Immersing Myself Into Spirituality in Shirdi
Since a year or so, my parents were hell-bent on visiting Shirdi and staying there for at least a week. After numerous high-end dramatic days by my mother and suggestions from my father, the time finally arrived. And, my parents’ joy knew no bounds.
Unless you have been living in some other world altogether, you would definitely know that Shirdi is one of the most spiritual cities in India, famous for its history with the godly figure of Sai Baba. Apparently, the distance between Pune and Shirdi is lesser as compared to Mumbai. Hence, we decided to take a flight to Pune and then book a direct taxi from Pune airport to Shirdi.
The Journey on the Road:
For a comfortable and seamless journey, we took Nashik Highway. And, for sure, the road until Shirdi is quite excellent in condition. Since we had started the trip early morning, traffic was quite negligible, and we reached our destination in almost three and a half hours.
Upon Reaching Shirdi:
Around 9:00 am, we reached Shirdi. One of the things that I liked the most about Shirdi is how well maintained and clean it is. You are not going to find litter on the roads or garbage oozing out of the dustbins. Everything about this place is neat and pristine.
Since we had a long journey, we decided to take a break before visiting the first temple. Hence, we looked for a guest house, which looked less like a guest house and more like a 3-star hotel.
We booked one massive room that had two rooms adjoined in one. Right from geyser to an air conditioner, the place had almost every facility that didn’t cost us much.
Once we freshened up and rested for a while, we went to have brunch. Admittedly, it was one of the most delicious thalis I have had in the past few years. And, surprisingly, each thali cost us less than INR 20!
The Shirdi Darshan:
To visit the temple, my parents suggested booking a cab in Shirdi with an experienced driver instead of depending on local transportation. With a driver well-aware of the shortcuts, it didn’t take enough time to reach the temple.
Once there, we were told that passes need to be bought before we can enter. I took a general pass, while for my parents, a senior pass was issued after they validated their Aadhar cards through their fingerprints. The security in the temple was top-notch and very well-handled.
As per the rules, one adult can accompany seniors; hence, we got an easy entry through Gate 3. After a short wait, this gate gave us direct entry into the Darshan hall.
At maximum, it took us nothing more than half an hour to come outside after Darshan. And with that, we were blessed with the glimpses of Shri Sai.
Roaming the Local Areas:
After Darshan, we still had some time at hand to call it a day. Therefore, we decided to roam around the local markets and shop around. The city market of Shirdi is flooded with religious products, be it the idols of Sai Baba or photo frames.
Once done with shopping, our driver suggested visiting some local areas. To begin with, we paid a visit to Dwarkamai, which is said to be a place where Sai Baba spent a considerable part of his life. After that, we visit Chavadi – a place where Baba used to spend alternate nights.
Amidst others, we also visited the house of Laxmibai Shinde, Samadhi of Shri Tatya Kote, Sai Heritage Village, and Lendi Baug.
A Visit to Shani Shingnapur:
The next day, we commenced our journey towards Shani Shingnapur, which is almost 2 hours away from Shirdi. We reached the place by 10:00 am. Although traffic was light; however, the road was in bad condition. Apparently, the re-construction work was going on. After darshan, we instantly left the place and came back to Shirdi by late afternoon.
The Return:
That was the wind up of my Shirdi trip with the family. At last, I could tick mark the place from my bucket list. The trip was soothing as well as calming. And, what else could be vital if it left a huge smile on my parent’s face?
