Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba (died 15 October 1918), was an Indian spiritual leader who is regarded by his devotees as a saint, a fakir, a satguru and an incarnation (avatar) of God. "OFFICAIL PAGE OF SHIRDI SAI RAM"
Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba (died 15 October 1918), was an Indian spiritual leader who is regarded by his devotees as a saint, a fakir, a satguru and an incarnation (avatar) of God. According to accounts from his life, he preached the importance of realization of the self, and criticized love towards perishable things. His teachings concentrate on a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, and devotion to the God and guru. He stressed the importance of surrender to the true Satguru, who, having trod the path to divine consciousness, will lead the disciple through the jungle of spiritual training. Sai Baba also condemned distinction based on religion or caste. It remains unclear if he was a Muslim or a Hindu. This, however, was of no consequence to Sai Baba. His teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam: he gave the Hindu name Dwarakamayi to the mosque in which he lived, practised both Hindu and Muslim rituals, taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions, and took samadhi in Shirdi. One of his well-known epigrams, Allah Malik (God is King) and Sabka Malik Ek (One God governs all), is associated with both Hinduism and Islam. He is also known to have said Look to me, and I shall look to you. Worship and devotees
Main article: Shirdi Sai Baba movement
Sai Baba's Temple in Shirdi
The Shirdi Sai Baba movement began in the 19th century, while he was living in Shirdi. A local Khandoba priest, Mhalsapati Nagre, is believed to have been his first devotee. In the 19th century, Sai Baba's followers were only a small group of inhabitants of Shirdi, and a few people from other parts of India. Because of Sai Baba, Shirdi has become a place of importance and is counted among the major Hindu places of pilgrimage.The first Sai Baba temple is situated at Kudal, Sindhudurg. This temple was built in 1922. It is believed that Sai Baba gave one Rupee to Dada Madye ji with which he built the temple in Kudal. Today, The Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi is visited by an average of 25,000 pilgrims a day, and during religious festivals, this number can reach up to 1,00,000. The Sai Baba temple in Shirdi is managed by the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust. Inside the temple, The statue of Sai Baba and the Samadhi is carved out of Italian marble and is seen draped with royal cloth, wearing a gold crown and adorned with fresh flower garlands.The interior, as well as the exterior (cone) of the temple, is covered with gold. As per rituals and traditions dating back to when Baba was still alive, Four Aarti's are held daily (corresponding to the time of the day) inside the Samadhi Mandir. Kakad Aarti (The Morning Aarti) at 4:30 (am)
Madhyan Aarti (The Afternoon Aarti) at 12:00 (pm)
Dhup Aartiat (The Evening Aarti) 6:30 (pm)
Shej Aarti (The Night Aarti) at 10:30 (pm)
The Palanquin procession of Sai Baba takes place every Thursday from the Samadhi Mandir to Dwarkamayi, onward to Chavdi and back to the Sai Baba Mandir. Devotees belonging to all faiths are welcome to take Darshan in the Samadhi Mandir and have free meals in the Prasadalaya, irrespective of caste, creed, and religion as these were one of the ideal principles of Sai Baba. Sai Baba of Shirdi is especially revered and worshiped in the states of Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. In August 2012, an unidentified devotee, for the first time, donated two expensive diamonds valuing βΉ11.8 million at the Shirdi temple, as revealed by Saibaba trust officials. In recent years, the Shirdi Sai movement has spread to the Caribbean and to countries such as the Nepal, Canada, United States, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Singapore
Sai Baba's disciples and devotees claim that he performed many miracles such as bilocation, levitation, mindreading, materialisation, exorcisms, entering a state of SamΔdhi at will, lighting lamps with water, removing his limbs or intestines and sticking them back to his body (khandana yoga), curing the incurably sick, appearing beaten when another was beaten, preventing a mosque from falling down on people, and helping his devotees in other miraculous ways. He also gave Darshan (vision) to people in the form of Sri Rama, Krishna, Vithoba, Shiva and many other gods depending on the faith of devotees.better source needed
According to his followers, he appeared to them in their dreams and gave them advice. His devotees have documented many stories.
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