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Satguru Sainathaya Namah

Contents Section 1 – About Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Section 2 – Shirdi Sai Sansthan & Trust, Shirdi, India Section 3 – Other Shirdi Sai Baba temples in USA Section 4 – Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW, Plano Texas Section 5 – Temple Construction Project

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW 2109 West Parker Road (Parker Plaza)

Suite 212, Plano Texas 75023 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 797354, Dallas Texas 75379

Tel: (469)467-3388, Email:maildrop@shirdisaidallas.org, http://www.shirdisaidallas.org

Section 1 About Sri Shirdi Sai Baba (Source: www.saibaba.org)

Who is Sai Baba of Shirdi

Long time ago, at the beginning of eighteenth century a young bearded man with sparkling eyes took shelter in a mosque, in Shirdi Village (of Maharshtra State, In India) . Nobody knew from where this stranger had come who hardly spoke a word and stayed there.

Gradually the curious villagers started offering food to the man, but he never asked anything from them. Sometimes he shared his food with the animals. Soon the young fakir, as he was started to be addressed, started expressing his view points with few elderly villagers. His simple language of expression and his special power of solving the problems of poor needy and destitute soon made this less known fakir, known as Shri Sai Baba. As the days passed, devotees started streaming into Shirdi in ever growing numbers. The village was fast

becoming a center of pilgrimage. As gifts and presentations flowed in, the pomp and ceremony of Sai worship were evolving. Everyday Sai Baba would be a pauper having distributed all among the needy and the poor. But Sai Baba's life of a Fakir remained calm, undisturbed, unaltered and therein is the saint's Spiritual glory.

People also realized that this "Baba" was no ordinary person but a person with extraordinary godly powers. Such powers are not known or present in normal human beings. Baba preached his principle of love and faith in humanity to all his disciples. He always felt anguished over the fact that all those who came to him were more for their own personal problems and not for attaining the ultimate goal of reaching God, which he felt, could be attained only by true servicing of humanity.

Sai baba strongly believed in uniformity of religion and he never distinguished anyone on the basis of caste, creed or religion. He always made it a point not to return empty handed those who had come to him in their hour of need and grief. He performed miracles to alleviate the suffering of poor people. On one occasion he restored the eyes of a blind elderly and in another occasion he lighted a lantern with water when there was no oil to burn it.

As all good things have to end ultimately "Baba" also left his body on his own will on 15th Oct. 1918, leaving his millions of believers and followers crying. His body was laid in the Samadhi Mandir called "Booty", which he had asked his disciple to build before his death.

Sai Baba was Unique, in that; he lived his message through the Essence of his Being. His life and relationship with the common man was his teaching. The immense Energy that was manifest in the body of Sai was moving and is still moving in a mysterious way, creating and recreating itself everywhere, beyond the comprehension of time and space. Yet, he lived with the common folk as a penniless fakir, wearing a torn kafni, sleeping over a mat while resting his head on a brick, begging for his food. He radiated a mysterious smile and a deep inward look, of a peace that passed all understanding. He was always and ever aware of what transpired within the hearts and minds of everyone, whether they be, His devotees or not. This Omnipresent and Omniscient Sri Sai Baba who left his mortal body in 1918, is the living spiritual force that is drawing people from all walks of life, from all parts of the world, into his fold, today. Sri Sai Baba lived, acted and behaved as only a "God descended on Earth" can. He came to serve mankind, to free them from the clutches of fear.

His most concise message for one and all alike was "Why fear when I am here". To take refuge in Sai, is to enter into a journey to reach the Divine Oasis of Love and drink deep from the Fountain of Life, the source of all Spiritual Energy. Wherever the devotee is, Baba makes him recognize within himself his highest aspirations and goal and at one stroke, his conduct and the attitude to fellow beings is touched with the awareness of love, understanding, patience and faith. This is the promise that Sri Sai Baba holds out to all who come to Him. Sri Sai Baba was beyond the limitations of Time and Space and thus caste, creed, position dogmas and doctrines were fundamentally unimportant to him. Nobody really knew his parentage, where he came from or which religion he practiced. He claimed no possessions nor accepted any disciples or gave any specific teaching.

This anonymity lent a strange facet to his interaction with the people who came to him for guidance. To the Hindus he was an orthodox Brahmin, with a sacred fire, enjoining the worship of many gods and the devout study of various Hindu scriptures. He lived in a mosque but always referred to it as "Dwarkamay!" (Lord Krishna's birthplace is Dwaraka). To the Moslems he was a fakir living in a mosque observing the disciplines of Islam, uttering "Allah Malik" (God is the

master) guiding Muslim seekers along the lines c)f their own religion. To the Parsis he was the sacred fire worshipper. His life was a living manifestation c)f the Sermon of the Christ and of the Eight-fold path of the Buddha.

