Sai appeared in clouds

I went to Kolkata this february to take Saii ma's darshan at Shibpur. I was supposed to catch the train at 12 noon from Kolkata on thursday morning. In a strange twist of events, i failed to reach Kolkata in time and finally decided to go back to Shibpur to take Sai's darshan at the temple on thursday, which i repented missing earlier  cos of my train.

Finally i went to Delhi than again boarded a flight to Visakhaapatnam. It was a hectic journey. I reached Delhi at 11 am and left for airport around 1'o clock. I was tense, was travelling alone. Everything went well and i boarded flight at 3.30 pm. In my heart, i was praying to Shri Sai to give me darshan and closed my eyes.. nothing happened. I was disappointed, again like an obstinate child i prayed to appear in the form of a picture or even a ringtone but cellphones were switched off. I could not find a trace of Him. To make things worse both my co-passengers were engrossed in themselves. I looked out through the window and kept watching the clouds with a hope that i could see his illuminating face .. again i failed. I was upset. 

I blamed my Sai ma for leaving me alone on that flight. We reached Hyderabad around 5.30 pm and some passengers got out of the plane. Only few persons travelling to Vizag remained inside. In the meantime, a guy came to check the boarding passes. I was holding mine in the hand and waiting for my turn. My co-passenger  took his pass out of the back pocket and my eyes widened in wonder.. Sai, his name was printed on the boarding pass. I looked at him.. just to ensure that my Sai ma.. didnt leave me alone but was sitting beside me all the time. 

I was so happy .. i sat calm during another one hour journey. It was again a blissful experience. Sai Baba appears where we call him.. he is always there where his devotees are. om sai ram.

Sai's Birthday Gift to Me

February 19, 2012 Rajahmundry ( Andhra Pradesh )

I was at my uncle's house after about 8 years. My heart prompted me to visit an old temple of Lord Virbhadra and Goddess Bhadrakali at Pattuseema in West Godavari district, which was about two hours drive from Rajahmundry on the other shore of river Godavari on my birthday. So me, dad, uncle and my cousin decided to visit the temple early morning at 8 am because the temple lacked basic facilities like proper roads etc. We had to take a boat to cross the river and walk for about 30 minutes in the sand to reach the temple.

Early morning, I offered prayers to lord Sai on my birthday and requested him to bless me. Casually, I teased my Pal ( Sai ).... I am in the stronghold of shivaites and amidst those (fanatics  who worship only shiva - my family ) I would like to visit his (Sai Baba's) temple.  It would be a real miracle if I could get a glimpse of your lotus feet.. I then forgot and got into the car. The first thing I noticed was Sai's idol inside the car, I was very happy and thanked Sai of fulfill my wish by giving his darshan.... but more was to come...

We reached the last point where we had to take a boat to reach the other end of the river.  I was the first one to get down.. while my father and uncle were talking to the driver.  As soon as I moved towards the river, I was dumbfounded.. I saw a big hoarding... a picture of Sai with one of his famous assurances - COME TO ME, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOUR MISERIES PERISH !

This was least expected in that remote lord Shiva/ Virbhadra temple. I was overwhelmed with emotions and asked my cousin about the hoarding. He told me about a Sai stupa which was about 20 kms ahead and there was also an ashram there which ran some charitable activities...

After the darshan in the temple, i expressed my wish to visit the place. Father and uncle relented to my stupid wish.. i could make out disapproval from their facial expressions.. driver was reluctant too. We had only 25 minutes at our disposal to reach that place as the temple because it got closed at 12.30 pm. However, i decided to take the chance. With great difficulty , we found the exact location and reached the place at 12.40 P.M. To my surprise, the aarti had just begun.. the caretakers of the temple were glad to see visitors in that remote temple. They asked us to join the aarti.. after the aarti they explained that it was a different Sai temple... in the sense that it was a Stupa constructed by a devotee for Sai... he was also running an ashram for charitable activities. The caretaker gave us rice and sambar as prashad and asked us to go inside the stupa.. and read one chapter of Sai Satcharitra authored by the devotee who constructed the Sai Stupa.. The space inside the stupa was fully charged with bliss and enamouring silence. There was a tent and two women were doing constant one lakh Sai Jaap day and night...

