Sai Baba is regarded as God descended on earth. His teachings are inspired by both Islam and Hinduism. He opposed religious orthodoxy in Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. He encouraged his devotees to read Holy Scriptures, chant God’s name and pray. He was honoured and revered by both the Muslims and the Hindu devotees. His teachings stressed on self realization, helping others, moral code of love, forgiveness, inner peace, charity, contentment and devotion to guru and God. Many famous Sai Baba temples in India have been built in the honour of this great saint.
Popular Sai Baba Temples in India:This Hindu temple is situated in Mylapore in Chennai, India. It is dedicated to the Indian saint, Sai Baba of Shirdi.It was built by Narasimhaswami, in 1952. Hewas a devotee of Sai Baba. This is the most trusted temple in India.
2. Shirdi Sai Baba Temple: (Maharashtra)This temple was built over the Samadhi of Shri Sai Baba in 1992. This temple is located in the Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. Sri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust is the administrative and governing body of this temple. This remple is visted by 60,000 people everyday and the number goes upto one 1 lakh on weekends and 3 lakhs on special festive occasions.
3. Shri Sai Janmashthan Mandir: (Maharashtra)This temple is located at Pathri, district Parabhani in Maharashtra. Pathri is the birthplace of Baba and a Trust was formed with the intention of constructing a temple. This trust spreads information about the life and teachings of Sai Baba.
4. Shri Shirdi Sai Temple: (Delhi)This organizationShirdi Sai Vatsalya Dham is located in the district of Faridabad in Haryana. It is set up for Charitrable, educational, and scientific. The main purpose of this trust was to set up Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir in Delhi. Other activities of this organization include the publishing and distribution of books to promote Sai Baba’s philosophy and giving shelter to the homeless.
5. Shri Hanuman Sai Mandir: (Uttar Pradesh)This temple is situated in Pardevanpur in the Kanpur town of Uttar Pradesh. The temple trust Shri Hanuman Sai Bhakt Seva Samithi takes care of the day to day activities and the overall development of this temple. Large scale celebrations of the festivals Guru Poornima, Holi, Deepavali, Shivaratri, Vijayadashmi, Krishna Janmashtamiand Vijaya dashmi takes place in this temple.
6. Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir:(Andhra Pradesh)This temple is situated in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. This temple flaunts a marble statue of Sai Baba and life size photograph of Dwarakamai Baba. The daily programs of this temple include kakad arti, dhoop arti, noon arti and shej arti. Large scale celebrations of Shree Ramanavami, Guru Poornima, Dutta Jayanti and Vijayadashami take place in this temple.
7.Shirdi Sai Dhyana Mandir: (Andhra Pradesh)The temple foundation stone was laid on 23rd August, 2010. The temple has a beautiful wooden pallaki, which is used every Thursday for the Pallaki festival. Abhishekam is performed daily on the main idol by the devotees. Vijaya dashami, Guru Poornima and Sree Ramanavami are celebrated on a large scale in this temple.
8. Shri Saibaba Temple: (Maharashtra)This temple is situated in Nagpur, Maharashtra and attracts devotees from all over the world. The temple is a beautiful one built over the Samadhi of Sai Baba. A sacred dish called Udi is offered as Prasad in this temple and it is believed to have miraculous healing powers. Devotees from all over the world come to have this Prasad.
9. Shirdi Sai Temple: (Orissa)This temple is located in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa and three main festivals are celebrated in this temple. These are Sree Ramanavami (March/April), Guru Purnima (July), Vijayadashami (September/ October). Activities such as puja, lively processions with palanquins and bhajans (devotional songs) take place in this temple.
These famousSai Baba temples in India are worth visiting for their architectural beauty and for the peace and serenity they offer.