Due to mama's ( paranthaman) sudden deterioration of health, we were a bit delayed to check out and leave our hotel 7 Apple and left to Shirdi by the same bus at about 10Am. Our darshan is already prebooked for 5 pm. So since we got delayed a bit, the organisers decided to shift Shani Shignapur to tomorrow. So we are directly going to Shirdi. We took a lunch break around 2:Pm. Had packed lunch of veg pulao and curd rice . Reached Shirdi around 4 pm. Checked in Hotel Alaukik. Freshened up and left to temple. Our darshan was completed by 5:40 in the main temple. As we came out, the organisers started walking towards the exit, when I noticed the meditation hall on the left and wanted to sit there for some time. At that time, I did not know that there was a TV right in front of me showing the live Darshan and as I sat down and looked up, I saw it. After few minutes of staring into the TV, I noticed that the right side of Baba's face was also clearly visible below the TV. I was overjoyed because the arati was at 6 pm and the time was nearing 6. On the dot at 6 pm, I moved to the front and could see clearly the whole of the arati that lasted about 10 minutes. At the end of it, I turned around to see the entire group waiting for me to join them for the tour of the rest of the sai complex. I was overjoyed as no one hurried me. Then we as a group moved on to the Dwarkamai. There were went in queue to see the portrait of baba that is kept within. As we neared the baba, one person was serving pedas. He had only two pedas in his hand. The lady( not our group) got one and I got the other. I was so filled with delight. I turned around to see if the one following me had noticed, but realized she had not. I sat inside the Dwarkamai for few minutes. Then we moved on to the Chavadi. There again, in front of Baba's portrait, a lady was lighting lamp and spreading out some dry flat biscuit like prasad. I asked her if I could take a little. She smilingly said I could and she opened another cloth parcel and gave me a modak from it and said in Marathi it was a prasad from some place. Anyways, I got the modak too. Then we came out and one mama from our group brought a cupful of sabudana kichdi prasad and gave each of us a spoonfull. The initial darshan in the main hall was from the left side and we got to touch the padams of baba. When we came near, I asked for flowers and was given a rose and some tulsi. Then we collected the udi prasad and free laddu prasad. As we completed our chavadi, there was the dixit wada which is now converted to a museum and houses all articles used by baba annd photos of his close devotees and some drawings of the same and the idols of Murali Manohar, that were supposed to be intially kept in the buti wada, which later became the samadhi Mandir. The Darshan was finally over by 7 pm.. As we came out, we got some drops of badam milk and chana prasad. Then as we were waiting for Karthik, who had our footwear coupon and was not to be found, a very young boy came over to me and asked me to give him some money for food. I was feeling so sad that I didn't have any more money than what I had taken for dakshina. Immediately, Ashok mama from our group came over and asked me what the matter was. As I narrated, he gave the young boy Rs.50 and the boy handed him a two dimensional photo. The matter here is just before we started to the temple, lakshmi akka had shown me the same photo and told me it is a very rare original black and white photo of baba and I was just thinking where I would get it. This was the same picture on one dimension. So I asked the boy if I could get a similar one. He asked me to wait right there and walked away. I was praying to God that our Karthik is not found for some more time. After what seemed to be a long time, the boy returned and gave me two photos, one the same as he had given mama and another different one in colour. Now mama wanted the colored one too. He asked the boy again and the boy didn't mind giving mama another different coloured one. So all in all, I had a hundred fold blessings from Shirdi baba and I was immensely satisfied. We went back to our hotel for a dinner of Naan, paneer veg curry, curd rice and raita. Then went to adjacent shop and purchased artificial jewellery for 1500/-. Came bk by 11 pm and rested.
Saturday, March 1, 2025
My Pandarpur Shirdi Yatra
Day 1
We landed at Pune at around 4:45Am. After completing formalities at the airport, our exhausted( from lack of Sleep) group came outside. A bus was waiting for transporting us to our hotel 7 Apple, which we reached about 5:30 Am and after formalities, got our assigned rooms by 6 Am. We had about 2 hours to rest and get ready to leave after complimentary Breakfast at hotel.
First' we visited Dagdusheth Halwai Ganesh temple at about 10Am travelling by 7 autos carrying 3 persons in each. ( As the temple is located in a busy area with one way transport, we couldn't go by our bus). After a Wonderful darshan with special darshan tickets and a prasad of a modak each from a person unknown to us was an added blessing to the simply awesome darshan on a chaturthi Sunday, we came back by the same autos to 7 Apple.
We came back to our hotel and after a couple of hours, left by the same bus to lunch at a south indian hotel 'Sankar's banana leaf' had a good thali lunch and proceeded to Alandi, Saint Jnaneshwar samadhi Mandir around 2 pm and after darshan and a good sugarcane juice halt, proceeded to Dehu, Saint Tukaram Mandir and samadhi Mandir. Reached by 4:30 pm .Completed our darshan by 6 pm and came back to Pune by the same bus. Reached by 8 pm to have dinner of plain dosa at the same south indian restaurant and went back to 7 Apple for the night by 9:30 pm.
