Devotee Gifts Diamond Studded Gold Crown At Shirdi

Sai Baba

Devotee Gifts Diamond Studded Gold Crown At Shirdi
August 25th, 2009

Nashik: A devotee has donated a diamond-studded gold crown worth Rs 1.3 crore to Sri Sai Baba temple in Shirdi through a ‘gupta daan’ (secret donation).

The union minister, Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh, and his wife, Vrushali Deshmukh, on Monday handed over the crown to the temple in the presence of Saibaba Sansthan’s chairperson Jayant Sasane, deputy chairman Shankarrao Kolhe and others.

However, on the request of the devotee, hailing from Mumbai, the Sansthan has kept the donor’s name a secret.

Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust also cancelled its decision to take Shri Saibaba’s ‘paduka’ (metal-slippers) to the US by its trustees following strong opposition from the villagers of Shirdi, Sansthan sources said on Tuesday.

Deccan Chronicle Reference

Sai Baba Temple Is Second Richest In India

Shirdi Sai Baba

Sai Baba Temple Is Second Richest In India

Kopargaon, Jan 09: The famous Shirdi Sai Baba shrine in Maharashtra has become the second richest in the country in terms of income after the Balaji temple in Tirupati, trustees said on Friday.

The temple has collected Rs 81 crore in cash, 920 kgs of gold and 440 kgs of silver in the form of donations during 2008, creating a record, Ashok Khambekar, a trustee of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, said.

The temple also collected a record amount of close to Rs four crore and fifteen lakh in its cash donation box between December 29, 2008 and January six, 2009, Khambekar said.

During 2007, about 104 kgs of gold, 235 kgs of silver and Rs 60 crore in cash was received by the temple through donations, he said.

The trust, which was formed in 1992, has an annual budget of Rs 200 crore which is used for development works such as construction of hospitals, new buildings and roads in and around Shirdi, Khambekar said adding a super speciality hospital and a ‘prasadalaya’ (dining hall) had already been constructed.

Bureau Report

Reference

94-kg Gold Throne For Sai Baba

Golden Throne At Shirdi Temple

94-kg Gold Throne For Sai Baba

Shirdi (Maharashtra) : Sri Sai Baba Sansthan at Shirdi – the town famous for Sai Baba’s temple – received an early morning bounty Thursday from two devotees.

Two brothers, Mahesh and Girish Reddy of Hyderabad, gifted the Sansthan a 94-kg gold throne costing a whopping Rs. 100 million.

It has been made by artisans in Bangalore for a five-and-half feet idol of Sai Baba, installed at the Sai Temple in Shirdi.

It was a challenge for the Reddys and the transporters to ferry the throne safely to Shirdi, located nearly 200 km from Pune.

The Reddys packed it in a bus, which was escorted by a fleet of 15 cars carrying gun-toting security personnel.

Jayant Sasane, director of Sri Sai Baba Sansthan, said the siblings, builders by profession, are Sai Baba devotees and have been visiting the temple town for the past 20 years.

During one such trip, they had sought Sai Baba’s blessings for a big contract which could bring them prosperity. They promised to install a special gold throne for the Sai Baba if they bagged the contract.

Apparently, Sai Baba fulfilled their wish and the Reddys called the Sansthan to tell them that they would keep their promise made to the Baba, Sasane told IANS.

“Incidentally, one-and-a-half years ago we had announced our plan for a gold throne for Sai Baba. Devotees had been donating for the cause and so far we have collected around Rs. 10 million,” Sasane said.

Some political parties suggested that the money meant for the throne should be used for victims of natural calamities.

“Last September, the Reddys called with their private offer to install the gold throne,” he said.

It will be installed Sunday (December 23), the day of Dutta Jayanti. The date is significant for millions of Sai Baba devotees around the world as he is considered an incarnation of Dutta Guru.

The throne is the second most generous donation that the Sansthan received in 2007. In June, one V.K. Ramani of Chennai donated Rs. 750 million, Sasane said.

Ramani, an IT professional, donated it for the construction of the sprawling Dutta Niwas. “It will cost almost Rs 10 billion. The money donated by Ramani will be used and the Sansthan will spend the rest,” Sasane added.

When completed, the Dutta Niwas will accommodate 15,000 devotees at a time, making it one of the largest congregation halls in the country.

Sai Baba Golden Throne