My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
I have been fortunate to have been able to visit Shirdi plenty of times. You can read about my experiences at
http://anushankarn.blogspot.com/2008/09/quick-trip-to-shirdi-and-shani.html
http://anushankarn.blogspot.com/2008/03/quick-trip-to-shirdi-and-shani.html
http://anushankarn.blogspot.com/2007/12/trip-on-diwali-from-shirdi-to-bordi.html
I will therefore not waste more words talking about the temple and my experiences.
This post is meant to be an update on the speedy darshan facility recently started at Shirdi during crowded weekends.
The temple authorities have opened a paid darshan facility during the weekends, to cope with the huge crowds at that time. To avail of these passes, one has to approach the guards at Gate No.1. They will direct you to the person issuing the passes. a limited number of passes are available each day, starting at 7AM, and the rates are as follows:
Only darshan : Rs. 100 per person
All aartis except kakad aarti: Rs. 200 per person
Kakad Aarti: Rs. 300 per person.
The passes for the Kakad aarti have to be collected the previous night.
Passes are issued only in person, and can not be collected for others. Some proof of ID is required, such as PAN card, Election ID, Driving license, etc.
Ours was, as usual, a hurried trip, and we attended the Kakad aarti standing in the queue, since we had no time to enquire about these passes. However, I was able to find out the required information for my father-in-law, who was able to buy a pass and had darshan in just a few minutes! So, please do use this information and have a wonderful darshan at Shirdi!
http://anushankarn.blogspot.com/2008/09/quick-trip-to-shirdi-and-shani.html
http://anushankarn.blogspot.com/2008/03/quick-trip-to-shirdi-and-shani.html
http://anushankarn.blogspot.com/2007/12/trip-on-diwali-from-shirdi-to-bordi.html
I will therefore not waste more words talking about the temple and my experiences.
This post is meant to be an update on the speedy darshan facility recently started at Shirdi during crowded weekends.
The temple authorities have opened a paid darshan facility during the weekends, to cope with the huge crowds at that time. To avail of these passes, one has to approach the guards at Gate No.1. They will direct you to the person issuing the passes. a limited number of passes are available each day, starting at 7AM, and the rates are as follows:
Only darshan : Rs. 100 per person
All aartis except kakad aarti: Rs. 200 per person
Kakad Aarti: Rs. 300 per person.
The passes for the Kakad aarti have to be collected the previous night.
Passes are issued only in person, and can not be collected for others. Some proof of ID is required, such as PAN card, Election ID, Driving license, etc.
Ours was, as usual, a hurried trip, and we attended the Kakad aarti standing in the queue, since we had no time to enquire about these passes. However, I was able to find out the required information for my father-in-law, who was able to buy a pass and had darshan in just a few minutes! So, please do use this information and have a wonderful darshan at Shirdi!
Thanks for the kind information. It will be very useful to pilgrims who visit the holy place for the first time
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the info Anu. I will pass it on to my relatives who visit there and will be useful for me too
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info.this is one temple i would like to visit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info.this is one temple i would like to visit.
ReplyDeletehi,this is ajay,
ReplyDeletei read your blog and i like it very much..
thanks for posrting such a wonderful aarati...
I am planning to visit shirdi temple for darshan of shree sai baba. For this I have booked shirdi tour package. Thanks
ReplyDeleteYou can book Room, Darshan, Aarathi via internet. This can be done even two days before. I had done recently. Dec 13. You have to registere your self with them
ReplyDelete