A to Z information you should know before heading to Shirdi

Now you can reach from Mumbai to Shirdi in 4 hrs ..Click to the below link to see step by step directions-http://www.hotelsinshirdi.com/shirdi_via_ghoti_ex_mumbai.htm

Mumbai to Shirdi - Taxi/Bus/Trains and other important details::
Devotees going to Shirdi by bus:: The easiest way to get to Shirdi is by bus. It takes up to 7 hrs. If you fly into the Mumbai airport, hire a taxi (the ones that are in lines at the very front of the airport) to take you to the Dadar Bus Stand. The cost is about Rs.-150 to Rs.-200 (make sure they turn the meter on). There are also people who will try to redirect you to their own "private" taxis. These "private" taxis charge between Rs. 400 to Rs. 600 just to take you to the Dadar Bus Stand. At the Dadar Bus Stand, there are long lines of small ticket counters that sell bus tickets to Shirdi. Preferably, try to get an A/C direct bus ( around Rs.-300 -however, the prices keep changing with time so....this is just a rough estimate). If you are not able to get an A/C direct bus, get a non-A/C direct bus (Rs.-150).[Prices may vary a little] Buses leave almost every 3 hours from Mumbai to Shirdi. Soyour wait will not be long. The buses make about 2 stops for food. The restaurants are non-vegetarian. So make sure you pack some snacks and bottled water for the trip. Keep an eye on your luggage! Some buses goes to Nasik and then to shirdi others take a short cut avoiding nasik.
Bus route - Mumbai- Nashik- Niphad- Yeola - Shirdi.
Distance between Pune to shirdi - 190 KmsBus route - Pune- Kalamba- sangmner- Talegaon- shirdi.
Distance between Aurangabad to Shirdi 126 kms.Bus route - Aurangabad- Vaijapur Yeola- Kopargaon-Shirdi.
Try to get a bus that departs before 11am so you will not arrive too late at Shirdi. There are buses to shirdi which starts even at 11 pm but if you are travelling alone -Plz be aware that it is not safe specially for female Sai devotees .Ofcourse everyone says Saibaba is there to protect. But still You also need to plan your trip safely.If your flight arrives late night to Mumbai airport or too early in the morning, better stay ina friends house or in a hotel in mumbai . There are few near the airport. I really don’t have any idea about the budget of the Hotels in mumbai. But they can be quite expensive. If your flight arrives early morning 2 am to 4 am , wait in airport for 2 hours and then take taxi to Dadar to take Bus to Shirdi.Theres a cabin inside airport campus itself to book taxi or you can check http://www.merucabs.com/ .
For Private Bus (Volvos) Related queries ie - Bookings,Fares,Route,Pick-up/Drop Point - http://www.redbus.in/
For State Transport Buses - http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/shirdi/how_to_reach.asp
Mumbai To Shirdi Route Map - http://www.shirdihotelsonline.com/mumbai-shirdi-india-map/ Also check out the below link
http://www.travel.bixee.com/cheap/bus-tickets/from/Mumbai/to/Shirdi/20090428/None/1/0/0/#bus-Mumbai-Shirdi-20090428--1-0-0-1
http://www.onlinebustickets.in/bus-from/shirdi-to-mumbai/
Devotees going to Shirdi by taxi/cab:: Hiring a car can take you shirdi with in 5 to 6 hours.Cabs from Mumbai to Shirdi cost abt Rs 3500 to 6000 INR for one way. ( approx 90 $ to 150 $ ) .. Must be within 12,000 R.s for two way if you return within a day...I found these websites while browsing online- I have never used any of them for my travel nor do I know anything much abt them but here r some links for you to check out http://www.travelcool.co.in/MumbaiShirdiMumbai.aspx http://classifieds.karnataka.com/bangalore/travels/travel-agentstour-operator/aurangabad-mumbai-shirdi-nasik-pune.html
http://www.shirditaxi.info/
http://lucknow.quikr.com/c-Cars-Bikes-Rent-A-Car-Taxi-Services-MUMBAI-PUNE-SHIRDI-MUMBAI-TAXI-CAB-09867306024-W0QQAdIdZ63353459 http://www.ecabs.in/SHIRDI/tabid/378/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Devotees going to Shirdi by Train:: Sai Nagar Shirdi Railway station :A new Railway station has been build in shirdi called Sai Nagar. Its just 3-4 kms from the Main saibaba temple in shirdi. Go to this link to find the fares and seat information for trains going to Shirdi.On the upper left hand corner, choose from the from and to station options and press search trains. For example if u r in Mumbai, type that and for shirdi -type , -Sainagar
http://indiarailinfo.com/train/2896 also
www.indianrail.gov.in/index.html
& http://www.trainenquiry.com/ tocheck for train seat bookings or availability.
