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| Pilgrims in India SHIRDI
Shirdi is a small town located in the state of Maharashtra
in western India. The place is around 296 km (around
6 hours drive) from Mumbai. Shirdi extends latitude
19°45¢ N and longitude 74°25¢ E. Shirdi
is basically a religious tourist center. Thousands of
pilgrims flock to Shirdi.
 There
are several places of tourist attractions in Shirdi,
but it is the shrine of Sai Baba that is the hub of
activity.
Samadhi Mandir of Shri Sai Baba was actually owned
by a millionaire from Nagpur and a famous Sai devotee
Shreemant Gopalrao. He wanted to keep an idol of Murlidhar
here. However, according to the legends, Baba himself
became 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 assembly hall also houses a showcase having
various items used by the sage. The first floor of the
temple has the pictures depicting the life of the saint.
The temple opens on 5 am with morning prayers and close
down at 10 pm with night prayers.
There are several places to see and visit near Shirdi
too. 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 here.
The Indian town of Shirdi is easily accessible through
air, road and rail from the other major Indian cities
and states. touristplacesinindia can arrange for you
all types of transport for your comfortable journey
to and in Shirdi and throughout the Indian state of
Maharashtra. |
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AMRITSAR
The Golden Temple is the ultimate Sikh pilgrimage. The
Harmandir Sahib, as it is traditionally known, actually
means the temple of Hari or the Supreme God. Also known
as the Darbar Sahib, the stupendous, architectural phenomena
is located at the city of Amritsar. The temple's exterior
is gold-plated and the structure stands in the middle
of a square tank. There is a causeway across the Pool
of Nectar to reach the Temple. The shrine is symbolical
of the doctrines of Sikhism. It also represents the magnificent
strength of all the Sikhs. The amazing thing about Harmandir
Sahib is that it has doorways on all four sides, meant
to be open for the people of the all four castes. All
over the, the Sikhs always look forward to visit to the
magnificent temple and offer prayers at the Harmandir
Sahib.
 The
study of the art and architecture of the Golden Temple
has, unfortunately, remained a subject of unconcern
for art historians and critics. Even scholars of Indian
temple architecture have bypassed it and references,
whenever made, were mere courtesies. Fergusson considered
the Golden Temple an example of the forms, which Hindu
temple architecture assumed in the nineteenth century.
According to the official list of buildings of interest,
published by the Punjab Government in 1875, the design
of the temple, as reconstructed by Ranjit Singh, was
borrowed from the shrine of Saint Mian Mir, near Lahore.
Louis Rousselet, writing in 1882, regarded it as a "handsome
style of architecture". Major Cole described it
as an adaptation of Mohammadan styles, flavoured with
a good deal of Hindu tradition. Percy Brown considered
it to be a product of the synthesis of Hindu and Muslim
influences, combined with elaborations that imparted
it an appearance of its own.
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PUTTAPURTHY
Located in the south-western part of Andhra Pradesh, Puttaparthi
is surrounded by the arid and rocky hills bordering Karnataka.
Famous for its Sathya Sai Baba Mandir, it is one of the
famous religious tourist destinations of the world. A
number of domestic as well as foreign tourists visit this
place every year just to have a glimpse of the legendary
Sathya Sai Baba and also to see his most talked about
ashram. It is believed that the present Sai Baba is the
reincarnation of the former Sai Baba of Maharashtra popularly
known as Sai Baba of Shirdi. The income of the ashram
has been used for the establishment of a number of public
utility services. Although there is not much to see in
Puttaparthi, the ashram itself keeps the attention of
the visitor with its varied attractions. Puttaparthi belongs
to the Bangalore Circuit of South India. The other destinations
that come under the circuit are Bangalore, Kolar, and
Nellur. Being at Puttaparthi, the best thing one can do
is to visit the ashram and pay reverence to Sai Baba.
The nearby areas like Lepakshi are also worth visiting.
 The
Sai baba ashram itself is a huge complex with room for
thousands, with canteens, shops, a museum and library,
and a vast assembly hall where Sai Baba gives darshan
twice daily (6.45-7.00 AM and 3.45-4.00 PM). Queues
start more than an hour before the appointed time, and
a lottery decides who gets to sit near the front.
On the way between Bangalore and Puttaparthi, one can
find the Veerbhadra temple at Lepakshi. At the entrance
of the town, there is a huge, monolithic Nandi, the
sacred bull of Lord Shiva. The temple is about 500 meters
away.
On November 23, the birthday of Sai Baba is celebrated
in the ashram. On this day Sai Baba delivers a message
to his devotees. The devotees of Sai Baba regard this
day as a holy day.
The Indian city of Puttaparthi is easily accessible
through air, road and rail from the other major Indian
cities and states. touristplacesinindia can arrange
for you all types of transport for your comfortable
journey to and in Puttaparthi and throughout the Indian
state of Andhra Pradesh. |
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