A Weekend Getaway to Shirdi and Nashik

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17^th-19^th July 2010

    During the monsoons, in the month of July, we had planned a 3 day weekend getaway from my place Mumbai to Shirdi and Nashik. Situated 255 kms from Mumbai, it takes around 4 hrs to reach the place. As we left Mumbai at around 5 am to avoid the traffic on the highway, there was a nip in the air and monsoon clouds hovered in the sky. Soon, a slight drizzle brushed against the windows of my car.

[ Enroute to Shirdi... The light rains which soon turned into a downpour ]

    Shirdi is a town which was blessed by the appearance of a modern day saint, Sai Baba, some 100 years ago. Through His blessings, He liberated people of their sufferings and sorrows and also performed numerous miracles.

After spending 64 years in the service of mankind, Sai Baba took Samadhi in Shirdi itself, where a huge temple stands today - The Samadhi temple - from where the Baba continues to inspire new hopes and happiness amongst His believers.

Three hours had passed by and I had started to feel hungry. With Shirdi still some distance away, we decided to stop at a restaurant Bhagatchand Tarachand on the Mumbai-Nashik highway for some refreshments.

[ Hotel Bhagatchand Tarachand on the Mumbai Nashik highway ]

During our drive, along the highway, we saw large groups of people, not sages mind you, just normal people walking, many of them barefoot. Our driver informed us that they were pilgrims on a ‘padyatra’, a walking pilgrimage to Shirdi, coming from nearby towns like Nashik or even as far as Mumbai.

We finally reached Shirdi at 10 am which meant that we practically had an entire day to spend in Shirdi. 

Where to Stay, Eat in Shirdi

There is no shortage of accommodation in Shirdi. But it is advisable to book your rooms in advance if you are planning to visit on thursdays, weekends, festivals and holidays. We checked in into our pre booked room at MTDC’s hotel Pilgrims Inn which is situated at a walking distance of 2 min from the Samadhi temple. The rooms are quite spacious and clean, the service good.

[ MTDC's Pilgrims Inn Hotel in Shirdi ]

[ My room at the Pilgrims Inn - Shirdi ]

It also has its restaurant The Neem which serves fresh and tasty pure vegetarian food. Besides this, Woodlands restaurant located nearby is also fine.

[ Woodlands Restaurant in Shirdi ]

Contact Details:

MTDC’s The Pilgrims Inn, Shirdi
(02423) 255194, 95, 96, 97

How to reach Shirdi

Shirdi is well connected by roads to most cities in Maharashtra. It is situated at a distance of 255 km from Mumbai, 190 km from Pune and about 100 km from Nashik.