Home to Sai Baba – the great saint, Shirdi is a small village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. The saint lived in Shirdi for more than 50 years of his life and made this small village a major pilgrimage centre for devotees from all over the world. The saint devoted his entire life for the upliftment of the poor and was believed to be an embodiment of Lord Shiva. The great saint left for heavenly abode in 1918 and his Samadhi in Shirdi is visited by thousands of tourists even today.

The spoken language of the locals is Marathi, but a variety of cuisines including Gujarati, Maharashtrian, South Indian and Continental are available. The world's largest solar cooker cooks food for thousands of devotees everyday and one can eat this food for a nominal price of INR 10 per meal.

Best time to visit:

Shirdi experiences temperate climate for most parts of the year, but the best time to visit is from June to March when it offers a pleasant climate and ideal for sightseeing apart from the temple visit.

Top five places to see:

Sai Baba Temple – Located at the heart of the town, the Temple is the Samadhi (burial site) of the saint Sai Baba. Devotees start queuing up in the wee hours of dawn to catch a glimpse and seek blessings of the life-size statue of the saint Sai Baba.

Gurusthan – The Margosa tree where Sai Baba was first spotted meditating by the people of Shirdi at the age of 16 is known as the Gurusthan. This place is worshipped by devotees with as much fervour as the temple itself.

Dwarkamai – Located adjacent to the temple complex, the Dwarakamai is the place where Baba resided until his demise in 1918. It houses the 'Dhuni' – a fire that Baba always kept burning and till today, the flames have not been allowed to die. Additionally, some of Baba's articles such as his grinding stone, fireplace and a stone on which he used to sit are all located in the Dwarakamai.

Shani Shingnapur – This village is interesting as none of the houses have doors. The belief of the villagers is that their Lord Shaneshwara will protect them from all evil, including robbery and theft.

Dixit Wada Museum – This charming museum displays rare black-and-white photographs of Sai Baba, his Kafni (long robes) and his leather padukas. Other things that can be seen at the museum are gramophone records, water tumblers, cooking utensils and a bathing stone that were used by Baba.