"The Story Behind Our Pilgrimage to Shirdi"
It's all started from a simple suggestion from my Parents. Let's go to shiridi actually it is not a planned one. But me and my family thought so many times to visit shiridi but it never happened but finally our family decided to go trip this year. Our first trip in 2025 to shiridi going to a trip with a family turned into a beautiful experience and filled with adventure, togetherness and some things I learnt from the trip and I will share my experience and tips throughout my trip and that any family planning for the trip to go shiridi. You guys must read my blog anyway we decided the trip to shiridi and other sight seeing places near shiridi and our planning is full on swing by booking the tickets to packing the luggage for the trip.
This trip is a long awaited trip for me and my family. This blog shares the story of how our Shirdi trip unfolded, the places we visited, and the spiritual lessons we took away from the experience.
So my fellow readers grab your coffee or snacks and Lets dive into my story where I will share my trip experiences and untold stories of shiridi.
"Day 1: A Scenic Train Ride to Shirdi"
Our journey started to shiridi on 15th of January 2025 and it is one of auspicious day and third day of pongal and that evening filled with excitement and chaos and some what tension because there is special pooja in temple and it is ended in evening. We started our journey to Guntakal and the station is 30 KM away and we had a race against time to catch the train at last finally. we reached railway station and catched our train after sometime we had some dinner and taken rest.
Despite the hustle, the experience is worth while and that day filled with spirituality.
"Reaching Shirdi: A Step Closer to the Sacred Darshan"
We reached Shiridi railway station to at 10:00 AM and from here you can take auto rickshaw to reach any hotel it is almost 2km away from station and we reached a Kashi Annapurna Arya Vyasha satram. we already booked the room before only so we quickly checked in our room and got freshen up and had some light breakfast, so our first day in shiridi is Thursday very special to Sai Baba so you can except that it will take more time for dharshan anyway we are quiet excited for dharshan.
"On the Way to Sai Baba’s Darshan: A Moment of Devotion"
So from my hotel it is almost 800m distance it is short walk distance and finally we reached to Gate No 2 where you can deposit chappals and Mobile phones freely and they will give you token you have keep it safely so that when you return to take your things you can show them. The temple faculty is well organized helping devotee to leave their belongings here so that you can have peaceful dharshan after that for those who are seeking the free dharshan you can reach to GATE NO 6 and As we reached to Gate no 6 it is the entry point for free dharshan there will be complex we have to go through it and it taken almost 2 hours for dharshan and it has too much crowd but faculty had made sitting arrangements for people over all the queue.
At last we reached to Main temple and it is worth to wait in queue for dharshan when we are close to Sai baba it is a beautiful moment and the scenario is like chanting's of devotees and serene experience. we can see Sai baba very near dharshan. It is a blissful moment. After completing my dharshan we proceeded to collect VIBHUDI and prasadh and the experience didn't end here if you follow same line you can see Sai Baba Museum, there you can see a glimpse of BABA personal belongings like his Bed, pillow, Palkan and some massive Ragi kadai's where he used to cook for his devotees and other people. Seeing all these preserved artifacts make us close to him and added a deeper lesson for his teachings.
"From Darshan to Discovery: Sightseeing in Shirdi"
And it almost evening 4:00 pm when we came out from dharshan so we decided to explore the near places for that we booked one Auto. Basically it will costs 400 to 500 for family in one auto so our first destination is Kalapavrush it is not a temple it is very big and oldest tree in that area big tree with no leaves and next one we visited to old shiridi Museum to enter here there is some entry ticket here you can see the personal belongings of Sai baba it has serval items like such as his bed, clothing, utensils, and other daily-use items. These offer a glimpse into Sai
Kalapavrush
Baba’s humble lifestyle. Our next stop is Veera Bhadra Swamy Temple before entering into temple there is a small market it was offering a variety of items such as vegetables, sarees, local shiridi snacks and local Handicrafts, that market had lot to offer and it was lively spot to see and we had a good dharshan.
Till then we completed 3 temple and 3 more to go then we went to Panchamuki vinyaka temple, Panchamuki ajenaya swamy temple and at last our trip ended with Ekk Mukhi datha swamy temple and it is very good to see other places almost it took 2 hours to complete the 6 temples and we went to our hotel had some snacks got ready. Then we went to see the Palanquin seva(Pallaki seva) actually our first day in shiridi was Thursday so every thursday there will be Palanquin Seva in shiridi and we had a chance to see all these and soon we reached to Dwarakamai Temple, after some time group of boys started to dance soon, the beats of drums filled the air. For a moment, it felt just like Ganesh Visarjan, where everyone dances with full energy and devotion.
As the night went on, at 10:00 PM, the day ended with Sai Baba’s Aarti, bringing a sense of peace and fulfillment. Witnessing all this—devotion, music, and celebration—was truly a serene experience.
