Shirdi, Nasik and Triambakeshwar

Mother of all surprises, my annual leave was sanctioned for the 2nd week of nov!! (Those who work in BPOs will know how hard it is) .How to make full use of it? We planned a trip to Shirdi and Nasik. We were warned by quiet a few that since it was time of the Diwali holidays , Shirdi would be crowded and the hotel room rents would have hit the roof. But we still planned for it as we did not want the hard earned leave to go waste.Checked the railway website and booked the 2ndAC tickets by Ahmedabad express for Kopergaon, the nearest railhead to Shirdi.
Ahmedabad express leaves Bangalore City at 1.30pm. Had a eventful journey with a nice Tamil couple settled in Ahmedabad.We did not pack any foodstuffs from home to reduce the baggage but regretted it later. Being an AC coach, the attendant will not allow any hawker inside.We have to be dependant on the railway catering.Expensive but tasteless.But the Tamil couple were kind enough to share their "train chutney", a kind
of tomato-garlic thokku, which worked magic on our bland Railway dinner.
Reached Kopergaon around 11.30am and immediatly you are surrounded by autorickshaw drivers. We hired one for Rs.80 to drop us till Shirdi Temple. He refused to go any further as our lodge, Sai Ameya , opposite the IOC petrol bunk,was another 2km away. We hired another for Rs.15 to take us there. We shared our room with my cousin sister and her family who had come down from Mumbai(They already had Baba's darshan and had gone to Shani-singnapur.The room charges were Rs.600 plus 200 for additional beds.After freshining up , we visisted the temple.Its always better to leave your cameras/mobiles/footwear in your room as the lockers/shops near the Sai Baba temple are not reliable.Be careful of the touts/hawkers near the temple.
Being holiday season, there was a big serpentine queue for the darshan.As usual there were devotees who had very innovative ideas to jump queue.Some devotees were shouting " Shree Sainath Maharaj ki..." followed by "Jai" by a larger group.After about 2 hours we were able to have darshan and what a feeling it is .Seeing and bowing before SaiBaba's murthi is an out-of-the-world experience.We Bought the prasad laddus at the counter there.Soon we were out and had prasad lunch at the neighbouring building. Prasad lunch is served between 9am to 9pm, costs Rs.5 for adults and rs.2 for children.Soon after lunch, we
visited the museum(here robes worn by Baba ,vessels and other items are displayed),neem tree,lendhi bagh and Chavadi.
It was about 6pm and we slowly trudged back to our hotel room.Freshened up, had coffee and waited for our cousins who were on the way back from Shani-singnapur.Once they were back , had dinner in a restaurant nearby and retired for the night as we had to wake up at 3am next day to be in time for Kakad Arathi.
Woke up on time next day, freshened up and after acup of tea , we were on the way , but there was already a big queue. The hymn:"Utha Utha Sakalajana..." started playing and within a few minutes the Kakad arathi and the bathing ritual of Baba's idol was on and all this could been seen on large screen TVs in the waiting halls.Again had darshan and we were out by about 7.30am.
Had breakfast at a hotel nearby . While our mumbai cousins went shopping before their departure to Mumbai on the 12pm bus, we decided to visit Shani-singnapur. We boarded a taxi(maruti versa) at Rs.80 per head, to and fro.The driver could not fill up the other seats and it took a long time before we were finally on the way at about 10am.
Shani-singnapur is about 1.5 hours away from Shirdi. On the way we stopped for sugarcane juice.The uniqness how the juice is extracted from the cane is with the use of bullocks which circle around, thus rotating the extractor which crushes the cane, same principle as followed in old irigation wells and oil extraction.
Reached Shani-singnapur at about 12pm, visited the temple for Shani-god.here women are not allowed near the diety while men wanting to perform puja should wear saffron dhotis ,take bath and visit. nearby shops sell all puja items including oil packets.Legend say the people here never lock their doors even during the night.Such is the fear in Shani god.After darshan, had vada-pavs and missal pavs in a nearby shack and soon on the way back to Shirdi.On the way at about 2pm, the driver stopped at a hotel owned by a milk
dairy for lunch. Reached Shirdi at about 4pm.
The SaiAmeya hotel owner turned out to be a crook. Thinking we would also vacate our room along with our cousins, he had already booked the room for some one else arriving later in the night.No point in arguing with him, we vacated the room and booked a 3 bedded room for Rs.750 in Saish Hotel just behind the temple complex ,opposite the MIDC builiding, where the manager Anthony is quiet a friendly guy and more professional and courteous when it comes to handling customers.After shifting our baggage there , we did some window shopping and more vada-pavs.Also visited the Kandoba temple(opposite the
BSNL office, next to Sai Baba hospital). This was the place that Baba first visited when he came to Shirdi. The priest there Mahalsapati welcomed Baba with the words"Aao Sai".Its now managed by his grandson Mr. Nagare.
Soon we were joined by my brother-in-law from bangalore,my sister-in-law from Goa and 3 children.They had booked a Qualis and had departed from Mumbai early morning and had reached Shirdi after visiting Shani-singnapur.After refreshing, we had dinner at the Prasad Bhojanalay and visited the temple. But it was almost 10pm. We could have only a have mukhadarshan. Soon, after a cup of tea, we retired for the night. Next day, while
my brother-in-law and party left for kakad arathi, my wife and I visited Dwarkamai. Saw the dhuni, first lit by Baba and the stone bench where Baba used to sit.Also visited the nearby Hanuman Mandir and mahalaxmi Temple.After breakfast, ie more vada-pavs we vacated the room and were soon the way to Nasik.
After a coupe of hours drive on the scenic road with cane fields on either side and the western Ghat mountain ranges in the background, we reached Nasik at about 12.30pm. Went straight to Muktidham, a beautiful temple dedicated to many gods and saints. We had delicious lunch at a Gujarathi Bhojanalay just behing the Muktidham at Rs.30 per head.After lunch we visted the the 300 year old Naroshankar temple here.The unique architecture and the shops lining the bathing ghats remind you of Varanasi.After an hour here, soon we were off to Triambakeshwar, about 20kms from Nasik.
Reached there at about 5pm and the darshan of the jyothirling was over by about 7pm. The temple in situated in the middle of a vast courtyard. The beautiful linga could be seen with the help of a mirror strategically placed above the idol.
Had tea at the stalls outside and away we left for Mumbai.It was 11.30pm.Wife and I got down at Kalyan Station while my brother-in law left for Kandivili to my sister-in-laws house.Hired an auto for Rs.100 from kalyan to Dombivili, to my uncle's
place.
Next day morning , we left for Titwala, about 25 min by local train from Dombivili. Visited the famous ganesh temple and the nearby Vitthal mandir. Here Legend has it that one could hear Taal music when arathi is going on in Pandarapur.Next day left for Kandivili to my sister-in-laws place via localtrain and bus.In the evening, visited the Saidham shrine at Kandivili, just opposite the Mahindra factory.The Saidham reminded me of the Mukthidham in Nasik.
Next day we visited Sri Siddhavinayak Temple in Dadar. Being a weekend , there was a big
crowd amidst heavy security.Then we left for Mahalaxmi temple in Gamdevi and nearby Haji Ali.
Came back only at 5pm. Rested our tired feet in the evening and next day ,boarded the 4.30pm GoAir flight back to Bangalore.Reached by 6pm. There was a mad rush at the baggage counter with 3 flights arriving at same time and the usual traffic jams on airport road.

Thanks for the interesting trip report, shyamm.

I knew a guy called Doctor in Kandivli who became one. So, Doctor Doctor.

Like Catch22

Thanskf or the detailed info...