For booking train tickets online http://www.irctc.co.in/
You can also go to http://www.irctc.com/
http://www.yatra.com/
http://www.cleartrip.com/
Things to know during your travel to Shirdi: A majority of the people do not speak English inside or outside of the Temple Complex at Shirdi. Most of the people who speak English are the ones who run the larger hotels. Purchase anti-diarrheal medications before you leave to Shirdi. The Temple Complex has two main places for you to keep your shoes (cost is 1 rupee). If you are wearing chappals or sandals, you have to store them at a separate shoe counter. This is perhaps the most confusing part of the ashram. I would suggest you buy some cheap sandals, mark you name on them and find a place to put them in case you get confused about the shoe counters. Just remember where you put your sandals, because when you come out of from the Darshan area, you are on the opposite side of the Temple Complex. I was not able to find any sort of public internet facilities when I was at Shirdi. Shirdi does havetelephone services for local, state and international calls. When booking a return bus ticket to Bombay, make sure you get the earliest bus (it takes 7 hours to get to Bombay) and make sure the bus is A/C (costs around Rs.-300-400). Try to sit on the left hand side of the bus so you can keep an eye on your luggage, which is stored in a compartment below the bus. The boys who sell flowers, pictures and statues can be very stubborn and will literally follow your for hours. If you would like to help them out (most are very poor), make your purchases a few hours prior to leaving Shirdi. Otherwise, you will attract large groups of sellers. A small bundle of roses (about 3-4 roses tied together) costs Rs.-3, if you would like to offer flowers in the temple.
Inside The Temple:: Once you go inside the Temple for Darshan, you can expect long lines if it is a Holy Day or a thursday or a weekend. Otherwise, you will not have to wait long at all. Avoid Holy Days (the lines are extremely long and the wait can easily exceed 5 hours). You can expect police officers and Temple workers to be screaming loudly at people to hurry up and move forward. I would suggest you get in the furthest left-hand side line. In that line, you can touch Sai Baba's actual samadhi and the silver chappals that are located there. You can offer flowers and there are places where you can offer money. As soon as you offer your flowers and touch his samadhi, kindly leave the area. Winters are the best season to visit Shirdi. The months from September to April being the ideal period. The daytime temperature is pleasant during this period, making the days excellent for visiting the tourist attractions of the town. The summers can get very hot (May-August). Make sure you drink bottled water.
Map of temple complex can be found at : http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/shirdi/map.asp
The temple premises of Shri Saibaba is spread in approximately 200 sq. mtrs.It is situated in the heart of Shirdi village and is a major center of pilgrimagefrom all over the world.On an average, daily 20,000 devotees visit Shirdi village, to have the Darshan of Shri Saibaba. In the festival season, more than 1,00,000 devotees visit the Temple everyday.The Temple premises is renovated in the year 1998-99 and now is equipped with all necessary facilities like, Darshan Lane, Prasada (Lunch and Dinner), Donation Counters, Prasad Counters, Canteen, Railway Reservation Counter, Book Stall etc.
The Accommodation Facilities are also provided by the Sansthan. http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/shirdi/accommodation.asp
Places To Visit In Shirdi:: Sai Baba's place Shirdi (Maharashtra State) is a very sacred, powerful and important place of pilgrimage in India. Khandoba Mandir: This place is near Shirsainath Hospital. Baba stepped here in Shirdi at the foot of banyan tree near Khandoba Temple along with Chand Patil's wife's nephew's marriage party. The then Pujari Mhalsapati welcome Him by calling "Ya Sai".
Gurusthan Mandir: This is the place where Baba first appeared to the world as a boy of 16 years & this place is supposed to be Baba's Gurusthan. the famous Margosa (Neem) tree is here. it has a reference in Shri Sai Sat-charita. Devotees claim that their ailments are cured by burning incense here on Thursday & Friday. So dont forget to burn incense there even if it is not a thursday or friday.
Sai Baba's Samadhi Mandir: This is the place where Sacred Body of Baba is resting in Samadhi. The articles handled by Baba are preserved & displayed here in a special showroom. All rituals consisting of Pooja. Abhishek & daily four Aratis are performed here. The Samadhi Mandir of Shri Sai Baba was actually owned by a millionaire from Nagpur and a famous Sai devotee Shreemant Gopalrao, also known as 'Butti Wada'. He wanted to keep an idol of Murlidhar there. However, according to the legends, Sai Baba manifested himself as Murlidhar and the temple became the Samadhi Mandir of Baba. The Samadhi of Baba is built with white marble stones. The railings around it are full of ornamental decorations. The idol of Baba is a marvelous statue made up of Italian marble built by Late Balaji Vasant in 1954. The temple has an assembly hall for about 600 devotees. The first floor of the temple has the pictures depicting the life of the saint. The temple opens on 5 AM withmorning prayers and close down at 10 PM with night prayers.