It was a memorable experience and a precious birthday gift from Sai, who summoned me there unexpectedly. I could read discomfort on the faces of those who accompanied me.. I didnt make any effort to explain them. But I thank them for fulfilling my stupid wish.

Recently, i came to know about the significance of the Stupa and the great devotee Ammula Sambasiva Rao, who constructed it .. through a blog penned by Lakshmana Rama .. My gratitude to this messenger of Sai... OM SAI RAM..

Blissful Experiences of Shibpur

( This post is not intended to glorify the healing powers of any human being but to share a brilliant experience i had with the blessings of Sai ma... unfortunately readers are asking me phone number of my friend instead of focussing upon Baba and his divine miracles ) . My request with folded hands please dont mail me for any phone numbers.

MIRACULOUS CALL OF BABA

I had a wish to visit Shibpur ever since i heard about it. I donated for the temple also. Same night Baba gave me darshan and i saw a remote village which i supposed was Shibpur only. Since this place is located in a politically sensitive and disturbed area with unstable law and order conditions, i was avoiding to go alone. I coaxed my friend Shama to accompany me however it didnt materialize. Nobody was ready to go with me ( as Baba said.. nobody can visit me till i call ).. and the wish remained submerged in my heart.

Last year was very bad for me healthwise. In September reached a point where i felt i needed a break. Applied for leave to visit Sai at Shirdi to recharge myself... but it was rejected twice. Dejected due to the state of affairs, i blamed Sai and fought with him ( i do that often ).. i challenged him .. '' i am not going to think of visiting you till you yourself call me.. you dont have a human form.. let me see how you will summon me ''.. i cried . In January i applied for leave to join my kids on their vacation... in my heart, i also wished to go to Shirdi.. i knew going to Shibpur was out of question.. Sai had already said '' onl those whom i consider MINE will visit me at Shibpur and not those who consider me as god.. ''. I was aware leave will be rejected this time and for all logical reasons.. two of my peers were on medical leave and there were no other choices who could assume my charge . I was pessimistic...
BUT THEN A STRANGE THING HAPPENED...
A friend, who is more of a Guru to me left a message in my inbox - i would like to accompany you to Shibpur. I could not believe my eyes - Sai's call .. was it ? was Sai speaking through HIM ? yes, he was.. it was an invitation from Sai to visit him at Shibpur.. an answer to my challenge... Baba can speak even though he left his mortal coil... what surprised me most was .. how did he know that i wished to visit Shibpur that too in January ? I asked him that - he replied that he felt like visiting that place .. but baba ( i address him as baba ) i am not getting leave, i informed him. He laughed and said your leave has been sanctioned and believe me we are going to Shibpur.. i saw this in my vision.. After two days, i was informed that my leave was sanctioned.. another surprise. Still i wanted to reassure myself that Sai actually wanted me to visit Shibpur and not Shirdi. In the evening, he asked me chutti mil gayi ?.... i said yes. So where are you going ? I am not sure.. i told. Okay wait till tomorrow, you will know, he said. Next evening, i told him.. i am not sure yet, you tell me what Sai wants... he said Shibpur chaliye... i was simply ecstatic... this was an honourable invitation and a more clear indication from Sai .. ( my ego was satisfied and anger subsided )... i was so happy... Sai fulfilled my wish to visit him at Shibpur that too with my Guru... he gave me more than i wished..



