Shirdi is a major religious site in the Indian state of Maharashtra, located near Nashik in the Ahmednagar district. It is famous as the “land of Sai,” which a large number of devotees come to visit every year. Indian Railways is one of the preferable modes to travel to any place in India. People choose to board trains to the nearest railway station to Shirdi. If you are also planning a religious tour to this place, you can order food on train to satiate your travel hunger.
Shirdi is a very sacred pilgrimage place for Sai Baba’s devotees. The place has various temples and historical sites. The major places for sightseeing in Shirdi are Chavadi, Samadhi Mandir, Chavadi, and Wet N Joy Water Park. Nevertheless, the Great Sai Baba temple is the most famous attraction of Shirdi, dedicated to Sai Baba, which provides immense peace to people.
Who is Sai Baba?
Sai Baba of Shirdi was a religious guru who lived in Shirdi from 1838 to 1918. He was considered a good guru and pious man by both Hindus and Muslims. Sai Baba of Shirdi described all religions as one and tried to show the underlying unity between Hindu-Muslim religions. One of the most special things about Sai Baba is that his dialogue ‘Sabka Malik Ek Hai’ is very famous.
How to Reach Shirdi Sai Temple?
Shirdi is one of the major pilgrimage centres in India, located in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is well connected by roadways and railways, making the religious place easily accessible to tourists and pilgrims. You can choose to take any transport mode to visit the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple for their divine darshan. Afterward, you can conveniently visit other major tourist destinations in Maharashtra.
How to Reach Shirdi by Airline?
Closest airport to Shirdi is the Aurangabad Airport. It is merely 130 kilometres away from the spiritual city. The airport is well-connected to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. You can board any road transport – Bus/Cab/Taxi to reach Shirdi from Aurangabad.
How to Reach Shirdi by Road?
You can explore Shirdi by road conveniently. The roadways are well connected to the city. Maharashtra State Transport also runs available buses from major cities like Nashik, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Pune, and Kopargaon to Shirdi. Private air-conditioned buses also operate from various cities of Maharashtra to Shirdi.
How to Reach Shirdi by Train?
Indian Railways connect all the major and minor areas of India. With it, you can visit any place easily. You can take the train to the nearest railway station to Shirdi and explore the spiritual place.
Nearest Railway Stations to Shirdi
The nearest railway station to Shirdi is Sainagar Shirdi station, just 3 km from the Shirdi sai temple. Apart from that, there are several railway stations around Shirdi sai temple, so pilgrims can easily reach this place.
1. Sainagar Shirdi Station (SNSI)
Located in the city of Shirdi, Maharashtra, Sainagar Shirdi railway station is the closest railway station to the main temple. This station belongs to the Central Railways. If you get down to this station, you can take a bus or a taxi to reach the temple. Regular buses are run to and from the temple by the temple authorities. Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust runs buses free of cost for pilgrims.
Sainagar Shirdi railway station is well-connected to major cities of India such as Mumbai, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Secunderabad, Mysore, etc.
Important trains halting at this station are:
- 22147 Dadar Central – Sainagar Shirdi Weekly Superfast Express
- 22602 Sainagar Shirdi Terminus-MGR Chennai Central SuperFast Express (Friday)
- 16218 Mysore Weekly Express
2. Kopargaon Railway Station (KPG)
Kopargaon railway station is a broad-gauge electrified railway station located in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. The distance between Shirdi sai temple and Kopargaon railway station is merely 15 km, making it a popular station for pilgrims. Many trains stop here so that pilgrims can visit the Shirdi sai temple.
Some of the trains that stop at Kopargaon are:
- 11046 Deekshabhoomi Express
- 12780 Goa Express
- 11078 Jhelum Express
- 11039 Maharashtra Express
- 12150 Danapur – Pune SF Express
3. Ahmednagar Railway Station (ANG)
Ahmednagar railway station falls under the Solapur division of the central railways. It is located 83 km from the Shirdi sai temple, so it has become a popular station for pilgrims.
Several trains stop at Ahmednagar railway station, from where you can go to Shirdi temple by bus or taxi.
Some of the trains that halt at Ahmednagar station are:
- 12130 Azad Hind Express
- 11034 Darbhanga – Pune Gyan Ganga Express
- 11408 Lucknow Jn – Pune Express
- 22172 Pune Humsafar Express
- 12627 Karnataka Express
The Best Time and Season to Visit Shirdi
Winter is the best time to visit Shirdi, from December to February. This season is pleasant for those visiting this spiritual city and enjoying the sightseeing around it. The average temperature of Shirdi varies from 8°C to 34°C during the winter season. Day Wise, Wednesday and Thursday night is the best time to visit the temple.
City Shopping Shirdi Yatra
Shirdi is one of India’s most prominent pilgrimage centres, where thousands of devotees visit Sai Baba daily. In Shirdi, you can do street shopping before heading to the sai temple for Baba’s marble and fibre sculptures, posters, keyrings, garlands, etc. You can also buy various sweets at shops here which are offered as Prasad to Sai Baba.
Apart from all these things, Sai devotees can buy religious books related to Baba’s life and philosophy.
Local Food Taste in Shirdi
In Shirdi, you can easily find a wide variety of dishes. All types of food are available here, from Gujarati to Maharashtrian, South Indian, and Continental. Being a religious centre, the food served here is generally vegetarian. You must enjoy the delicious guava and pomegranate juice available around the city. Tasting the food cooked in the world’s largest solar cooker can be a new experience for you.
Shirdi Bhojnalaya operates the world’s largest solar cooker, which prepares food for thousands of devotees who come here daily. Every tourist coming to Shirdi can eat food for only Rs. 10.
Why is Shirdi Famous?
Shirdi is famous for Sai Baba, a spiritual guru who spreads love and serenity worldwide. The divine is considered the treasure of love. People from all religions believe and come for Sai Darshan from all over the world.
How to Explore Shirdi?
You can reach Shirdi by choosing a transport mode at your convenience. And afterward, you can explore the Shirdi by a local cab, taxi, or bus. However, if you want to go to Shirdi Sai Shrine, you will need to book an online darshan by visiting the official website of Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan Trust. The temple allows limited people for the darshan in a day
So, why are you waiting? Board a train and visit one of the most famous temples, Shirdi. You can book meals on wheels from the RailRestro food delivery app and website to gratify your travel hunger.
RailRestro is the ecatering service provider that allows multiple food options in front of rail passengers, such as Mumbai’s Vada Pav, South India’s Dosa, North India’s Chhole-Puri, and Kolkata’s Sweet.
Order your favourite food to delight your trip mood!