DAY- 2 Exploring Nashik – The City of Temples & Holy Vibes
On first day only we booked a travels for next day to see the Nashik and Trimbakeshwar and it is a tour bus and our Day -2 trip started I am very excited to explore the Nasik and scared Jyotirling we started our journey at 8:00 clock we didn't had a break fast our stop is in some hotel had some breakfast it not that much nice and our major stop was around noon. we finally reached Nashik and Nashik is the oldest city in India and you can see houses all are old style. we stepped from our bus so here we have to take auto for panchavati for up and down it 100 rupees each person and our first stop is Triveni Sangam where (Aruna, Varuna, and Godavari rivers) it is sangam of 3 rivers and if you come out from temple you can see other 2 in same lane one is kapaleshwar Mandir and shiva Mandir both temples are related to shiva and good dharshan.
Exploring the Panchavati
Our next destination is Panchavati there are 5 places in same area in panchavati.
Seetha Gupha: It is one of the place in Panchavati Seetha Gupha is not about historical site but also symbol of love and Devotion and As per the legends and Hindu mythology. when Sita maa and lord ram went to vanavas there is time where they are apart for some time. So Sita maa taken rest in Seetha Gupha so in the old time that area covered with full of forest and it is near banks of Godavari. Then next stop is Ram Kund where lord Sri Ram took a bath located near the cave and next stop is Kalram Mandir near to the Seetha Gupha and it is dedicated to lord ram.
Until now we completed 3 temples and near that we can see the small museum tells the history of the both temples and next we went to see Goraram Mandir it is one another temple dedicated to lord Ram these temple give peaceful atmosphere where so man devotees offers their prayers to lord and the temple architecture tells the history of the temple. Then we taken some rest had some food. Next we went to see Ravana Gupha but it is under construction and then in opposite there is Hanuman temple is there we went there and taken a blessings of lord hanuman.
Kalram Mandir
panchavati is a place where it connects to Ramayana where lord Ram, Sita and Laxman spent some time here and these place near to Banks of Godavari.
Exploring Trimbakeshwar: Where the Godavari Begins and Shiva Reigns
At last we reached our last destination Trimbakeshwar one of the Scared Jyotirling in India. When we reached to the place it is almost evening so we are in hurry burry for the dharshan and it is almost 1km far from the bus we have to walk and when we are reaching near to temple and with the serene surrounding with the mountain stand back and the cloudy climate sunset time it is a rare scenario to see and experience and here you can get 200/- rupee dharshan or free dharshan and we went to free dharshan it is almost 2 hours for the dharshan but the facilities of temple are nice when we are in queue there are some LED Tv to see live of Lord Shiva and that is Harathi time and pujari doing some abhishekam to swamy.
When we reached to main entrance of the temple follows the Nagara style and when we go to history of the temple here The shiva lingam divided in 3 parts of Lord Bharmha, Vishnu and SHIVA and the temple was built in Satavahana dynasty, which ruled the region around the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE and in 18th Century it was Re- built again by Marata dynasty and we are entering the main temple it is a scared view of inner temple and god we have a beautiful dharshan and the experience I have no words for it. so for overall dharshan had taken 2 hours and we come out from the temple and we are going towards our bus there is whole street full of snacks and food stalls and the shopping area. So we went to one of the snacks shop had a chance to taste the Maharashtra snacks it is nice and tasty.
When we reached to main entrance of the temple follows the Nagara style and when we go to history of the temple here The shiva lingam divided in 3 parts of Lord Bharmha, Vishnu and SHIVA and the temple was built in Satavahana dynasty, which ruled the region around the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE and in 18th Century it was Re- built again by Marata dynasty and we are entering the main temple it is a scared view of inner temple and god we have a beautiful dharshan and the experience I have no words for it. so for overall dharshan had taken 2 hours and we come out from the temple and we are going towards our bus there is whole street full of snacks and food stalls and the shopping area. So we went to one of the snacks shop had a chance to taste the Maharashtra snacks it is nice and tasty.
And we have to know one of the important place where Godavari river originated from here Bharmha Giri and it is called as a gangs of the southern states. As per the Hindu Mythology it was created by Lord Shiva to cleanse the sage Gautham and his wife Ahalaya curse and it is Godavari river is mentioned in many puranas like Ramyan and Mahabharatam and flow towards Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and it end in Bay of Bengal.
Day - 3 Ellora’s Grandeur & The Divine Grushneshwar Temple
On Day -3 we already decided the today sight-seeing places and we taken a Tavera car with other family had some breakfast and started our journey to Aurangabad to see Mini Taj Mahal(Bibi ka, Makbara) it is a replica of Taj Mahal here there is nothing much to see you have to take entry ticket here to enter and we taken some photos and we started our second destination Badra Marathi Temple it is nice temple you have to visit why because you can see unique idol sleeping Hanuman as I get to know the story of sleeping hanuman bye the locals says that according to them there is King Bhadrasena who is great devotee of Lord Rama and used to sing bajans in praise of Rama and hanuman pleased by his devotion and Hanuman appeared before him and lay down in a resting position to listen to the hymns. By here we completed 2 places and we had some lunch in the middle and it is quiet tasty.
