Shirgaon Sai Mandir, Dehu Road Pune
Sai Baba is respected, worshipped, adored and liked by all. Probably the only living God who spans across religions and is thus. an epitome of unity as well. We all know that His abode is in Shirdi, Maharashtra. But do you also know that a similar replica, an exact one, is there in Pune also? I bet most of you would not know.
So next time, if you plan to visit Pune, do visit Shirgaon Sai Mandir in Dehu Road, Pune which can compensate your inability to go to Shirdi due to any unavoidable reasons.
Shirgaon Sai Mandir
The temple was built by Mr. Prakash Deole, a former legislative council member in Maharashtra. His journey from politics to spiritualism gave rise to Shirgaon Sai Mandir. He decided to build inch by inch replica of the Shirdi Sai Mandir, here at Shirgaon village.
The temple has quite a few places that will remind you of Shirdi - Annachhatra, Gurusthan, , Samadhi Sthan, Dwarkamai and Chhavdi.
Annachhatra
Doesn't the above structure look like a palace? Indeed it does. The walls, pillars and interiors are crafted so royally that it feels like some age old king had built it which has been preserved well. However, this was built in 2003 itself! The devotees have the "Maha Prasada" every afternoon where meals are served at very very nominal prices. On special occassions like Aarti and other periodic rituals, the place is jam packed with devotees.
Isn't this something amazing about our country, India? No matter where you go, you will find religious places offering free or nominally charged meals which anyone can afford! The day I visited was very tight for me and I couldn't enjoy the Prasada, but I will surely visit it soon again.
Gurusthan
Gurusthan is the place where Guru resides. If you recall from Shirdi or any TV serial based on Sai Baba, He used to sit under a Neem tree. This is what is called as Gurusthan. In Shirgaon, luckily there were already 6 neem trees. With Vastu Shastra, one particular Neem tree was identified and that place was categorized as the Gurusthan.
Come here and sit under it for some time. You will feel a fresh and positive energy all around you. After all, spirituality plus Vastu Shastra is cent percent accurate!
Samadhi Sthan
This is what you have been waiting for all this long, this is what for which you came all across the country to habve a glimpse of our very own Sai Baba. Though photography is not allowed inside, the Sai Baba statue is again an exact replica of the Shirdi one. Even the way the queue is organized is same as that of Shirdi. Here is a glimpse of it from one of the images on the internet:
Shirgaon was just a small village unknown to the world. But since the establishment of the Sai Baba Mandir, devotees have been visiting it to offer their prayers from India and abroad. People who believe in Sai Baba never miss a chance to visit Shirgaon if they are in Pune.
I had no idea about the place before I came to Pune. Call it my negligence, but thankfully I got a chance to visit this amazing spiritual and religious abode of Shri Sai Baba.