Dwarkamayee (Masjid): Baba stayed at this place continuously for 60 years. Innumerable devotees got blessing of Baba here. The Shila (Stone) on which Baba used to sit is located nearby. Also Sacred Fire (Dhuni) lit by Baba is ever burning here. Baba used to give Sacred Udi (Ash) to the devotees to solve their problems in life. Udi distributed to the devotees now is only from this Dhuni. Baba used to cook food here for distribution to devotees. Main attraction of the site is the oil paintings of the sage. If possible, try to read Shri Sai Satcharitra over here. You will find a lot of peace with in you after you do that. Chawdi Mandir: On every alternate day Baba used to proceed in procession from Dwarkamai to this place at night & halt & sleep here. Now also on every Thursday Palanquin procession of Baba's Photo. Holy Padukas& Satka is taken to this place between 9.15 p.m. & 10.00 p.m. The Chavadi is divided into two parts. One part of the Chavadi has a large portrait of Baba along with a wooden bed and a white chair belonging to him. Lendi Baug: At some distance from Gurusthan, there is the Lendi Baug. This garden was made and watered daily by Baba himself. It got its name from a nullah (a drain), which used to flow there. Baba used to come here every morning and afternoon and take rest under a neem tree. Baba dug a pit, 2 feet deep, under the neem tree and kept a deep (a lighting object) lit in that pit. An octagonal deepgriha (lighthouse) called Nanda Deep has been built in marble stone in memory of this place. It constantly burns in a glass box. On one side of the deepgriha is a pipal tree and on the other side is a neem tree. There is also Datta Mandir in this garden & Shri Sai Baba's deloyed Horse 'Shamkarna'(Shamsunder) istaking Eternal Rest here. There is also a well here called as 'Baba's Shivdi'.
Other Places: The Samadhis of Shri Tatya Patil Kote, Shri Bhau Maharaj Kumbhar, Shri V.Padmanabha Iyer, Shri Nanawali & Shri Abdul Baba who were ardent Bhaktas closely associated with Shri Sai Baba during His life time are located in Sansthan premises near lendhi Baug.
In addition 3 other Temples are in Temples premises complex :
1) Shri Ganesh Temple,
2) Shri Shani Temple &
3) Shri Mahadev Temple Nearby Sites: Situated around 5 km from Shirdi is Sakori. The place is home to the Upasini Maharaj. Shanisinghnapur is 70 km from Shirdi. A temple devoted to Shani is located there.
Staying in Shirdi : Shirdi has a lot of good hotels as per one’s requirements.
5 Star accommodation : Sun-n-Sand hotel (http://www.sunnsandhotel.com/)
Mid-range luxury hotel : Sai Leela Hotel (http://www.hotelsaileela.com/)
MTDC Hotels : Pilgrims Inn Shirdi (http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/)
Shirdi Sai Sansthan’s Cheaper Accomodation : Shirdi Sai Sansthan provides cheaper accommodation. For more details please visit the site (http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/shirdi/shirdi/accommodation.asp)
For more hotels with their price details ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 4000:
http://www.holidayiq.com/Shirdi-Hotels-Resorts-Reviews-Rating-Tariff-550-20-yes-destination.html
Useful tips for travellers from foreign countries: Special VIP Pass : For overseas devotees, the Shirdi Sai Sansthan provides special passes, which can be obtained from the PRO office, near to the Nanda-Deep.Foreigners can show their passports to get the VIP pass. Ipods, Mp3 players,Cameras & Mobile Phones : Photography/video shooting is not permitted in the temple premises, and the temple staff is quite strict about this rule.Cameras and mobile phones are not allowed inside the temple. But there are locker facilities available, for depositing the camera and mobile phones, within the temple complex. But if I were you, I would just leave it in my hotel room or in my car.And specially your ipods and mp3 players, I got stuck once for that so make sure all those hi tech stuff is taken care of before you decide to goto samadhi mandir. Driving directions from Mumbai to Shirdi::
http://www.oktatabyebye.com/travel-directions/driving-directions-from-Mumbai-to-Shirdi.html
For more information about the temple log onto: http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/
Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, (Shirdi)
PO: Shirdi Tal. Rahata Dist.
Ahmednagar Pin-423109
Tel No:+ 91-2423-258500
Fax: office 91-2423-258870 & P.R.O Office 91-2423- 258770.
E-mail: saibaba@sai.org.in
URL : http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/
http://www.sai.org.in/
Daily program schedule in Shirdi:: http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/shirdi/dailyprograms.asp
Important festivals in Shirdi with dates:: http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/main_English/shirdi/festivals.asp
For more Ato Z info on shirdi go to
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/17044071?access_key=key-24uulpjvn7c0l3lmml0r