Sai Baba's attraction and appeal lie in this fact that he was a perfect model of the harmony of all religions, for which this world - with all its sectarian and religious antagonism, had been waiting. Sai Baba lived to awaken and lead mankind to the varieties of spiritual life. He set in motion a wave of spirituality, which is now spreading all over the globe. All his life's activities constituted the up liftment of mankind. By first conferring temporal benefits, he drew unto himself countless souls caught up in ignorance (darkness) and opened their eyes to the true meaning of life. The miracles which manifested through Sai Baba were just such as were needed to create faith in the people and to make his devotees ethically and spiritually better evolved. Baba did not purposefully perform miracles to show his powers. The very strength of his perfect realization, in its interaction with nature, caused "the miracle" to take place. Thus he drew people from their deluded pursuits after earthly objects of a transitory nature and induced and inspired them to strive for self-realization. He continued this glorious work until the last moment of his human embodiment in Shirdi.

Amazingly, there are a phenomenally large number of Instances in which Sai Baba has been literally physically appearing before his devotees, even decades after his passing out of the physical body. Sai Baba is constantly and simultaneously proving that he Is alive in spirit and responds to our sincere prayers. He Is the One Spirit of all existence, which is God in all the forms of God, in all the saints, in all the men and in all the creatures. All those who sincerely take to a life of inner development, Sai Baba lifts him to a higher level. Every one derives benefit according to the ripeness of his soul and in accordance with his inner yearning. Baba assured his devotees by his saying "I am at Shirdi and everywhere. Whatever you do, wherever you may be, ever bear this in mind, that I am always aware of everything". Sai Baba does not belong to any single

tradition but to all mankind on the path of goodness, love and understanding.

The relevance of Sai Baba today

The divine role of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi in the present embodiment covered a period of about 64 years between 1854, when He made his first appearance in Shirdi, and 1918 when he left His body. However, his sixty years of stay at Shirdi on his second appearance between 1858 and 1918 manifested the depth and expansiveness of his unique role. India was in a cross - road of cultural and religious mix. The Mughal Empire was vanishing and the British Empire was establishing itself. Western culture and Christianity were slowly entering into the mainstream of Indian life. Religious and cultural intolerance were raising their ugly heads in the Post Sepoy-Mutiny Scenario of India. It could not have been possible for any leader or statesman to bring about harmony among the divergent religious, cultural groups in such a situation. It was only a God in human form that could dare and accomplish the task of bringing unity between the different religious and social groups. Shri Sai baba had large number of Hindu, Parsee and Muslim devotees. Christians and Sikhs also used to visit Him.

All were treated by him alike. Under his umbrella, both the Hindus and Muslims happily took part in each others religious festivals. The caste scheme of the Hindus had no relevance with Shri Sai. He had introduced the tradition of group worship, group prayer and group dinning for all and would share his 'Chilum' (Tobacco pipe) with all. He even showed highest compassion for animals and birds and encouraged his devotees to feed and take care of them. He recognized no difference in temporal status of human beings. He refused to accept food brought in silver and gold utensils from a queen but relished a single ROTI (hand-made bread) of a beggar woman and showered all His blessings. - He practiced and preached humanism and universal brotherhood - prophet like. - He established the superiority of love and compassion above egoism - Christ-like. - He taught simplicity of livelihood and excellence of human virtue reflected in day to day conduct, Buddha-like.

Today, the world is looking ahead for a magical solution to its problems of cultural, racial, national and religious differentiation. All intellectual exercises to bring about peace in -the world and happiness to mankind has failed for these efforts are not based on humanism, universalism and love as taught by Shri Sai. The ever multiplying number of Sai temples and devotees of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba in India and other countries establishes the ever- increasing relevance of His Preachings today. Jesus as an human embodiment is gone but the spirit of Jesus remains. The body of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi cannot be seen but all those who merely think of Him and particularly, those who visit His tomb at Shirdi feel the magnetic pull of His Divine Soul. Baba had promised that whosoever would put his feet on the soil of Shirdi, his miseries would end or marginalize.

