When Stillness Speaks: My Experience in Shirdi Beyond the Temple Walls

The First Steps into Devotion

Some travels aren’t sightseeing — travels to get somewhere your heart has been yearning to be. Shirdi was one of those destinations for me. I had already started sensing its presence long before I arrived at the town. There was something drawn to it, something that beckoned softly yet insistently.

A Town That Breathes Prayer

As I entered Shirdi, the mood changed. The rhythm of the town is established not by traffic or vendors, but by devotion. Murmurs of Om Sai Ram hung quietly in the air. The streets were quiet, a sort of hush even amidst the throng. Ochre and white buildings stood still, as if guardedly watching generations of pilgrims.

Settling In Close to the Mandir

I slept in a basic, hygienic lodge near the Samadhi Mandir. The accommodation was within a few minutes’ walking distance from the temple. It was not luxurious, but it was serene. My room was facing a quiet neem tree-lined street and I could hear the temple bells in the early morning hours. I had posted my travel requirements using cheQin.ai and got multiple stay options within minutes. One of them had my location, quietness, and price preferences, and it was just fine.

Walking Towards Samadhi Mandir

Samadhi Mandir is the soul of Shirdi. When I walked towards it for the first time, barefoot and subdued, I noticed people from all parts of India — young, elderly, families, individual travelers — all walking side by side in a subdued procession of hope.

The mandir’s white marble sparkled in the morning sun. It was cool, peaceful, and emotionally profound inside. The devotees sat cross-legged on the floor, some of them with their eyes shut, others with hands folded, a few others mumbling prayers. The atmosphere was not boisterous; it was calm, gentle, and powerful.

A Moment with the Master

Being in the presence of Sai Baba’s idol was to be in the presence of a living being. His eyes, etched so meticulously, appeared to greet me. I didn’t want to talk or demand anything. I simply stood there with my silence.

That was all. All it took was that one moment of being heard, calmed, and cared for.

Kakad Aarti — The Morning Light

The next morning, I woke before sunrise to attend the Kakad Aarti. The lodge’s location made it easy to reach the temple early without the stress of navigating through dark streets or transport delays.

The aarti started in the gentle light of dawn. Lamps glowed, chants swelled in waves, and Sai Baba’s idol glittered under the golden light. All sang, not quite in harmony, but with absolutely perfect devotion. Tears brimmed up — not due to sorrow, but due to a sort of emotional purification.

Moments Beyond the Mandir

Shirdi is not only the mandir. The whole town is about the spirit of Sai Baba. I went to Dwarkamai, the mosque where Baba lived for most of his life, and felt an intense feeling of peace. The stone floor, the continuously burning dhuni (holy fire), and the peaceful corners were filled with memory.

I also sat for some time in Lendi Baug, a park in which Baba had once meditated. The whiff of wind through the trees and the quiet between the benches made it an ideal place to just sit and think.

Simple Food, Full of Heart

Shirdi’s food was as simple as it was reassuring. I dined at a small family-owned bhojanalaya close to the temple. Hot puris, plain sabzi, and sweet sheera on steel plates was a taste of home.

I was also asked to join another solo traveler for prasad at the temple kitchen. We ate in silence, amidst hundreds of others, and it still felt intensely intimate.

What I Carried Away

I did not arrive in Shirdi with a long list. I arrived with an open heart. And I left with something valuable — a restored trust in simplicity, gentleness, and quiet.

Sai Baba’s presence isn’t confined to the marble of the Samadhi. It pervades in the generosity of strangers, the serenity of dawn, and the tacit strength we bring back with us.

If your path leads you to Maharashtra, visit Shirdi — not as a tourist, but as a listener. You might not get boisterous answers, but quiet truths will reverberate long after you depart.