru Poornima. Let us take a look at various seasons all year round to help you plan your trip better.
Most spoken languages in Shirdi:
How to reach Shirdi:
Considered among the best restaurants in Shirdi, Rajdhani restaurant is known for its delectable dishes coupled with friendly service. Their must-try dishes include Srikhand, Khichdi, Jalebis, and Thali.
The restaurant offers a wide range of South Indian dishes and Chinese delights. With great ambiance and excellent service, it's a beautiful place to spend time with your family and friends.
It's a famous eatery in Shirdi known for its vegetarian dishes. Along with good quality thalis for lunch and dinner, the place is also known to serve tasty fast food.
It's a moderately priced restaurant that is known for its efficient and quick service. Try their delicious Dosa and Gujarati thali, and you will remember its taste for long.
Temple road: The streets leading to the temple sell a collection of Sai Baba effigies and pictures. Apart from these, you can also buy some fibre and marble statues, keyrings, dry fruits and religious books related to Sai Baba’s life, and philosophies. The books are available in English and other vernacular languages. You can also buy some dry laddoos and pedas to take back home.
Being a spiritually inclined place, you will find everything related to spirituality in Shirdi. Since the place is known for the great saint Sai Baba, you will find books, statues, photos related to him, and other gods and goddesses.
Sun-n-Sand Shirdi Counted among the high-end hotels in Shirdi, Sun-n-Sand hotel is located just five minutes away from the sacred shrine. The neutral colour theme and warm hints create a comfortable environment to stay along with a varied room choice, including superior, studio, standard, and suite. It boasts of housing Shirdi’s only Italian restaurant along with an outdoor pool, Joggers’ track, a children's play area, and gaming machines.
Hotel Sai Leela It is among the best budget hotels in the city. If you are looking for a comfortable stay without compromising on modern amenities, then Hotel Sai Leela is the ideal pick for you. The rooms are simple, with a homely ambience. The hotel also features a small waterpark, outdoor pool with side pools, a garden, and a children's play area.
Sai Laxmi Hotel This hotel is a perfect pick for those who want to stay on a budget at a proximity to the temple. Sai Laxmi Hotel features basic rooms and amenities, sufficient for a comfortable stay.
Daiwik Hotel Located just 4 minutes away from the temple, Daiwik hotel comprises of a business centre, meeting/banquet facilities, and a 24-hour restaurant. The rooms are well-equipped with necessary facilities like a flat-screen TV with cable channels, a wardrobe, and a personal safe.
Here are some of the other places/things to explore on your trip to Shirdi.
It is one of the top ten places to visit in Shirdi. Abdul Baba was known among the most ardent followers of Sai Baba, and the cottage is quite an interesting one to visit. Its premises feature a small green coloured cottage comprising different items and photographs of Sai Baba and Abdul Baba.
It is believed that Sai Baba used to visit Chavadi while living in the mosque along with his closest followers on every alternate day. The visit to Chavadi is accompanied by palanquin processions which happens on every alternate night with a massive crowd of devotees.
Located about 14 km from the main city, Gurusthan is where for the first time the world spotted Sai Baba sitting under a neem tree. Devotees believe that burning incense sticks here can cure one of any ailment.
As the name suggests, Shani Shingnapur is famous for the temple dedicated to Shani Mahadev. The temple features a 5.5 ft high idol built in black stone. One surprising element is that the entire village around the temple has no doors.
When in Shirdi, you must pay a visit to Sai Heritage Village. This unique and interesting place is a pilgrimage site and a picnic spot, which is considered one of the best places for sightseeing in Shirdi. Established in July 2014, Sai Heritage Village has a beautiful theme park that takes you through the life of Sai Baba. The village exhibits several statues depicting essential events from Sai Baba's life. There are some activity games and a monorail as well.
This is one of the most important festivals celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm in the city.
The festival of Guru Purnima, observed on a full moon night, is also an apt time to visit Shirdi. It is the time to honour the Guru and seek his choicest blessings. Guru Purnima is the only festival that Sai Baba asked his devotees to celebrate.