BABA GAVE ME DARSHAN IN DREAM

Before leaving home, i prayed to Sai - Baba my only wish is that you meet me in human form, put your hand on my head and bless me.. be with me through out.. i just want to meet you .. nothing else. Same night i saw a dream. I was standing in a crowded room and Sathya Sai Baba entered the room and walked straight towards me. I was dumbfounded. I asked him - Baba i called Sai .. did he send you instead ? He spoke nothing and gave a sly smile, put his hand on my head .. blessed me and walked out quietly. Next morning when i recalled the dream, i was stupified. Baba fulfilled my wish same day. Throughout my journey Baba's presence was felt.. a co-passenger had Sai bhajan as the dial tone and whenever his phone rang, i felt as if Sai was around.

SAI DEVOTEE MET ME IN TRAIN

In the evening, many local travellers boarded the compartment at Allahabad. They were sitting on the side seats and curtains of my side were drawn. I could hear there noise but kept reading Sai Satcharitra. After few minutes, a man came inside and sat on the seat in front of me. I took few minutes break and Sai Satcharitra was on the table. He asked my permission to see the book and i allowed. I noticed his interest in the book and smiled.. i was glad he was an ardent Sai devotee and let him read the book. After few minutes he started asking me about my experiences with Sai and i described them in detail. He was filled with bhakti bhaav for Sai and shared his own. Then, he requested me if he could take my Sai Satcharitra. I smiled .. i could have given him that happily if it was not a gift from Sai Mandir Chandigarh. I promised him that i would send him a copy by courrier soon. He gave me his address and phone number. After that he shifted his seat to other side where about five of his companions were gossipping.

I was very happy.. i had a wish before setting out on my journey to distribute Sai Satcharitra to true devotees of Baba... Sai fulfilled my this wish too... i was also wondering why out of those six passengers, only this person came inside and talked to me... obviously Sai vibrations pulled him towards me.

SAI RESCUED AT EVERY STEP AND GUIDED USWe set out for Shibpur around 4.30 pm. It was 15 km away from Bethuadhari. We enquired many people about the way.. it was confusing again.. there were two places by same name.. they asked .. which Shibpur ? we said Sai Temple ... locals feigned ignorance.. we are not aware of any such temple. I was shattered how come local villagers dont know... i was almost in tears.. we moved ahead.. an old man wearing white clothes and white beard was standing in front of a shop... for a moment i identified him with my Sai.. and requested driver to enquire from him.. He spoke to that old man and he guided us correctly.. go straight 12 kms and avoid talking to locals ( an inert warning ).. then you will reach Shibpur. Image of that old man still lingers in my mind.... due to his guidance, we could reach Shibpur... and later driver told me he was a muslim... somehow i felt some strong connection with him...
BLISSFULL DESTINATION
8th Feb, 2012.Throughout the way, i was disillusioned.. prayed.. oh Sai.. what kind of test is this.. people in your area dont know you whereas i came from so far to see you.. are you there or i was fooled by some enthusiastic devotees on internet... was that just a hype created through internet or anything existed at Shibpur.. i travelled for three days to see you... was my effort just a waste.... my heart cried and mind wandered...Finally we reached Shibpur .. all my doubts vanished the moment i set my foot inside the temple.. I felt a strange sense of peace as if no doubt and fear existed.

CHARACTERS OF SAI SATCHARITRA

Members of Temple Management were aware of our visit. They welcomed us whole-heartily and our hearts melted and responded to their pure love. Sujoy Mandal who spoke Hindi took us to visitor's room. He took us around the temple and apprised us of the miracles taking place in the area. His smile and enthusiasm was child like... he reminded me of Shama.. Baba's bhakt in Masjid at Shirdi. Then Manojit Biswas, an old man and few other members talked to us in the visitor's room. Sujoy asked us to wait till aarti was over.. we agreed.

The aarti was another memorable experience. It was pure love for Baba more than Bhakti.. the kind of love Meera had for lord Krishna.. pure devotion. Apparently, the remote area people lacked knowledge about the method of aarti done at Shirdi, still they did it in their own style in Bengali. I could see the person performing aarti Monty Ghosh in a trance. He wore orange robes and was dancing while his eyes closed .. reminded me of Mahalsapati during Baba's chawdi samaroh mentioned in Sai Satcharitra.

