How Shirdi’s equity was built around Sai baba

Temple authorities said 50,000 devotees turn up every day. During festivals, such as Ram Navami, Dussehra and Christmas, 2 to 2.5 lakh arrive in Shirdi

MUMBAI: People looking to visit Shirdi, synonymous with the over 100-year-old temple of Sai Baba, are led by two images – they are, images of the grandeur of the shrine and Dwarkamai, juxtaposed by that of tiresome serpentine queues outside. The latter will be a thing of the past, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates an expansive darshan complex – for devotees to wait in comfort -- near the Sai Baba temple, run by the Shirdi Sansthan Trust, today.

How Shirdi’s equity was built around Sai baba

The project has been in the works over the last four years. It will provide an end-to-end solution to all devotees who have to wait between 45 minutes to six hours before a darshan. The airconditioned darshan complex has been created at the cost of ₹112 crore (see box) and was planned 15 years ago. Temple authorities said 50,000 devotees turn up every day, which swells up to 80,000 per day over weekends. During festivals, such as Ram Navami, Dussehra and Christmas, 2 to 2.5 lakh arrive in Shirdi.

The new facility has been built after demolishing the old Prasadalaya building, Bhakta Niwas and Shanti Niwas, close to the temple.

This is the prime minister’s second visit to Shirdi in four years. He last visited in 2018 on the 100th death anniversary of Sai Baba. This little-known place in Ahmednagar has assumed much significance because of Baba’s samadhi. A spiritual master and a fakir, millions have worshipped him over the years.

Nirmal Deshmukh, who was the CEO of the temple trust in 1991-92, grew up on stories heard from his maternal uncle who “had seen him up close and remembered him for his simplicity”. He said, in the early ’90s simplicity was key when the average footfall per day was around 4000. “It became popular after a movie by Manoj Kumar, titled ‘Shirdi Ke Sai Baba’. This was followed by more films made in Telugu and Kannada. Soon, devotees from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka started flooding Shirdi,” he said. “The influx multiplied after Shirdi International Airport opened in 2017; people from far-off places like Delhi also started visiting.”

During Deshmukh’s tenure, the temple earned ₹4 crore annually. Last year it grossed ₹400 crore.

It is believed that Sai Baba arrived in Shirdi during Ram Navami (although the year of his arrival is unknown) and passed away during Dussehra of 1918. His mortal remains were buried here and his statue was commissioned by the trust to sculptor B V Talim, in 1954. It was created from white Italian marble. After the statue was installed, it drew believers by the droves.

Many, across religious sects, from Mumbai and Thane are known to walk distances to Shirdi over eight days. Among the devotees are politicians, film personalities and other well-known rich. That the city has grown around the temple is evident by the over 300 hotels and resorts in operation. Apart from that, the Shirdi Sai Sansthan owns over 1,500 rooms to house devotees. Connectivity has also improved between Mumbai, Pune and other areas of Marathwada and Vidarbha, and people can access the place in a day.

Over time, politicians such as Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and then union minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil have organised party conclaves in Shirdi. Last year, the Congress high command had asked revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat to hold a two-day conclave in Shirdi.

Advocate Rajendra Adhik Shirodkar, who has walked to Shirdi from Mumbai 32 times, applauded the new move, saying, “It normally takes two to three hours for a darshan. Now, the facilities will improve. During the Shiv Sena-BJP rule from 1995-99, I had suggested to the late Balasaheb Thackeray that a separate line for women in advanced stages of pregnancy be created; it was immediately accepted.”

“The existing complex was insufficient to contain the devotees. Shirdi’s summers are harsh. During monsoons, devotees queuing up wait in a drenched state. Additionally, as they wait outside, prasad and flower sellers often trouble them. There have also been petty crimes like chain snatching and pickpocketing,” said Rubal Agarwal, former CEO of the temple.

Modi participated in the bhoomi pujan of the new facility in 2018. On Thursday, he will reach Shirdi at 1 pm and perform a pooja after the darshan of the Sai Baba samadhi. After that, he will inaugurate the new darshan complex at the temple. Later in the city, he will perform jal pujan at the Nilwande dam, which opened a few months ago. The dam has a network of canals connecting to Ahmednagar district. It provides water to 182 villages from seven tehsils. The idea of the dam was conceived in 1970, and has been developed at the cost of ₹5177 crore.