Day 2
After complimentary Breakfast from our hotel, we proceed to Pandarpur at 9:30 Am by the same bus leaving Pune with a packed baggage for darshan and a one night stay at Pandarpurat Hotel Riverside inn. Tea break on a waysside shop 'Bhuleshwar Misal' at 11:15 for half an hour. Lunch halt with packed lunch at 1:30 pm in a wayside restaurant. Proceeding at 2 pm . Reached Pandarpur Riverside inn at 3 Pm. Rested a little and got ready by 5 pm . Went to Pundalik temple and a surprise boating ride on Chandrabagha . Saw some beautiful sights. Came back to our hotel, had tea and again left by 7:30 to the main Pandari Vittal and Rukmayi temple. Since we had special darshan tickets, we stood about 40 mins in the queue and had a wonderful darshan. After buying a pair of Vittala and Rukmayi idols for myself, came back to our hotel by 9:30 Pm. Had dinner of thattu Dosa, sambar and chutney and went to an adjacent shop to taste misal pav. Some mamas from our group had milk here. Then we retired for the night.
Day 3
Morning at 8 we were fortunate to have mukhadarshan of vittal and rukmayi again without queue and later we did some shopping. I bought some smaller pairs of idols and bathis. We had breakfast (sourced from outside)in our hotel of idli vada sambar and chutney. Again we group of 3 went for some other shopping needs. I bought some pouches and a couple of duppatas. Then we packed up and with packed lunch left to Pune by 11:45. Reached Pune around 6 Pm. At 7 Pm myself and Ramachandran mama and mami (Chennai) took an auto to a sweet and snacks shop 'Chitale' and bought some snacks to take back home. Had a nice dinner of chapati and dal at the banquet hall of our hotel upstairs and retired for the day.
Day 4
Our group was ready by 6:45 Am and with packed breakfast and lunch sourced from the same restaurant, we left to Bhimashankar jyotirling temple. At about 9 we halted and had breakfast of Pongal, vada in the bus. Then we had a tea cum washroom break in a nearby wayside hotel. The washroom was neat and clean though there was only one and so the halt was leisurely. Reached the temple complex around 12:45 noon. We had another 1•5 kms, which was not pliable by bus and so we went by two taxis and two scooters to the temple. Had a wonderful darshan and by 2 we were back in the bus. Halted around 2:30 on d way to eat packed lunch in the bus puliodarai, curd rice, papad and pickle and left again. Again took a tea break at 4:45 and proceeded to reach Pune at 7:15 pm. Then in ten minutes, I freshened up and along with Ramachandran mama and mami took a booked auto and left to Dagdusheth ganesh temple. Had an awesome darshan. We returned by another auto and again the three of us crossed the road to a chaat stall by name 'Gayatri chaat' and had a plate of chaat each. By then, it was 10 pm. Lakshmi akka was already in the room and we just retired for the night.
Day 5
Due to mama's ( paranthaman) sudden deterioration of health, we were a bit delayed to check out and leave our hotel 7 Apple and left to Shirdi by the same bus at about 10Am. Our darshan is already prebooked for 5 pm. So since we got delayed a bit, the organisers decided to shift Shani Shignapur to tomorrow. So we are directly going to Shirdi. We took a lunch break around 2:Pm. Had packed lunch of veg pulao and curd rice . Reached Shirdi around 4 pm. Checked in Hotel Alaukik. Freshened up and left to temple. Darshan over by 7 pm.. details noted. Dinner of Naan, paneer veg curry, curd rice and raita. Then went to adjacent shop and purchased artificial jewellery for 1500/-. Came bk by 11 pm and rested.
Day 6
After complimentary Breakfast at hotel poha, dalia veg upma, fruits at 7:30, we were waiting in the lobby when the reception boy Amar asked me to light the lamp in front of the shirdi baba in the foyer. I felt so good as it is a Friday. We left to Shani Shignapur by 8Am. By 10:45 Am, we completed our darshan and took a washroom break within the temple and another sugarcane juice/tea break on the way and by 11:15 are continuing our journey towards Ghrishneshwar jyotirling temple. We are yet to reach our destination at 1:20. We completed our darshan by 3 and left to Ellora caves. We strolled around after a short buggy ride and then took some photos and after about an hour, left back to Shirdi hotel. As I had a bad headache, I went to sleep immediately after reaching by 7:30pm. I skipped both lunch and dinner. Had a glass of buttermilk for lunch.
Day 7
After complimentary Breakfast from our Shirdi hotel and checking out, we left to Nasik at around 8 Am. We reached Nasik by 12 Am, went direct to Panchavati temples which comprised first of the Confluence of 3 rivers Aruna varuna and godavari called Ramakund and then took darshan of Ardhanareeshwara temple and then Kalaram temple. Then we went to the sita apharan point , where a building is coming up. Then we saw the five numbered vatavruksha after which Panchavati is named. We also saw and had darshan at sita gupha or cave where Sita was hidden when Ram Lakshman used to go out. After this, we went to Shankara Madom where we had a sumptuous lunch. Then we checked in our hotel Rama Heritage and took an hour rest. Later, we visited the famous Tryambakeshwar jyotirling temple. Had a good darshan and again went back for dinner at Shankara Madom. Hot vegetable upma and poha was heavenly. Then we all paid some donation and left back to our hotel for the night. I purchased some good tshirts for kannan at the Cotton point opposite our hotel.
Day 8
The next day all of us were on our own till 11. So along with mama and mami, I went to buy some sweets and chivda from a shop by name Bagga. Yummy sweets. Chivda we purchased from a kondaji chivda shop diagonally across our hotel. Then we visited the kalika mandir just next to our hotel and then it was time to leave to the airport. At the airport, packed lunch and dinner were handed over to each of us and we all had our lunch at the airport as our flight was at 3:20 or so. We reached Bangalore by 5:30. Then we had a layover of few hours as our flight to trivandrum was only at 9. After checking in, we had our dinner in the airport and then arrived at tvm by 10:30 pm. Kannan was there and after saying my goodbyes, we came to Kollam by 12:45 pm.