I would also like to make a special mention about the Secretary of the Temple Society. A calm and gentle soul. He was there throughout around us with a smile but could not interact with us due to language problem. All other Members were also present in the evening in the aarti and visitor's room.. all of them were good souls completely in communion with powerful Sai vibrations of that place. I have no doubt that they are reincarnations of characters of Sai Satcharitra who served Baba in his Masjid.

AMAZING EXPERIENCES DURING AARTI

Few minutes before aarti, me and my friend went into the main Sai Temple. I dont have words to express the feeling... powerful vibrations of Sai embraced us. I am a normal human being... so experienced them only in the peace that prevailed in the air and my mind... but he was a spiritually blessed person.. he shared with me later that .... Sai hugged him. He told me that he experienced such overwhelming emotions only two times before in his life - one was in Chatrapur Mandir and other in Vaishno Devi. He said he could not control his emotions and tears were flowing from his eyes. We both were convinced that devotees beliefs are true... Sai was very much present in Shibpur....

Aarti is performed at four places .. one at Main Temple, Dhuni Pace, Bade Baba Mandir and Temple where lot of other deities are installed ( pictures are already attached in the blog ). Sujoy asked us to follow them as they proceeded to all the temples for aarti and we did. Aarti started in Bade Baba Mandir.. again same vibrations engulfed me.. i felt a strong desire to offer the '' chanwar sewa '' ( it was a kind of hand fan with silk threads ) to Baba. I kept watching the priest doing that but after few moments could not stop myself. I went to Baba's main idol and stretched my hand before the priest quietly for the chanwar .. he smiled and handed it to me. I stood near Baba , closed my eyes and kept offering the chanwar sewa... i was not aware how long i did but after few minutes i gave it back to him and came back to my place. There were padukas of Baba which people were worshipping after completion of aarti formalities. I stood quietly letting others do that .. with an intent to see if he would bow down before Baba ( because he shared his experience of main temple later and i was unaware of his reaction... he told me again and again that he doesnt bow before anybody as he was a strong willed person who never accepts anyone as Guru ). I saw him going near Baba's Paduka's .. he bowed down whole heartedly.. i could feel... i was happy... for him... he found his Guru..

Then we moved ahead to next temple for aarti.. while walking downstairs i noticed my friend was walking in the opposite direction.. i found it strange but was aware that there was some reason. Aarti was taking place in the last temple where all deities were placed... i stood outside in the compound .. it was a wonderful scene.. it was twilight .. drumbeats accompanying aarti and big lamps .. the whole atmosphere was highly charged. I saw him, he was standing mesmerized and i could sense his happiness.. for the first time .. he came up to me.. overwhelmed with emotions.. he thanked me for bringing him to Sai.. he was almost crying.... he put his hand on my head and blessed....... I was happy this time not for him but myself... didn't i pray to Sai to bless by placing his hand on my head in human form .. the only wish i made before setting out on my journey... so here i got that in Shibpur.. in Baba's presence.

BABA'S SWEET MESSAGE TO US

After aarti Sujoy and others asked us to wait in the visitors room to take prashad and they also handed us visitors book to write our experiences. I promised them to write my feelings in detail instead of writing there.. my friend felt same.. it was impossible to write anything on that spot after what we experienced. Sujoy brought two quarter plates full of sweets alongwith a samosa. I dont eat sweets but i looked at the quantity of the prashad in wonder.. full quarter plate with sweets... :)) he prompted me to finish it soon.. and something else was going on in my mind... i finished them with great difficulty.. the samosa was tasty too.. very differant from what i tasted it at my place. The Rasgulla..it was yummy..
We took leave from them but they kept on insisting us to wait till night aarti. We wanted to stay till night but the warnings of the local people made us to rush back. While driving back we both were so happy.. an inexplicable feeling. I shared with him the thoughts that were running in my mind while eating that plate full of sweets ( honestly i never ate so many sweets in one go ever in my life )... i felt as if Baba said .. '' You fools give up all your negativity and imbibe this sweetness inside you ... didnt you doubt my existence and cursed my people all the way... so now give up those negative thoughts and be positive... i will fill you up with sweetness. leaving no space for bitterness.... be sweet to all henceforth ''.. he agreed and we had a hearty laugh over Baba's sweet message to cynical fools like us.

