| Shirdi (शिर्डी) | |
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| Country |  India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District(s) | Ahmednagar |
| Population | 26,169 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 504 m (1,654 ft) |
Coordinates: 19°46′N 74°29′E / 19.77°N 74.48°E
Shirdi (Marathi: शिर्डी) is a town and falls under the jurisdiction of municipal council located in Rahata Tahasil in Ahmednagar District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located at 19°46′N 74°29′E / 19.77°N 74.48°E. Shirdi is accessible via the Ahmednagar - Manmad State Highway No.10, approximately 83 km from Ahmednagar and 15 km from Kopargaon. It is located 185 km east of the Western Seashore line (the Ahmednagar - Manmad road), which is a very busy route. Shirdi is best known as the late 19th century home of the popular guru Shirdi Sai Baba.
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Transportation
Shirdi is located approximately 296 km from Mumbai in India. Private Airlines are available from Mumbai to Shirdi. Shirdi now has a new railway station called Sainagar Shirdi, which became operational in March 2009. Currently, one daily train, the Shirdi Fast Passenger, connects Shirdi railway station to Mumbai CST. Trains also run from Manmad station which is 83 km from the heart of Shirdi, alternatively from Kopargaon station which is 12 km from Shirdi, or Nashik city, which is 119 km from Shirdi or Nagarsol. Daund railway station is 200 km from Shirdi. Buses and taxis ply from these railway stations and locations to and from Shirdi. Shirdi can be reached by bus from any of the following cities in Maharashtra State (India): Mumbai, Pune, Vashi, Panvel, Thane, Nashik, Akaluj, Dhule, Nagpur and Aurangabad. Bus tickets can now be booked online for Shirdi at redBus. Currently, four-laning of State highway Nagar-Manmad highway is in progress on BOT basis and should be completed by Mid-2010. A new bypass is also been built so people don't have to travel through Shirdi and rahata. Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has been assigned to execute the works of internal roads in Shirdi. Soon, Shirdi will have its own airport by 2012. It is to be located at Kakdi, some 14 km towards south-east of Shirdi. Land acquisition is in progress for the airport work.
Geography
Shirdi is located at 19°46′N 74°29′E / 19.77°N 74.48°E.[1] It has an average elevation of 504 metres (1653 feet).
Demographics
As of the 2001 India census, the population of Shirdi stood at 26,169. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Shirdi has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 76%, and female literacy is 62%. In Shirdi, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age. [2]. But, Shirdi being a pilgrimage centre, it also has a large amount of floating population. On any given day some 25,000 devotees come for darshan. On holidays the number reaches to about half a million people. Due to easy availability of jobs, a lot of migrant population, mainly of unskilled labourers from UP, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh etc. also reside here. They are not part of any census.
References
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Shirdi
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved on 2008-11-01.
External links
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