Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all Sai Devotees.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Gold Crown Offered To Baba At Shirdi
Aum Sai Ram
This Gold Crown is made of 640gram Gold with real Diamonds / Rubies Studded at the center in the form of the symbol OM, all at a cost of around Rs.12/- lakhs.
Together with this Gold Crown, Baba now has 10 such Gold crowns, all together worth approx Rs 1.25 crore and the total Gold collected with the Sansthan is worth Rs.45/- crore !!
On 04th Sept 2010,a Devotee from Bangalore Donated a Gold Crown to Baba at Shirdi.
Together with this Gold Crown, Baba now has 10 such Gold crowns, all together worth approx Rs 1.25 crore and the total Gold collected with the Sansthan is worth Rs.45/- crore !!
Shirdi Sai Baba Gyan Mandir, Gayathri Nagar, Moula Ali, Hyderabad
Aum Sai Ram
Later on I visited this Sai Baba Temple at Gayathri Nagar, Moula Ali. This temple is near to the Radhika Theatre Stop on the ECIL - A S Rao Nagar Road. As it was evening time, I went to temple such that i can attend the Dhoop Aarti at the temple. Aarti went on well & i was able to get the first glimpse of the temple very well.
After completion of the Aarti, I was lucky enough to meet the Founder & Trsutee Member Sri. Maheshwara Rao. He was eager enough to let me know about the brief history of the temple.
This temple has been built on a small hilllock like formation. It is on a elevated ground above a rock. Initially a Small Make Shift temple was opened to the Sai Devotees on 20th March 1996. A Small Statue of Baba made of Plaster of Paris was kept in the puja & Bhajans & special Aarti were conducted on Thursdays & Sundays.
In the year 1999, the temple started Laksha Deepa Archana Seva, where in Sai Devotees can place a Diya at the temple premises. It became a Instanst success & is continuing at present.
A Miracle took place during the Laksha Deepa Archana Seva in 2000. There was heavy rains in the evening & all the diya's with oil got wet. The Trustee & Other Sai Devotees were worried & were confused as to how to proceed further. Then a Old man came to one of the Trustee & asked for a Match Box to light the Diya. The Trustee thought that the man must be out of his mind & told him that all the diya's are wet & it won't light up.
Then the old man told that, when Sai Baba could light Diya with Water those days, cant he light the same here today. After hearing to the old man's words the trustee gave the match box. The old man successfully could light the Diya & after seeing this all the devotees starting lighting the Same. This had become a News head Lines during those days & people started coming in more no to visit the Temple & get the blessing of Sai Baba.
During 2002, The construction work of the present temple was completed & a Marble statue of Sai Baba was placed in the Newly constructed temple. At present the old Statue of Sai Baba has been placed in the Temple premises as the Trustee members are having some sentiments over the statue.
There is a Statue of Ganeshji & Dattatreya next to Sai Baba on both the Sides. A Panchaloha Statue of Naga Sai has been kept in front of the Marble Statue & used as Utsav Murthy.
Dwarakamai with Dhuni has been placed near to the entrance of the temple. The Samadhi Mandir is on the first floor. The ground floor has been kept empty & used as Kitchen & dining hall. Every thursdays & sundays prasadam is served to the devotees. Next to Sai Baba temple, there is a Gayathri mata temple, run by the Same trust. All the Rituals are followed according to Shringeri Shankara Mutt.
Statue of Sai Baba kept before the Arrival of Marble Statue.
Road Map to Temple.
On 2nd August 2010 i was at Hyderabad & i was lucky enough to visit 2 Sai Temples near to the place i stayed. The First temple i visited was
Sri Shirdi Saibaba Mandir. Saipuri Colony, Sainikpuri
Sri Shirdi Saibaba Mandir. Saipuri Colony, Sainikpuri
Later on I visited this Sai Baba Temple at Gayathri Nagar, Moula Ali. This temple is near to the Radhika Theatre Stop on the ECIL - A S Rao Nagar Road. As it was evening time, I went to temple such that i can attend the Dhoop Aarti at the temple. Aarti went on well & i was able to get the first glimpse of the temple very well.
After completion of the Aarti, I was lucky enough to meet the Founder & Trsutee Member Sri. Maheshwara Rao. He was eager enough to let me know about the brief history of the temple.
This temple has been built on a small hilllock like formation. It is on a elevated ground above a rock. Initially a Small Make Shift temple was opened to the Sai Devotees on 20th March 1996. A Small Statue of Baba made of Plaster of Paris was kept in the puja & Bhajans & special Aarti were conducted on Thursdays & Sundays.
In the year 1999, the temple started Laksha Deepa Archana Seva, where in Sai Devotees can place a Diya at the temple premises. It became a Instanst success & is continuing at present.
