Shirdi Sai Baba Temple
Shirdi Sai Baba Temple is one of the most visited place in Chennai and also in India. He was an esteemed saint of the 18th century. The stories about his origin and his teachings are of folk type. Narasimha Swami a lawyer and a spiritual follower of Shirdi Sai Baba built This temple. He used to worship a picture of Sai Baba under a tamarind tree in the exact location where the temple stands today. Due to some reason, the place of reverence had to be shifted to a house in Nanjunda Rao Colony. However soon Sai Baba’s picture came back to its original location.Most of the people says that this place acts as a best place to feel inner peace and serenity. Other Tourist spots in Chennai.
History of Shirdi Sai Baba Temple
The Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Mylapore was built by Narasimha Swami from Salem, a lawyer by profession and an ardent follower of Shirdi Sai Baba spiritually. He used to worship a picture of Sai Baba under a tamarind tree in the exact location where the temple stands today. Due to some reason, the place of reverence had to be shifted to a house in Nanjunda Rao Colony. However, soon Sai Baba's picture came back to its original location.
Narasimha Swami established the All India Sai Samaj in the 1940s. He started the magazine Sai Sudha in June 1940, where he talked about the stories and ideas of Sai Baba in his excellent writing. He went around the country preaching on Sai Baba's life, his teachings and his principles. He managed to propagate about Sai Baba wide and far and managed to gather quite a large following with his excellent oration. Later, he established the temple in 1952 with the help of a donation from his friend J.D. Pannalal, a merchant and made it the headquarters of his community – All India Sai Samaj.
This temple is one of the most revered establishments within the Sai community of India. In the beginning, it was the same picture that Swamiji worshipped that was put in the sanctum for all devotees to worship. However, in 1987, another devotee, Sri Muthu Venkatraman installed the beautiful white marble statue that now stands in the temple.
Architecture of Shirdi Sai Baba Temple
The temple of Sai Baba is made of striking white marble, with a golden arch on the wall of the shrine. The new idol of Sai Baba installed later is also made of white marble, which sits on a throne of sparkling silver. A huge picture of Sai Baba hangs right above the sanctum sanctorum. There are places segregated for the followers to sit or stand on both sides of the aisle that leads to the sanctum. The temple carries of Sai Baba's legacy, and as a remembrance, there is a fire which is said to be a part of the original flame that was lit by him at Shirdi. There are shrines of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna - the two epic reincarnations of Lord Vishnu. The temple also houses the final resting tomb of Narasimha Swamiji.
How To Reach Shirdi Sai Baba Temple
The Shirdi Sai Baba temple is in Mylapore, which is a very popular area of Chennai. The temple is well connected with buses, autos and cabs. If you are a non-Tamil speaking person and do not want to risk public transport, hire a car from the hotel and it will not take more than half an hour to reach from the heart of Chennai city.