Monsoons : June to August
Ramnavami : March/April
Guru Purnima : July
Vijayadashmi (Sri Sai Punyatithi) : October
Shirdi is the holy abode of Shri Sai Baba and thousands of pilgrims
throng the town each day from across India and beyond. You can visit the
Shri Saibaba temple at anytime you wish, however Monsoons i.e., between
June and August are the period considered to be the best time to be
here. Reason being the weather, which is simply so pleasant and
inviting. You don't need to bother about sweat and heat; with drizzling
and cool breeze all around your mystical journey to Shirdi becomes
heavenly. Winters are also quite a good time to visit Shirdi. Winters
are not harsh in here and temperature can dip to 7 degree Celsius.
However, you can plan your trip or pilgrimage to Shirdi during one of
the three major festivals that are celebrated here with great fervor and
excitement. These three festivals are Ram Navami, Guru Purnima and
Vijayadashamai. During these festivals thousands of devotees flock in
here and the whole atmosphere of the Shirdi becomes vibrant with puja,
bhajan (music), rath yatra (processions with palanquin) and many more
events.
You can come to participate in Ramanavami at Shirdi, celebrated
every year in March or April. It is also the time when Saibaba's urus is
held. Urus is a muslim festival that is celebrated to honor a saint.
This shows the kind of communal harmony that weaves people of different
faiths at Shirdi. This year that is in 2007, Shirdi is celebrating the
Ramnavami from 26th to 28th of March.
Gurupurnima or Full Moon is also a wonderful time to visit
Shirdi. In 2007, Shirdi is celebrating Guru Purnima from 28th to 30th
July. This is the time devotees all across the world converge in Shirdi
to seek Saibaba's blessings. There is also Vyasa Puja that is held
during Guru Purnima, in honor of Ved Vyasa who wrote the epic
Mahabharata.
Vijayadashmi is a big festival in Shirdi, venerated as a holy
day when Shri Saibaba left his mortal body for heavenly abode. The
festival is celebrated as Shri Sai Punyathithi in Shirdi attracting
great number of devotees from all over the world. This year the festival
is celebrated from 20th to 23rd October.
You can choose any of the festive seasons to make a spiritual journey
to Shirdi and of course any other time is equally fulfilling.
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