Shri Prati Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Shirgaon — Attraction in Maharashtra

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Prati Shirdi - A replica of Shirdi Sai Sansthan

By Brunda Nagaraj

Updated: Tue, Apr 24, 2018, 16:26 [IST]

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba has a lot of devotees and a lot of them desire to visit his abode, Shirdi atleast once in their lifetime. Sometimes, you would travel to Pune but would not get enough time to plan your visit to Shirdi which is at a distance of approximately 200km.

Fret not, at a distance of 25km on the off old Bombay and Pune highway is Shirgaon, popularly known as Prati Shirdi where you can find a replica of Shirdi Sai Sansthan. This place also attracts a lot of devotees and every ritual followed in Shirdi is done here as well.

Sai Baba Temple at Prati Shirdi

The beautiful entrance of the temple welcomes all its devotees with open arms; the design and architecture of the temple in Prati Shirdi is similar to that of the Shirdi temple. This temple was built by Mr. Prakash Deole in the year 2003. The temple is thirteen year old and stands proudly in the village of Shirgaon and a hoarding at the entrance of the road will lead you to the temple.

As Shirdi, this temple is also flooded with a lot of devotees on Thursdays and during Aarti ritual. The major attractions within the temple premises are the Dwarakamaai, Neem tree where the Gurusthaan is, Chawadi, Anna Chatralay (a place where food is served to the devotees and a beautiful garden.

An entrance of the temple

The Anna Chatralay is to the left of the main shrine and it is a huge building that looks like a palace which serves food to devotees at 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM and 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at a nominal price of 10 INR and there are tickets available for the same. However, children under five years are offered free food.

There is a big area outside the temple dedicated exclusively for parking two-wheelers and four-wheelers. You may also find a lot of vendors selling souvenirs, statues and holy threads of Sai Baba. You may also find a lot of fruit and flower sellers trying to attract visitors to sell the Puja items.

A view of the temple

The idol of Sri Sai Baba inside the temple is similar to the one you find in Shirdi and the Aarti rituals also take place at the same time as in Shirdi.

So, next time if you are unable to visit Shirdi while you are in Pune; do not worry - just book a taxi or call for an auto and head straight into the village of Shirgaon where Baba awaits to bless his devotees.

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Blessed pilgrimage

We had visited Prati Shirdi twice in recent times and the latest one was in Dec 2018. From Pune or Pimpri you can reach NH 48 and drive for 15-20 mins towards Mumbai then go straight along the highway leaving the Mumbai expressway on left. Drive through and cross Ghoradeswar caves and finally reach Shirgaon approach road; before highway and Shirgaon approach road junction you can see Birla Ganapati statue on top of the hill at left. The approach road to Shirgaon Prati Shirdi Temple is bit narrow but not bad; tdrive through few kilometers and then reach temple premise. The parking space is open field parking but quite large.

The temple is exact replica of Shirdi Sai temple. Very clean and well maintained. People who cannot visit Shirdi Sai temple can visit this one - Prati means daily/regular in regional language and hence the name of the temple. But try to avoid Thursday as this is the day where all Sai temples witness huge crowd. The main idol of the God is nice and can be seen from a distance as well.

The Anna prasadam center is also well maintained and the services are available until 03:00 pm for lunch and 09 pm for dinner. You need to collect the coupons by paying 35 Rs. per coupon and then enter the prasadam centre. It is self serviced but lots of sitting options are available. The centre is constructed like a palace and good place to take photos from outside. The prasadam menus are good and unlimited but a gentle request boards will be seen everywhere mentioning not to waste a single drop of food.

The Dwarkai at the back of the temple is also good to visit.

Some puja offering stalls can be found outside the temple premise at the entrance and some amusement rides (privately maintained) for some funs.

Overall it's good place to visit anytime of the yesr, anytime...

Prati Shirdi, located in Shirgaon near Pune, Maharashtra, is a renowned replica of the original Shirdi Sai Baba Temple. Built to honor Sai Baba, it offers devotees an opportunity to seek blessings and experience the divine aura without traveling to Shirdi. This temple, also known as the Sai Baba Temple of Shirgaon, was constructed by the Saibaba Foundation and has gained immense popularity among Sai devotees.

The temple's architecture closely mirrors that of the original Shirdi shrine, featuring a sanctum sanctorum with a life-sized idol of Sai Baba seated on a silver throne. The idol exudes serenity and divinity, creating a profound spiritual ambiance. The temple also includes elements such as Dwarkamai, Chavadi, and the holy Neem tree, which are integral parts of the Shirdi complex.

Prati Shirdi is surrounded by lush greenery, providing a peaceful and calming environment for meditation and prayer. The temple complex is well-maintained and equipped with facilities like parking, prasad counters, and seating arrangements for devotees.

Special aartis and bhajans are conducted daily, drawing a significant number of visitors, especially on Thursdays, which are considered sacred for Sai Baba. The temple is particularly vibrant during festivals like Sai Baba's Samadhi Day and Ram Navami, attracting devotees from various parts of Maharashtra and beyond. Prati Shirdi serves as a spiritual retreat, offering solace and devotion to Sai...