Faith is based on Shirdi Sai Baba’s 11 Assurances/Teachings

1. Whoever puts his feet on Shirdi soil, his sufferings would come to an end 2. The wretched and miserable would rise into plenty of joy and happiness, as soon as they climb

the steps of My Dwarakamai 3. I shall be ever active and vigorous even after leaving this earthly body 4. My tomb shall bless and speak to the needs of my devotees 5. I shall be active and vigorous even from the tomb 6. My mortal remains would speak from the tomb 7. I am ever living to help and guide all who come to Me, who surrender to Me and who seek refuge in

Me 8. If you look to Me, I will look to you 9. If you cast your burden on Me, I shall surely bear it 10. If you seek My advice and help, it shall be given to you at once 11. There shall be no want in the house of My devotees

Significance of Sai Satcharitra

• This is the first and foremost book based on the life-story of Shri Sai Baba, which was originally composed in Marathi verse form. The writing of the book started in the lifetime of Baba with his blessings.

• The Hindi translation of this book is in simple Hindi language, which can be understood even by a common man.

• The divine truth imparted by this book is even greater than the knowledge contained in the Vedas and Geeta, because all the characters and events in it are real and authentic as also recorded in details by many devotees.

• Because of the expression in simple Hindi it is easy even for every one to comprehend it. Today there are very few people who can understand Sanskrit language properly and absorb the meaning and substance easily.

• The spiritual essence contained in all the religious scriptures like Vedas, Geeta, Yoga Vashisht is found in the life-story of Shri Sainath.

• The concepts on God and spirituality are explained in such a simple yet comprehensive manner in 'Shri Sai Satcharitra' that no additional book, or commentary etc. is required to understand it. It has a natural flow of which the readers starts feeling as if they had been closely associated with its events in their past life.

• I may mention here that the glory of Shri Sai is spreading in the world, far and wide, in such an amazing way that detailed information at the web sites on Internet about Shri Sai and 'Shri Sai Satcharitra' is available for interested readers.

• The foremost duty of a Sai devotee is therefore to read 'Shri Sai Satcharitra' and absorb it by heart if possible. The more they read this book, the more it will bring them closer to Baba and all their doubts and apprehensions will be cleared.

• It also has been experienced that during crisis if any devotee is searching for an answer, if he randomly opens of 'Shri Sai Satcharitra' praying Baba sincerely and with faith his answer can be found in that open page.

• Many people have got their desired benefits after reading 'Shri Sai Satcharitra' for a week in a parayana form.

Section 2

Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi – India Source: http://www.shirdisaibabasansthan.org

Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi, is the Governing and Administrative body of Shri Saibaba's Samadhi Temple and all others temples in this premises, and devoted towards development of Shirdi village. Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi, is the authorised body to control and manage the day-to-day activities at the Shri Saibaba Samadhi Temple. It also provides various facilities like accommodation, lunch (at economical rates), refreshments, railway reservations, and lot

more.The Sansthan Trust also runs Kanya Shala(Girls School) and English Medium School, Hospital, Blood Bank, Industrial Training Institute (I. T. I.),Drinking Water supply, etc. The Sansthan Trust also participates in the development of Shirdi Village. Recently Sansthan Trust has paid Rupees 15 Lacs, for the development of Drinking Water Scheme for Shirdi Village. Temple Complex:

The temple premises of Shri Saibaba is spread in approximately 200 sq. mtrs. It is situated in the heart of Shirdi village and is a major center of pilgrims from all over the world.

On an average, daily 25,000 devotees visit Shirdi village, to have the Darshan of Shri Saibaba. In the festival season, more than 1,00,000 devotees visit the Temple everyday. The Temple premises is renovated in the year 1998-99 and now is equipped with all necessary facilities like Darshan Lane, Prasadalay (Lunch and Dinner), Donation Counters, Prasad Counters, Canteen, Railway Reservation Counter, Book Stall etc. The accommodation facilities are also provided by the Sansthan.

Samadhi Mandir Baba has promised, “I shall be active and vigorous even from the tomb,” and it is perhaps in the Mandir that we can most fully experience the phenomenon of Sai Baba and the remarkable way he has touched the hearts and lives of millions of people from all over the globe. Baba’s omniscient presence is felt when one has Baba’s glance, when one sits at Baba’s feet . Ardent Devotion At any given point, the shrine temple is full of devotees eagerly queuing up to have Baba’s darshan. People carry flowers, garlands, sweets, or fruit to offer Baba at his Samadhi. Some may have personal items- such as a shawl, book, key to new possession, etc, for which they want to get Baba’s blessing by offering it at his feet and having it touch his tomb. “Sri Satchidananda Sadguru Sainath Maharaj ki Jai !” (Hail the great Sadguru, Lord Sai, who is being-consciousness-bliss!) is the chant on the lips of most of His devotees while most others may sing bhajan or whisper prayers. At busy times, especially during festivals, the queue for darshan used to stretch for hundreds of meters along the village streets, though the recently constructed Queue Complex has changed this. People may wait up to eight hours just for the opportunity to pay brief homage to their Lord. The atmosphere of fervent and one-pointed devotion reaches its zenith here.

