Sāī Bābā of Shirdi

Sāī Bābā of Shirdi

Tradition: Hindu / Islamic / Sufi / Syncretic

The Place

• Location: Shirdi, Ahmednagar (19.7667°N, 74.4833°E) Maharashtra
• Historical: 1918 CE (samādhi); current Samadhi Mandir 1920

Story

Sāī Bābā of Shirdi (ca. 1835–1918) — the fakir-saint whose origins (Muslim? Hindu? mixed?) remain deliberately unclear. He lived as a Sufi dervish but taught Hindu scripture; he ate from all plates; he said "Sabkā mālik ek" ("One Lord of all"). His tomb at Shirdi is one of the most-visited shrines in India (~60,000 pilgrims daily). The Śrī Sāī Bābā Sansthān manages the shrine; over 400 Sai temples exist globally in imitation of the Shirdi original. The 11-verse Shirdi Sai Āratī composed by his devotee Dāsgaṇu is chanted at all Sai shrines.

Worship & Mantra

Oṁ Sāī Rām

Festival Cycle

• Gurū Pūrṇimā (Āṣāḍha (July), 3 days)
• Rāma-Navamī (Shirdi Urs) (Chaitra (April), 3 days)
• Vijayadaśamī (samādhi day) (Āśvin (October), 3 days)

Why This Entry Matters

Every tradition in India — textual, oral, tribal, regional, syncretic — deserves first-person recognition. This entry honours Hindu on its own terms.