Trip to Shirdi.Its truly said..that before god’s permission nothing is possible on this earth..although I may sound a bit like priest…but that’s how I feel. Since long I was planning for a trip to Shirdi, But finally my wish came true when this weekend(27/04/10 ) got a chance to visit this divine place.
How to get to Shirdi:- Nearest airports are Mumbai(260 km), Pune(185 km) and Aurangabad (125 km). Make sure if you are planning your trip on weekends then have your tickets booked for bus well in advance, as Saturdays and Sundays witness a huge rush from places located nearby Shirdi. For people planning their trip from Mumbai,State Transport Corporation and private operators run coaches to Shirdi from Mumbai. The easiest way to get to Shirdi is by bus. If you fly into the Mumbai airport, hire a taxi (the ones that are in lines at the very front of the airport) to take you to the Dadar Bus Stand. The cost is about Rs.-150 to Rs.-175 (make sure they turn the meter on). There are also people who will try to redirect you to their own “private” taxis. These “private” taxis charge between Rs. 400 to Rs. 600 to take you to the Dadar Bus Stand.
At the Dadar Bus Stand, there are long lines of small ticket counters that sell bus tickets to Shirdi. Preferably, try to get an A/C direct bus (Rs.-500). If you are not able to get an A/C direct bus, get a non-A/C direct bus (Rs.-250). Buses leave almost every 3 hours from Mumbai to Shirdi. So your wait will not be long. The buses make about 2 stops for food. Make sure you pack some snacks and bottled water for the trip. Keep an eye on your luggage! Try to get a bus that departs before 11am so you will not arrive too late at Shirdi.
We left by our car at 5:30 AM and reached Shirdi by 11:30 AM the reason for this Early journey was to witness the auspicious aarti(prayer) of the day of babaji.
If you are traveling alone or with your friends best thing is once you reach Shirdi, agents of local lodge owners will flock you as if you are Saibaba and they have got his darshan in your incarnation, stay cool. If a visitor is alone he may opt for option just to take bath and other early morning rituals, and suppose to leave Shirdi on same day by noon itself, you got hold of agent who will help you to a lodge for bath and other things, for that whole ‘holy experience paid up 20 bucks, for expecting so much just for 20 bucks, never mind take bath and rushed to temple to stand in que.
Word of caution:- when you go for buying the prasad (stuff offered to god), bargain hard because it may happen that one may land up paying exorbitant price for the prasad. I purchased prasad of amount 450 bucks Which was of amount just 100 bucks or even lesser. Finally I entered the temple witnessed the aarti and was free in almost 2-3 hours.
It was then time to march back to Mumbai and halting at Nasik, We reched nasik at 5:30 pm and both in need of a coffee. So, we stopped at Kamath hotel near Artillery Centre Museum to have coffee. After having a refreshing coffee we both checked in to hotel not so costly we just paid Rs 700 (with A/C not a bad deal) very much decent hotel near Nasik Club
Nasik is a holy city, where one can find many beautiful temples and ghats. Apart from these, the fairs and festivals celebrated here, also attract a number of tourists.
Attractions In Nasik: Kumbh Mela,Panchavati,Sita Gumpha,Sundarnarayan Temple,Modakeshwar Ganesh Temple,Ramkund,Kalaram Temple and many more...
Since my childhood I always had a fascination towards Saibaba, and really felt overwhelming when I entered the temple (trust me you can only feel it).
All together it was a trip to remember.
