When I begin to write on Sai Temples across the globe I was perplexed from where I should start? The very first thought of course was to start from Shirdi ,the Holy land ,where Baba spent more than 60 years .I just started drafting then the inner voice told that I should add something more .While going through my folders in my computer I came across one photo which I had taken during my last visit to India to my parents place .The find was so appropriate that I thought to start from that and to add simultaneously more detail on Sai temple on to it .
We know Shirdi was a small and remote village in AhmedNagar Jilha taluka Rahata .Now it is no more remote or a village after the advent of Sri Sai Maharaj it has changed completely .This village which is situated 8 miles from bank of Godavari was earlier called as Shiladhi.
How fortunate is this land where Baba came ,stayed ,lived and took Mahasamdhi in this holy land !If we break the word Shiladhi the two words SHILA and DHI has these meanings.SHILA means-mountain and Dhi-means Budhi.So Shiladhi means that village who's budhi is steady ,calm and serene as a mountain . And as years passed by this Shiladhi came to be known as Shirdi.One very interesting fact I shall like to narrate here which Baba said in this following incident.
Moreshwar Pradhan bought painter Shyam Rao Jayker to Shirdi to paint 3 portraits of Baba .Jayaker stayed in Shirdi for 9 months and every time he painted a portrait Baba would tear it up, finally he painted a beautiful portrait which is now kept in Shirdi museum.Baba smiled and said " Banao aur Banao Mae tho gali gali maie rahne wala houn.(Make more and more portraits for I am going to stay in many a lane) .How true !!
We all witness and find Baba's word true like gold, we find his temple ,his photo in the smallest or remotest lanes all over India and other parts of world.
This fits true to this photo which I have uploaded here and I found while I was searching my computer as mentioned above .
This was not noticed till last year .This year when I went to my parents place a hill station ,where till last few years no one was knowing much about Sai Baba, in just a span of few years I find every third person wearing Baba's locket and praying Shirdi Sai. In the hill station there is no individual /independant Sai temple but Baba is present in homes of HIS so many devotees.
This was very exciting and happy moment for me to see Sai Baba's photo in this temple of goddess Gurna.Before I write more I would like to mention the importance and divine blessing of this temple.
I do not recollect when it started but must be more than 30 years that this temple was built by the local people for the safety of the passengers ,the road to this hill station was very difficult to travel ,every now and than there would be news of some accident.The turns and curves of road ,land slide,rough terrain, poor road condition would make it tough for passenger to reach home safetly .
The spot where this temple stand was one of the deadly curve where the whole bus or any other vehicle would fall down the valley and no one would survive.With Goddess Gurna's guidance-blessing and efforts of local people this temple was built on that spot.This temple no one can miss as its the only road which connects with the town and outside world.
Those who would go out of the town would stop by this temple, seek blessing of goddess and than only move ahead, same would be followed when returning back to town (entering the town).Those who would abide by this would be safe and reach safetly and those who jeered or did not follow would face some or the other discomfort throughout the journey(in some cases break failure /breakdown of vehicle etc etc...one can imagine anything ).This is the blessing of this Gurna temple.
Whenever I would go with my family we would also stop, take blessing of goddess Gurna and move to our home ,this time when we were returning back to Tanzania I noticed that on the wall there was picture of Shirdi Sai Baba,I was enthralled and speechless ,never had I imagined that I will see Baba on this spot of hill.I immediately went to car and bought camera to bring my Baba with me here with goddess Gurna.
No wonder why I had a inner voice telling to look for something more.Now when I recollect Baba's vachan " Banao aur Banao Mae tho gali gali maie rahne wala houn." I am speechless to explain anything more ... except this that Baba has reached not only gali but many more places unimagined by human mind.
Not only this I recollect I had read ,many a times while Baba conversed with Mhalsapathy he would tell him about the future of Shirdi. Baba would say "Aree Bhagat this little village will become a famous place of pilgrimage .Huge palatial buildings will come up. Pilgrims will flock to this place from far and wide .Highly placed officials and famous people will visit Shirdi.There will be much pomp and show ,Bhagat .In fact people will be crawling like ants”. What to say for this!!This time when we were in Shirdi we witnessed it completely, we all were like ants crawling for Baba's darshan where the queue began where it was leading nothing could be judged!Never ending crowd of devotees would keep pouring in, whether it was day or night ,devotees from all sphere of life were present for glimpse of our Sathguru Sai Baba.
Mentioning about future I also recollect once to Shama and Tarkhad (one very interesting post related with Tarkhad I have already posted in my other blog ) Baba spoke of the future of Shirdi and said that "Golden Days are ahead of us." How true...one can witness all this today.
And so it came true and people from all over the world come to Shirdi.For once they come they have irresistible urge to come again and again and for me I wish to stay back there forever at the Feet of my Sai.
©SHIRDI SAI BABA TEMPLE INFORMATION
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