Ellora’s Timeless Marvels & The Sacred Grushneshwar Jyotirlinga
Cave(1-12) Buddhist Caves: It was built in Vakataka dynasty and you can see the sculptures. This was built in 6th and 7th centuries and this caves tells the stories of Buddhism and the sculptures tells about their lifestyle and teachings and there is massive prayer halls how monks will gather and do prayer and there is Cave 5 Maharwada Cave.
Cave(13-29)Hindu caves: The most famous temple Kailsa temple is there in Cave16 and it is craved in one Single rock and you can see in Cave 14 Ravan ki Khai and Dashavatara (Cave 15) have intricate carvings of Hindu gods.
Cave(30-34): These are very small caves and have detailed craving of Jain and the philosophy.
At last we saw all the caves and we didn't explore much but still it is good and it is almost 6:00 clock. So they are closing the caves so all the members going out when you come out from the area and walk few meters approx. 1.5 KM you can reach Grishneshwar temple.
Grishneshwar Temple
At last finally we reached our last destination of the day and it is the Last and small Jyotirling in 12 jyotirlinga here you won't get any special dharshan only free dharshan will be available and we have reach temple before 7:00 clock if it too late there will be evening Aarthi will be held in 7:30 so it will take more time for dharshan so we reached there on time and it almost taken 1 hour for dharshan and we have a good dharshan and that evening went very well. we spent some time in temple and it is almost dark and temple.
We spent some time in temple by clicking the photos and admiring the Gopuram and that evening sky combined with temple illuminated color gives a mesmerizing vibe and unique feeling. And the temple built in 13th Century and but it destroyed many times after that in 18th century it was again built by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar she is Indore queen. This temple also have a unique story a women called Grishna a devotee women who worshipped lord shiva for years and she blessed with the son but her jealousy sister throw the child in lake but still grishna worshipped shiva Miraculously, her son was come again pleased by her devotion Lord shiva manifested here as a Jyotirling at that spot. After so many years that place changed as a Grishneshwar by her name. By this my 3rd day come to end.
Day - 4 Jyotirlinga & Ashtavinayak: A Spiritual Journey to Bhimashankar & Ozar
We started our Day-4 Journey early because we are traveling to Bhimashankar it was very far from shiridi and so we had our breakfast and it is almost 6-7 hours from shiridi. By the time we reached shiridi it is almost after 2:00pm like that and there is too much rush is there. Here we made a mistake that we are visiting Bhimashankar on Sunday Travel tip guys don't travel Bhimashankar on Sat, sun, and Monday on these days you won't get good dharshan. As you know we are traveling first time to shiridi so no one told me this thing but fine anyway we reached to temple area. But so much rush is there so we parked our car in 3rd parking lot they are total 7 parking lots are there still we have to travel 2KM to go to temple so we have bike services for temple. So finally we reached the temple and we are in queue line and we get know that for 5 hours queue also it is very hard for dharshan.
So there is another option is there Dhoor dharshan we can see god from far we went there and had Dhoor dharshan but it is not that much visible there is no temple facilities anywhere for anything we have to pay extra money here and you won't get that thing and there are some syndicate are there like Pushpa movie for special dharshan they are asking 1000 rupees for each person it is too much and I am very disappointed in this thing if i say opening it is totally wasted that day we travelled so far and we didn't get good dharshan also anyway it is completed and we started for next destination.
Ozar Ganapati
After our long journey and darshan at Bhimashankar, we headed towards Ozar Ganapati Temple, one of the Ashtavinayak Temples dedicated to Lord Ganesha and these temple is known for removing obstacles from our life and these temple is very classy and we had a very good dharshan and temple is less crowded and allowing us have a good and peaceful dharshan.
The Last Day: Taking Home Blessings from Shirdi
Here we come to my last day of the trip Day-5 this 4 days went very fast we travelled so many places and all these created so many memories and experience and learnt new things and did a good shopping visited caves learnt history and at a time within 3 days visited 3 Historical places(Jyotirling ) and in the early morning we got ready for the last time we want to go for Sai baba dharshan again and so it is monday and in the morning time there will be not that much rush so within 30 min we completed our dharshan and we went to Dwarakamai also and we did last time shopping there and we returned to out satram.
Our train was scheduled for 1 PM, and we had to reach Nagarsol, which is about 40 km from Shirdi. We made sure to leave on time and arrived at the station 20 minutes before departure. Luckily, our train started from Nagarsol itself, so there was no rush, and we had our seats booked in advance By this my shiridi journey come to end and I learnt so many things throughout my journey and we had a good memories and bad experiences also in our travel but it is part of our life still there is so many places are there to cover we didn't got much these shiridi given me so many memories and good moments.
This is my journey about shiridi and read the story and share your insights in comment box and share with your friends who like to read stories.
Your experiences at Shirdi Sai are truly divine! Felt the blessings of Baba through your post. Shirdi, a place of solace and peace. Your blog post captures its essence beautifully.
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