Gurusthan

Gurusthan, meaning place of the guru, marks the spot where Shirdi's villagers first saw Sai Baba as a sixteen year old ascetic seated in meditation under a neem tree. A small shrine here holds a portrait of Baba alongside a Shiva lingam and Nandi bull. The original neem tree still grows on the site, its leaves considered sacred, and devotees believe lighting incense here can ease ailments. It remains one of Shirdi's earliest and most revered stops.