A Miracle took place during the Laksha Deepa Archana Seva in 2000. There was heavy rains in the evening & all the diya's with oil got wet. The Trustee & Other Sai Devotees were worried & were confused as to how to proceed further. Then a Old man came to one of the Trustee & asked for a Match Box to light the Diya. The Trustee thought that the man must be out of his mind & told him that all the diya's are wet & it won't light up.
Then the old man told that, when Sai Baba could light Diya with Water those days, cant he light the same here today. After hearing to the old man's words the trustee gave the match box. The old man successfully could light the Diya & after seeing this all the devotees starting lighting the Same. This had become a News head Lines during those days & people started coming in more no to visit the Temple & get the blessing of Sai Baba.
During 2002, The construction work of the present temple was completed & a Marble statue of Sai Baba was placed in the Newly constructed temple. At present the old Statue of Sai Baba has been placed in the Temple premises as the Trustee members are having some sentiments over the statue.
There is a Statue of Ganeshji & Dattatreya next to Sai Baba on both the Sides. A Panchaloha Statue of Naga Sai has been kept in front of the Marble Statue & used as Utsav Murthy.
Dwarakamai with Dhuni has been placed near to the entrance of the temple. The Samadhi Mandir is on the first floor. The ground floor has been kept empty & used as Kitchen & dining hall. Every thursdays & sundays prasadam is served to the devotees. Next to Sai Baba temple, there is a Gayathri mata temple, run by the Same trust. All the Rituals are followed according to Shringeri Shankara Mutt.
Statue of Sai Baba kept before the Arrival of Marble Statue.
Dwarakamai
Road Map to Temple.
Temple Address
Shri Gayathri Shirdi Sai Baba Seva Samithi
Shirdi Sai Baba Gyan Mandir.
Gayathri Nagar,
Moula Ali
Hyderabad : 500040
Phone No: 040 65990008
Contact Person
Mr. Maheshwar Rao
Founder & Trustee.
Cell: +91 93911 39845
Temple Timings
6:00am - 8:30pm
Aarti Timings
Kakad Aarti 6:30am
Chota Arati 9:30am
Noon Aarti 12:00pm
Dhoop Aarti 6.00pm
Shej Aarti 8:00pm
Shri Gayathri Shirdi Sai Baba Seva Samithi
Shirdi Sai Baba Gyan Mandir.
Gayathri Nagar,
Moula Ali
Hyderabad : 500040
Phone No: 040 65990008
Contact Person
Mr. Maheshwar Rao
Founder & Trustee.
Cell: +91 93911 39845
Temple Timings
6:00am - 8:30pm
Aarti Timings
Kakad Aarti 6:30am
Chota Arati 9:30am
Noon Aarti 12:00pm
Dhoop Aarti 6.00pm
Shej Aarti 8:00pm
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Making Of Sai Baba's Original Idol At Shirdi
Sai Baba's Statue in Shirdi, which has become the most mesmerizing divine image of Baba, was installed on 7th October 1954, Vijayadashami Day - 36 years after Baba's Mahasamadhi.
In 1952, a piece of a White Italian Marble had arrived from Italy at the Bombay Docks but for whom or why, nobody seemed to know anything about it. Thus, in the absence of a claimant, the dockyard authorities auctioned it off and the purchaser later offered it to the Shirdi Sai Sansthan.
Impressed by the quality of the Italian Marble, the Shirdi Sansthan planned to use it for an Idol of Sai Baba. So they gave Shri.Balaji Vasantrao Talim - a sculptor from Bombay, the humungous task of sculpting Baba's Idol. Meticulously, Shri.Balaji Talim got his tools 'made to order' from iron-smiths and carpenters and started off by first making a Model of Baba using Mud Clay.
But it was difficult for Shri.Balaji Talim to make the statue in its exact likeness
without the intricate details of the physical characteristic's of Baba's face,
to profile which he only had Baba's one black & white photograph.
Therefore, he prayed saying "If Sri Sai Baba gives me darshan while making His Statue, the Statue will be worthy & the devotees also will have feelings of devotion".
without the intricate details of the physical characteristic's of Baba's face,
to profile which he only had Baba's one black & white photograph.
Therefore, he prayed saying "If Sri Sai Baba gives me darshan while making His Statue, the Statue will be worthy & the devotees also will have feelings of devotion".
And sure enough one early morning, around 07:00 am when Shri.Balaji entered his Studio, he saw a bright light even before he could switch on the Lights. Baba had appeared in the Light and given Darshan to him in the studio itself.
Baba remarked on Talim's difficulties and showed him his Face from various angles, encouraging Talim to study it thoroughly and remember it well.