MORE WONDERS FOR ME

Baba revealed himself to me through my Guru I learnt this when he shared his experiences while driving back.
I was filled with awe and wonder when he said... he felt a cool breeze touching his arms all the time i was offering '' chawar sewa '' to Sai.. this was simply unbelievable.. he further said.. '' i closed my eyes in deep meditation and clearly saw some blessings going to you from Baba at the moment you were offering him sewa ''. I dont know how to elaborate my feelings on this... but apparently it was an indication from Sai that my service reached him and he paid me back in form of blessings... he was the medium to see and feel my Sai... obviously me medium to reach HIM... i was sure now i got my Guru.. i was seeking since so long....

He further told me that Sai had blessed him with more powers which he could sense. He said that while walking downstairs, he saw Sai clearing the path for him and therefore he walked back to hold him from doing that... what a blessed experience.. simply incredible... how could i witness this form of Sai if my friend was not with me... can we normal human beings ever think of such grace of Almighty... he does it but we cant see therefore blame him... i thanked Almighty .. my Sai again and again for revealing his benevolent form to me through him...



SAI FULFILLED TWO MORE WISHES AFTER TORMENTING ME FOR 2 HOURS
9th Feb, 2012

While having our dinner after Baba's darshan, i asked my friend... dont you feel that still something is left.. a strange feeling.. he agreed. I wanted to stay back on 9th Feb , thursday... Baba's day and his favourite number.. we were with him in his area but wont be able to visit him.. some gloom descended upon me.. but i had no choice.. my seat was reserved and i had to catch my train before 11.45 am on 9th feb.. it takes approx 5 hours from Shibpur to Kolkata. So we decided to leave for Kolkata in the morning at 5.30 .. we had 6 and half hours at our disposal which was more than enough.
Strange thing happened on the way.. there was a heavy trafic jam right from the point we started.. it was unbelievable, we could not reach 30 kms in 2 and half hours. I was tense. After 3 hours we could only reach Krishnanagar ( 30 kms from Shibpur ). We halted at a dhaba to have tea.. there was no space to move ahead.. all vehicles stuck in the jam. I told him now it was impossible to catch the train.. crossing barrackpore around 10 am was another tough task .. he gave me hope.. not to worry we could work out some alternative. I knew it was impossible.. decided in my heart not to worry and go back to Shibpur... to seek something that my heart felt was left behind.. while having tea, i told him some incidents from Sai Satcharitra.. where Baba held back devotees at Shirdi and they could leave the place only when he permitted. Nobody could leave Shirdi till Baba gave permission.. this is a known fact. I told him Baba doesnt want his ardent devotees to leave with unfulfilled desires. However, i was hesitant to suggest going back to Shibpur.. he would call me an idiot... i thought and kept quiet.
he asked the driver.. what to do now.. he said sir now i cant assure you anything. he looked at me for a moment and smiled.. let's go back to Shibpur.. I was so glad... he spelled out my wish.. we laughed a lot and asked the driver to take the reverse direction.. Tears came into my eyes and i cried like a child.. there was another challenge staring us.. how to reach our destinations... he wanted to go to Delhi and me Visakhapatnam.. both in differant directions.. somehow i was assured... confident that Baba would find a way... i was not worried anymore after witnessing this miracle of Sai..
We decided to visit Mayapur.. Navdeep Temple of ISCKON.. a wonderful place where you can expreience divine blessings of Lord Krishna. Sai gave us a wonderful opportunity to witness Madhyan aarti at Shibpur. he took me to main temple and asked me to close eyes and meditate. He sat beside me. After few moments , he touched the point between the eyebrows for few seconds and asked to continue... after few moments .. there was peace.. mind was free... saw some light rays filtering from a dark background for few minutes.. i opened my eyes... he was sitting besides facing me.. he asked .. what you saw.. i narrated my experience.. he said.. yes, light came to you but i put my hand between you and Sai.. that's why you saw filtered rays.. now you can meditate freely... this was another valuable gift from Sai...

