Shirdi is a popular pilgrimage site in the state of Maharashtra. The city is visited by thousands of people on a daily basis and the numbers surge up to lakhs during the festive seasons. The town is widely known to Hindus all over the world for being the abode of Sai Baba. Shirdi is located in close proximity to the major cities in Maharashtra with Pune being the closes at less than 200 kms. Cabs from Pune to Shirdi takes about a mere four hour ride to reach. In the event that you choose to travel to Shirdi, be the purpose for a pilgrimage or just a holiday, there are some things you need to know.
Where do I stay?
There is no dearth for accommodations in Shirdi. Upon your arrival you can choose to book yourself a room in any of the budget friendly or mid-range hotels with better facilities like AC and wi-fi. The prices of the rooms of these hotels may start from about INR200 onwards.
During peak seasons, prior booking of hotel rooms through phone call or online booking before the journey is advised as you may have to pay some extra charges or even face difficulty trying to book a room. You can also register yourself to a dharamshala. Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust Reception Centre is located opposite to the S T Bus Stand where you can get good accommodation facilities for prices as low as INR50 upto INR1000.
What is the best time to visit?
The peak seasons of Shirdi is during the festive seasons of Guru Poornima, Dussehra and Ramnavami. The town is packed to its core during this seasons. Shirdi experience hot summers hence, the winters from December to February are a good time to visit. The Sai Baba temple, the main reason people come to Shirdi is busiest on Thursdays. Devotions and offerings begin by 5am in the morning and goes on for the whole day. The weekend also see a huge crowd on weekends and holidays when people line up for hours to offer homage to Sai Baba.
What to eat and what to offer?
The first to know when it comes to food in Shirdi is that, you will not find meat. Although Shirdi has a large array of hotel and restaurants spread across the town, all of them are vegetarian. The prices are low and the varieties plenty. You can expect to find Gujarati, Maharashtrian, South Indian and Continental. There are also outlets near the temple selling food at subsidized rates. Roses are sold outside the temple which you can give as an offering. Coconuts are however not allowed inside the premises of the temple.
What is the best way to reach and leave?
Being in close proximity to cities like Pune and Mumbai, it makes for a perfect weekend getaway for the spiritually inclined people living in these cities. Buses and taxis travel on a daily basis to nearby cities. If your plane lands at the Mumbai international airport and your want to take a short trip to Shirdi, you could easily get a taxi from Mumbai to Shirdi which will take you about eight hours.