This gave Talim the fillip he needed and after that the work just flowed easily and the result exceeded all expectations. Shri.Balaji Talim testified about this to Sri Sai Narayan Baba, as to how Baba himself had directed the Sculpting of the Statue and how at every stage, he could very clearly hear the divine voice of Baba guiding him.
The Shirdi Sai Sansthan immediately approved this Mud Statue of Baba, on the basis of which the present Italian Marble Statue of Sai Baba was carved and installed in the Samadhi Shrine.
SHRI B.V.TALIM SCULPTING BABA'S IDOL
A MIRACLE
In 1954, while working with his workers at the finishing stages of Sculpting the almost ready Marble Statue of Sai Baba, Shri.Balaji Talim found an Air Pocket in a small additional portion below the Left Knee of Baba's Statue, which had to be removed.
It seemed dangerous, as in removing an Air Pocket from a Finished Statue, there was every risk of the entire portion coming down, thus leaving the Statue Khandit (Broken), which therefore could not be worshiped at all.
So the work stopped and Shri.Balaji Talim hesitated to strike and chisel out the additional portion. He feared that the entire Statue might get destroyed and all his labour & time would go waste. He became nervous and prayed to Baba, "Baba have mercy on me. Your Murti is ready. Please Baba have mercy on me." Just then he then heard a voice within saying "Balaji, Carry on".
So Balaji instructed his workers to carry on and chisel out the additional portion, but the workers refused to do so fearing that the entire knee portion would just drop out.
Eventually & quite nervously, Shri.Balaji Talim took the chisel & hammer himself and while praying "Baba, help me" gave a small stroke, touching the additional portion of the marble below the Left Knee. And to his great surprise, only the additional portion of the marble came down leaving the rest of Baba's Statue intact.
Seeing this, tears rolled down his eyes and he prostrated before Baba, started dancing and distributing sweets to all. As, he experienced such a wonderful miracle of Sai Baba.
The 5' 5" finished Idol of Sai Baba was taken throughout the village with pomp & ceremony. Baba's Idol was so Life like that devotees like Swami Sri Sai Saranananda & Laxmibai, who had personally been with Baba, felt as if Baba had come back alive in the form of his Idol.
Laxmibai Shinde
In 1954, while working with his workers at the finishing stages of Sculpting the almost ready Marble Statue of Sai Baba, Shri.Balaji Talim found an Air Pocket in a small additional portion below the Left Knee of Baba's Statue, which had to be removed.
It seemed dangerous, as in removing an Air Pocket from a Finished Statue, there was every risk of the entire portion coming down, thus leaving the Statue Khandit (Broken), which therefore could not be worshiped at all.
So the work stopped and Shri.Balaji Talim hesitated to strike and chisel out the additional portion. He feared that the entire Statue might get destroyed and all his labour & time would go waste. He became nervous and prayed to Baba, "Baba have mercy on me. Your Murti is ready. Please Baba have mercy on me." Just then he then heard a voice within saying "Balaji, Carry on".
So Balaji instructed his workers to carry on and chisel out the additional portion, but the workers refused to do so fearing that the entire knee portion would just drop out.
Eventually & quite nervously, Shri.Balaji Talim took the chisel & hammer himself and while praying "Baba, help me" gave a small stroke, touching the additional portion of the marble below the Left Knee. And to his great surprise, only the additional portion of the marble came down leaving the rest of Baba's Statue intact.
Seeing this, tears rolled down his eyes and he prostrated before Baba, started dancing and distributing sweets to all. As, he experienced such a wonderful miracle of Sai Baba.
The 5' 5" finished Idol of Sai Baba was taken throughout the village with pomp & ceremony. Baba's Idol was so Life like that devotees like Swami Sri Sai Saranananda & Laxmibai, who had personally been with Baba, felt as if Baba had come back alive in the form of his Idol.
Laxmibai Shinde
Swami Sri Sai Saranananda
On 7th October 1954, Vijayadasami Day, this life like Marble Statue of Sai Baba was installed on the platform of the Samadhi Shrine's western side behind Baba's Samadhi and the due formalities of Prana Pratistha were done by Swami Sri Sai Saranananda who had met Baba before His Mahasamadhi.At the time of preparation of Baba's Statue, one day Baba gave Darshan to Shri.Balaji Talim and said, "Finish the work and you will not do any other Idol in future."So Talim did not prepare any other Idol since then and finally at the age of 82 on 25th December 1970 he breathed his last.
THE FIRST ORIGINAL IDOL OF SAI BABA
Courtesy:
Rohit Behal, Mumbai
Rohit Behal, Mumbai
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