We came out of the temple and the Temple people offered us Madhyan Prashad - Rice with potato curry, tomato chutney, badi and dal. I was eating calmly.. my friend looked at me and smiled.. your another wish fulfilled.. I said yes... i took a vow in last february not to eat rice ( my fav ) till this february and to break this vow only after visiting Shirdi. Sai knew about it and made a wonderful arrangement- i gave up my vow by taking rice as Sai's prashad on 9th which happened to be a thursday and in his miraculous temple...

Finally we sought their permission to leave and they gladly agreed. He said, now i took formal permission from Sai and his people.. he wont stop us now... Now nothing is left behind yeah.. yeah, i agreed... we were filled..

ADIEU

Now main issue was to get some reservation to reach home. We tried in Krishnanagar and nothing was available. he contacted some local people who also gave no hope but assured to try.. I was tense. He told me not to worry.. and closed his eyes... again Sai appeared in his vision and handed over two tickets... one for him and one for me. He smiled and said.. see Sai is with us.. within few minutes, he got a phone call.. our tickets were confirmed..

As we got close to reaching Kolkata.. i was again in tears.. i was crying quietly looking towards window.. he sensed the pain.. and again assured.. dont cry Sai is with us in this car... I cried out loudly... No Baba... i am feeling as if i left my father's home ... such was the feeling of leaving Shibpur...
om sai ram !!!

About Shibpur Temple and How to Reach There

 ( This post is not intended to glorify the healing powers of any human being but to share a brilliant experience i had with the blessings of Sai ma... unfortunately readers are asking me phone number of my friend instead of focussing upon Baba and his divine miracles ) . My request with folded hands please dont mail me for any phone numbers.


Wish Fulfilled

When Sai Baba summoned me to Shibpur , my joy knew no bounds. I was ecstatic. I immediately decided to do saptah Sai Satcharitra parayan and also flashed a message through various channels to contact all Sai devotees for taking their prayer requests to Baba. I had just 6 days time to make my own preparations and compiling prayer requests etc. Messages started pouring in... and .. they gave me new realization... so much pain is there in this world.. i was not the only one.. and mine was nothing when compared to those.. they humbled my pride and ego... why do i find fault's always ? why do i blame Baba all the time ? did i ever count my blessings ? am i negative thinker ? i decided to do saptah parayan for those devotees who were sending prayer requests instead of my own wishes... this resolution gave me peace. I started reading Sai Satcharitra on thursday and my visit to Shibpur was scheduled on wednesday.. seventh day.. when the parayan was supposed to conclude.. Baba planned it that way. Next day was Thursday and date was 9th february.. another number close to our Sai... i was thrilled.
Meanwhile i got confirmation of seats in Kalka express upto Kolkata with great difficulty.. the clerk at the counter told me.. so here you get the last two seats which were available ! as if they were reserved by Baba for me and my friend who was supposed to accompany me.

