Name: Shirdi
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Dwarkamai, Shirdi Overview

Dwarkamai is one of the treasures of Shirdi for the devotees. They say that Dwarkamai is the heart of Shirdi, the place where the great Sai Baba spent a significant part of his life including his last moments. It is a treasure to all of Baba's devotees because it was the home of, as they like to call him, God on Earth. People of all faiths look up to the great Sai Baba and truly believe in what he preached. The spirit of tolerance, acceptance and welcome is very much alive here.

This site, at first, was a dilapidated mosque which was covered in knee deep holes and crumbling ruins. Baba is the one that turned it into Dwarkamai and reiterated that God is one. Dwarkamai is probably the only mosque which has a temple in it! One is taken over by Sai Baba's holy energy and conferred with his blessings as soon as they step into this mosque. The striking and powerful atmosphere of positivity is so calming and tranquil that one can feel their soul being cleansed of all fears, insecurities and negativity. Once you enter Baba's home, you feel at home. You feel at peace.

What is truly interesting and worth noticing is that people from different faiths and religions come here to pay homage to Sai Baba and do that in their own way as they find comfortable. Some kneel and rest their head on the ground, some pray to the 'dhuni' which is the perpetually burning sacred fire and some read their 'japas' or read from sacred texts. This reinforces that people have taken to Baba's teachings and practice the belief that God is one.

History of Dwarkamai

When Sai Baba moved into this mosque, it was a small abandoned dilapidated mud structure. There were no iron bars around the mosque or the dhuni like today, and there were deep holes and pits in the ground. Part of the roof had collapsed so it was a hazardous place to live.

Once when Baba was sitting with a few devotees, there was a loud crack overhead. Baba immediately raised his hand and said: "Wait, wait." The noise stopped and the group carried on with their meal, but when they went out, a large piece of the roof came crashing down onto the exact spot where they had been sitting. Baba's devotees sometimes pestered him to allow them to renovate the mosque, but his initial response was always to refuse. For him, there was no need for any alterations.

Once, in the mid-1890's, a devotee had some building materials delivered to the mosque, with the intention that they should be used for repair work, but Baba had them redirected to a couple of local temples that were in need of restoration. In 1912, after incessant attempts and insistence by his many devotees for many years, Baba finally gave in and let them go ahead with their renovations that were needed to make the structure sustainable. The construction team only worked on alternate nights when Baba would be spending the night at Chavadi.

Festivities at Dwarkamai in Shirdi

The main festivals which are celebrated in Shirdi are Ramnavami (March/April), Guru Purnima (July), Eid (July) and Vijayadashami (September). These festivals are celebrated with great passion and heartfulness. There is a programme of puja, music, public reading and exuberant processions with the palanquin and the cart. The Samadhi Mandir remains open all night during one of these days and there are all night bhajan and qawwali sessions at various locations in the village.

Concept of Udi

Sai Baba used to give holy ash from the Akhand dhuni. It is the ashes of this Dhuni which is distributed among devotees known as Udi. The healing power of Baba's Udi is well documented, and people used to recover from pain or sickness by taking it. Baba would sometimes apply udi to his devotees when they used to meet him, and he often gave out handfuls of it which he scooped up from the dhuni.

Sometimes when baba used to be in a good mood, he used to sing about udi in a tuneful voice and with great joy. Udi is still collected from the fire for distribution. Since this is a continuation of Baba's own practice and the udi comes from the fire that Baba himself lit and tended, it is considered as sacred. Today a small tray of udi is kept for visitors near the steps.

Inside Dwarkamai

This two-levelled structure is home to many possessions of the great Sai Baba. The first level has a portrait of Baba and a huge stone on which he used to sit. This level has two rooms- one with a chariot and the other that contains a palkhi (palanquin). A small temple with a saffron flag rests in front of these rooms.

On the second level is a square stool made entirely of stone- this stool is the one that Baba used to sit on while taking a bath. There is also a big grinding stone here and a wooden vessel called 'Kolamba'. This vessel is the same one in which Baba used to keep the bhiksha that he brought from the village.

Another memento of Baba that attracts thousands of devotees to Dwarkamai every year is an oil painting of Shri Sai Baba sitting in the carved wooden shrine. The painting conveys several emotions and sides to Shri Sai Baba- kindness, patience, self-belief, generosity and unflinching faith in the Almighty in a beautiful and artistic manner.

How To Reach Dwarkamai

Dwarkamai is a very renowned tourist attraction and attracts many devotees each year. Hence, its popularity makes it easier to get to. It is situated adjacent to Sai Samadhi Mandir.

The nearest railway station to Shirdi is Kopergaon railway station and Manmad railway station at a distance of 18 km and 58 km respectively. It takes 30 mins by road to get to Shirdi from Kopergaon Railway Station and 1 hr 15 mins to get there from Manmad Railway Station.

Many buses ply to Shirdi Bus Depot frequently throughout the day, and the bus depot is only 5.5 kms away from Dwarkamai. Surprisingly, it takes longer to get to Dwarkamai by road from the depot than arriving by foot- 11 mins by road but only 6 mins by foot, so why not go green?

It is also very convenient to hail a cab or an auto rickshaw which will take you to Dwarkamai at an economical cost and in a speedy manner too.