 Samadhi
Mandir of Shri Sai Baba was owned by a millionaire from
Nagpur, a famous Sai devotee Shreemant Gopalrao. Gopalrao
wanted to keep an idol of Murlidhar here. However, Baba
himself became Murlidhar and the Mandir became the Samadhi
Mandir of Baba. The Mandir is built with stones and Baba's
Samadhi is built with white marble stones. A railing is built in marble around the
Samadhi and is full of ornamental decorations. In front
of the Samadhi are two silver pillars full of decorative
designs. Just behind the Samadhi is Sai Baba's marvelous
statue made of Italian marble which shows him seated on
a throne. This idol was made by late Balaji Vasant.
This statue was installed on 7th October
1954. Above the statue is an open, silver umbrella. The
front of the Mandir has an assembly hall where about 600
devotees can be accommodated. Here is the show-case where
various things handled by Baba are kept. On the first
floor of the Mandir are pictures depicting the life of
Baba.
The routine of the temple starts at 5
o'clock in the morning with Bhoopali, a morning song,
and closes at 10 o'clock in the night after Shejarati
is sung. Only on three occasions the temple is kept open
overnight i.e. on Gurupoornima, Dassera, and Ramnavami.
Every Thursday and on each fesitival, a Palakhi with Baba's
photo is taken out from the temple. |
At
a short distance lies Baba's CHAVADI. Baba used to sleep
here every alternate day. 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. There is a cottage of Abdul Baba, an ardent devotee
of Shri Sai Baba, in front of the Chavadi.
Sai
Baba first came to Shridhi in the form of Bal Yogi - a
child ascetic. He was first spotted seated under a Neem
tree. This place came to be known as Gurusthan. The renovation
of Gurusthan was made on 30th September, 1941. The present
temple was built after this period. There is a small shrine
in Gurusthan. 
Shri
Sai Baba came to Shridhi with a marriage procession. He
stayed at Dwarkamai till the very end of his life. Dwarkamai
is situated on the right side of the entrance of Samadhi
Mandir. Here he solved problems of the people, cured their
sickness and worries. Before Baba's arrival in Shirdi, Dwarkamai
was an old mosque in a dilapidated condition.