BLIND JOURNEY TO SHIBPUR SEEKING SAI

I dug out information from internet about the shortest route to Shibpur and available mode of transport. Information was there but nothing concrete was available. So we set out on our blind journey to Shibpur without any knowledge. We planned to go to Kolkata and find out the route further from Amit Biswas.
Here i would like to mention that before setting out on our journey,  I mailed to Tourism department of West Bengal for guidance and it found place in the trash. Amit told us to come to Krishnanagar. I requested him if he could arrange a taxi to and fro from Kolkata to Shibpur because we were from Himachal Pradesh and had no clue about West Bengal. He gladly agreed and quoted a hefty price of 5000 rs. I felt that was too much for covering about 150 kms. Distance between Kolkata and Shibpur is approximately this much. We also enquired about lodging facilities from Amit. He informed that there was a small lodge near Krishnanagar and nothing else was available in that area.

BABA'S HELP

However Baba came to our rescue. I got a phone call from my brother a day before i was supposed to leave for Kolkata. He was concerned for me because the Krishnanagar area was a politically sensitive, disturbed area with unstable law and order conditions. This is a remote and backward area almost bordering Bangladesh. Brother informed me that he had a friend in Kolkata and he could make transport arrangements for us to reach Krishnanagar. I was not very keen to travel in public transport so brother's friend arranged a taxi for 2 days that too at a reasonable amount of rs 3500...  We heaved a sigh of relief.

OUR ORDEAL BEGINS

We reached Howrah station at 10.30 am and our journey to Shibpur commenced. We asked Amit on telephone about lodging arrangement and the location of the temple again and again. His consistent advice throughout was to reach Krishnanagar and contact him. The stretch between Krishnanagar and Kolkata was less developed but certainly not backward. It was the highway that leads to Darjeeling and Siliguri, we were told by the driver. However the highway lacked good restaurants and other facilities. Small Bengali Dhabas were available though. Condition of roads was also not too good.

We reached Krishnanagar around 1.30 pm only to realize that lodge was available at Bethuadhari which was 30 km away from Krishnanagar. It was simply tiresome... travelling 30 kms more after 2 days train journey and 3 hours tedious car journey to Krishnanagar. We were very tired  We reached Bethuadhari, a small town with unhygenic conditions. A lodge named Utsav was recommended by Amit so we checked into it. Another lodge named Puja was also there but we ignored it and followed the advice of Amit. We reached our room at 2.45 pm and relaxed for a while. We were anxious to reach temple , have darshan and come back before late evening as advised by locals.. it was unsafe to roam around at night, they warned... moreover we were outsiders.. so it was more unsafe. Communal clashes, scuffles between ruling and opposition party workers were frequent, we were told. Loot and plunder incidents were also common, they informed us.

MY PREDICAMENT

We set out for Shibpur around 4.30 pm. It was 15 km away from Bethuadhari. We enquired many people about the way.. it was confusing again.. there were two places by same name.. they asked .. which Shibpur ? we said Sai Temple ... locals feigned ignorance.. we are not aware of any such temple. I was shattered how come local villagers dont know... i was almost in tears.. we moved ahead.. an old man wearing white clothes and white beard was standing in front of a shop... for a moment i identified him with my Sai.. and requested driver to enquire from him.. another major problem was people of that area are uneducated and poor.. they speak only Bengali. Thanks to Sai, our driver spoke Bengali fluently. He spoke to that old man and he guided us correctly.. go straight 12 kms and avoid talking to locals ( an inert warning ).. then you will reach Shibpur. We asked him about temple. He said i am living here since many years but never heard of any such temple. ..

I was disillusioned.. prayed.. oh Sai.. what kind of test is this.. people in your area dont know you whereas i came from so far to see you.. are you there or i was fooled by some enthusiastic devotees on internet... was that just a hype created through internet or anything existed at Shibpur.. i travelled for three days to see you... was my effort just a waste.... my heart cried and mind wandered...

BLISSFULL DESTINATION

Finally we reached Shibpur and a signboard - Sai Temple welcomed us.... we felt relieved.. temple was just few metres ahead.. all my doubts vanished the moment i set my foot inside the temple... Sai gave me wonderful experiences.. i shall write about those blissful moments in my next post because here i am just talking about Shibpur temple and how to reach here.

