There is a huge influx of tourists to Shirdi every single day, which is evident from the queue for general darshan, where you have to wait for up to 4-8 hours on normal days and longer hours on Thursdays and special days. Here is the exact procedure for VIP/Paid darshan in Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, as the official process is confusing to follow.
Darshan Types – Understanding How They Differ
- General (free) darshan – open queue, longest waiting time
- Paid ‘special’ darshan – slight fee charged, short queue, bookable online and at temple counters
- VIP/Protocol darshan – for specified categories (seniors, differently-abled and some referrals) with a fast-track queue
- Online Booking for Paid Darshan in Shirdi Sai Baba Temple VIP Darshan Booking
An official website of Shirdi Sansthan allows booking of slots of paid darshan in advance for a few days from the date of visit. You will be required to give information about all the members in your party precisely as mentioned in their IDs. The temple verifies the same at the entrance gates, and a mismatch could mean queuing again from the beginning. Shirdi sai baba vip darshan booking in next point explianed in easy words.
Unable to Book Your Slot Online? No Problem !
A limited number of paid darshan tickets are available at counters near the temple on the same day as well. Booking them requires arriving at 6:00 AM or even before.
Temple Timings
Opening hours at about 4:00 AM to perform Kakad Aarti and closing hours at about 11:00 PM to midnight depending on the timings of the five aartis per day.
Different on Thursday
The day of Thursday is particularly important for those who revere Sai Baba and hence Shirdi becomes crowded, especially for the darshans of all kinds including paid darshans on that particular day.
Other Places Than the Main Temple
Dwarkamai – The mosque in which Sai Baba used to reside near to the main temple
Chavadi – The place in which Baba used to sleep every alternate night
Lendi Baug – The garden taken care of by Baba personally, comparatively quiet than the main temple
How To Get There
There is a small airport of Shirdi with little connectivity, Nashik (90 Km) and Ahmednagar (60 Km) have better connectivity by road transport till there. Kopargaon Railway Station is nearby and lies at about 15 km distance.
Book online when slots open, match your IDs correctly and if flexible about the day, then avoid Thursdays. Shirdi works out efficiently once you understand their system – confusing otherwise.