OBJECTIVE OF WRITING THIS POST

I faced an ordeal reaching this place due to lack of appropriate information therefore did lot of research to guide all the devotees who wish to visit Shibpur in future. People of this place lack education and exposure therefore they could not upload anything on internet.
MY HEART BLED TO SEE....



HOW TO REACH SHIBPUR

Now let me discuss about the easiest route to reach Shibpur and lodging facilities for those who come to this place for visiting Sai and getting some peace.

Devotees can catch a flight upto Kolkata or even by train. For those who can spend money.. they can take a taxi upto Shibpur which cant be more than rs 3000 in any case, i hired it at rs 3500 for two days( in 2011). There is no lodging arrangement upto Bethuadhari which is a very dirty place. Journey between Kolkata to Shibpur takes approx 5 hours but there are heavy traffic jams during early morning hours and night which can extend this to 7-8 hours. So do not plan to go back to Kolkata on same day.

Next day after lot of research we found out that there is a beautiful and famous Krishna Temple ( Navdeep Temple ) of ISCKON at Mayapur which is just 10 km from Krishnanagar. It is a divine place with amazing vibrations . The campus has good accomodation facilities. Even if you dont want to stay in the campus, there are lot of lodges and hotels outside the campus . The area is clean beautiful and peaceful.. worth visiting. There is good luxury bus service to this place from Kolkata. People who cant afford a taxi can conveniently catch a bus from Kolkata to Mayapur . Stay here and can hire a local conveyance or even taxi which wont be too costly to reach Shibpur.  Mayapur is only 10 kms away from Krishnanagar .. though on a differant route but much convenient and approachable for those having a conveyence ).

In internet there is information that you can reach Bethuadhari through local train and local autos ply upto Shibpur. I suggest dont even think of this.. the local auto is a very strange conveyance.. a big wooden plank fitted on a rikshaw manned or automated on which you can sit in a padmasan in the middle or sit on the corner with your legs down. However, for those devotees who cant spend much, local bus service is available from Kolkata upto Krishnanagar and from there they have to reach Bethuadhari . After that there is this strange so-called auto service which can be seen just here and nowhere else on this planet.

I TRIED TO PROVIDE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE TO DEVOTEES WHO WISH TO VISIT SHIBPUR... WHERE NO DOUBT ONE CAN FEEL BABA'S WONDERFUL VIBRATIONS AND CAN SEEK HIS GRACE... I SHALL WRITE ABOUT THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE OF SHIBPUR, THE PIOUS TEMPLE MANAGEMENT MEMBERS IN WHOM I SAW SHAMA, HEMADPANT, MAHALSAPATI AND ALL OTHER BLESSED ONES WHO SERVED BABA IN HIS MASJID..  SEEK FORGIVENESS OF ESTEEMED READERS WITH FOLDING HANDS FOR ANY ERRORS... OM SAI RAM !

P.S - IN CASE ANY DEVOTEE WANTS MORE INFORMATION THEY CAN WRITE TO ME ON MY EMAIL ID - maaya@saimail.com.

Shibpur Sai Temple

This is the main idol of Sai Baba at Shibpur.
















This is the room which houses the main idol of Sai Baba















This is the place where Baba's Dhuni ignites day and night.




















This idol is placed in the Dhuni room.















This idol was gifted by a devotee and placed in the main hall right in front of the main gate - they call him Bade Baba.




















This is the main hall view.



















This marble idol of Baba is placed under the neem tree and one feels as if Baba is meditating there in real.





















This is another hall on the right side of the main gate - Baba rests here during festivals when his main idol is taken out from the main temple. There is a hawan kund also in this hall.




















This structure is raised on the left side of the gate.



















This building houses idols of various deities . This is the first hall we see on the left side right after entering the gate.




















This is the only signboard you can find right from Krishnanagar to Shibpur. You can find this in Shibpur village.



















This board is in the lane where the temple is situated.