“Attention one and all!” commands the noon arati psalm, “Come, come quickly and make obeisance to Sai Baba!” This is exactly what the devotees are hastening to do, and to be part of this torrent of emotion is a powerful experience. In this form, thousands of people a day are able to take Baba’s darshan and pay their homage to Him. Gurusthan Gurusthan means “place of the Guru”. It is both where Baba spent most of his time when he first came to Shirdi, and also where, according to Baba, the tomb of his own Guru is located by the neem tree. Gurusthan is therefore one of the most important places in Shirdi.. From underneath the NEEM tree there is an underground tunnel or passage leading to the place of Dwarkamai as told by an old lady. The first thing that catches the devotee’s eye at Gurusthan is the huge neem tree. This tree gave shelter to Baba for a few years when he stayed beneath it. Neem has many medicinal properties, though its leaves are notoriously bitter. However, some people once reported that the leaves of one of the branches tested sweet. For them it was a sign of Baba’s grace; others see it as evidence of the tree’s exceptional sanctity. Dwarakamai Arriving at the mosque for the first time, you may be rather surprised. Was this simple, unadorned structure really the home of “God on earth?” Was this really the centre from which so many miraculous events sprang? Could such a modest building have been the scene of the highest spiritual instruction that flowed forth in almost as many different forms as the number of visitors seeking it? With its corrugated iron roof and rough stone walls, the mosque could never be described as grand. Yet, in spite of this – or rather, because of this – it seems to have suited Baba very well. Describing himself as a simple fakir, Baba was a model of dispassion and holy poverty. His personal possessions amounted to little more than a few pieces of cloth, some chillim pipes, a stick, a begging bowl, and a change of kafni – and not even always that. Whenever his devotees wanted to refurnish the mosque, Baba resisted and said that it was not necessary, although basic repair work was gradually carried out. Chavadi Though apparently and formally Baba used to go to the Chavadi. In his super conscious state he was never asleep and used to tell his devotees that in his everlasting awareness (consciousness) he will always protect his devotees who were asleep at night. Chavadi means “village office”, and was the place where taxes were collected, village records kept and visiting officials put up. After Baba’s mahasamadhi the Sansthan acquired Chavadi, and until the late 1930s, used it for storing books and accommodating pilgrims. The village offices have long been relocated and Chavadi is kept as a shrine to Baba and is open to all. Sai Baba is intimately connected with this place, as he used to sleep here on alternate nights, during the last decade of his life. The routine was started on one wild and stormy night, around 1909. It was raining heavily, and water was coming through the leaky walls of the mosque. The devotees tried their best to persuade Baba to move out, if only until the water had subsided, but Baba did not want to go. Eventually, they virtually forced him to leave, by picking him up and half-carrying him to Chavadi. From that day onwards, Baba would spend alternate nights here.

Architecture of Sai Temple in Shirdi

Initially, Gopalrao wanted to enshrine an idol of Murlidhar (Shree Krishna) inside the temple. However, Sai Baba himself became Murlidhar and later, his idol was enshrined here. After Baba left for the heavenly abode, his samadhi was built inside the premises of the temple. Shree Saibaba Mandir of Shirdi has been built with stone, while the samadhi has been constructed using white marble. Surrounding the samadhi is a railing, also of white marble and wholly adorned with ornamental decorations.

There are two silver pillars, ornamented with exquisite designs, just in front of the samadhi. Behind it is a life-sized idol of Sai Baba, made of Italian marble, in which he is shown, seated on a throne. The beautiful idol was sculpted by late Shri Balaji Vasant and was enshrined inside the temple in October 1954. Providing shade to the statue is an open, silver umbrella. There is an assembly hall in front of the Shri Sai Baba Temple, with a capacity of 600 devotees. Inside this hall are showcased various things that were once used by Sai Baba.

For further details, please visit the Shirdi Sai Sansthan website at: http://shrisaibabasansthan.org/new_eng%20template_shirdi/shirdi/templecomplex.html

Section 3

Other Shirdi Sai Baba Temples in USA

1. Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Monroeville, PA – Source: http://www.baba.org Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Pittsburgh was initiated in 1979 under the divine guidance of Sri Shrdi Sai Baba to Srimati Mahalakshmi & Sri Pandurang Rao Malaya. It was fully operational from July 25 1985. The municipality of Monroeville approved the buildings on 1449 and 1451 Abers Creek Road, currently the home of the temple. Temple Philosophy The Temple Philosophy is best summed up as “Love All, Sever All. Help Ever, Hurt Never”. People of all faiths are welcome at Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, as there is only one religion, the religion of love. Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple provides programs to develop peace, truth, love and bliss. The Temple Promotes SATYA(Truth),DHARMA(Righteous),PREMA(Divine love),SHANTI(Peace),AHIMSA(Non-violence).

2. Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir, Chicago, IL – Source: http://www.saimandir.org

Sai Samsthan USA, a not-for-profit organization was formed and incorporated in the State of Illinois on February 25, 1997. In July 1997, the Internal Revenue Service issued a determination letter that recognized the organization as exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Sai Samsthan USA is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes. The primary objective of Sai Samsthan USA is to establish Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir in the metropolitan Chicago and facilitate worship services similar to Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir in Shirdi, India. Other objectives of the organization include charitable activities such as medical aid to the indigent, relief to people affected by natural calamities, organize shelters to the homeless, feeding of the destitute (annadaana); translate, print, publish or distribute books, periodicals and literatures to promote the goals and objectives of the organization; to promote Baba's philosophy, sponsor or support religious, spiritual, cultural, educational or charitable activities or organizations in the United States or abroad.

3. Shri Shirdi Sai Sansthan, Montebello, CA – Source: http://www.shirdisaila.org Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan LA is an amazing organization that came into existence in less than 4months of conceiving the idea of bringing Sai Baba to LA area. It is believed to be truly miraculous how fast paced the developments took place culminating with first Sai Baba temple in Southern California on January 21st, 2007. Ever since that auspicious day, the number of devotees visiting the temple grew by leaps and bounds. This miracle is possible only because of the overwhelming devotion displayed by the Sai devotees, volunteers and donors. The temple is in existence because of the devotees who visit regularly in large numbers participating in the religious activities. It is primarily the Sai devotion that translated the idea into a full-fledged temple for Sai Baba. The day-to-day activities in the temple are sustained by community participation of volunteers. They are to support puja, decoration of temple, maintenance of temple surroundings, organizing major events, fund-raising, communication to devotees, financial support, accounting, development and maintenance of web-site and devotee database etc. One of the primary supports for the temple is obviously financial support. Every single dollar that is donated is extremely important to the temple for its sustenance. There has been overwhelming contribution to the temple fund by numerous donors so far this year. The

Sansthan would like to extend heartfelt thanks and blessings from Sai Baba to the donors for being part of the devotional experience of Sai Baba, each individual in their own unique way.

4. Sri Saibaba Mandir, Minneapolis, MN – Source: http://www.hamaresai.org Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, Inc aka Sri Saibaba Mandir is a non-profit organization established as a center for prayers, worship and celebrating and sharing Sadguru's message and invoking His blessings for the betterment of our lives, materially and spiritually. Shirdi Saibaba Prayer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota is Free and open to anyone that is interested in sharing and learning about Sai philosophy with an intent to further Sai message.

5. Shirdi Sai Florida Center, Inverness, FL – Source: http://www.shirdiusa.org The Florida Shirdi Sai center was inspired by Late Dr. K.V. Raghava Rao guru, also known as Raoji. The center was established in 1997 under the sponsorship of Raoji’s disciples, Drs. Ratna Devi and Purnachandra Yerneni of Louisiana. The original Temple was set in a rented barn in Inverness, Florida. Inverness is a small town in central Florida, with a very few families of Indian decent. This location was chosen due to the premonition of Dr. Ratna Devi Yerneni as she was guided to Inverness by Sai Baba. The members of the local community began to participate in the Temple activities and management in early 2000. The Yernenis, together with a team of community devotees, began planning the permanent facilities for the Temple. The Yernenis donated land just South of where the original temple was located. The Temple was moved to this property in 2002. It was temporarily established in a double wide mobile home. The center began to attract devotees from all parts of Florida as it was the only Shirdi Sai Temple in the state. With constant involvement and management from several local devotees, the plans to construct a large center began to take shape.

6. North America Shirdi Sai temple of Atlanta, Suwannee, GA http://www.templeofpeace.org Our main mission is to promote the philosophy of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba. NASSTA is organized exclusively for furthering charitable, religious and educational causes. To conduct charitable activities such as medical aid, relief to people affected by natural calamities, organize shelters to the homeless, annadaana (feeding) to the destitute. To translate, print, publish or distribute books, periodicals and literatures to promote the goals and objectives of the organization. To sponsor or support religious, spiritual, cultural, educational or charitable activities or organizations in the United States or abroad. OUR VISION: The primary objective of NASSTA is to establish and sustain the Shirdi Sai Temple in Atlanta, GA and facilitate worship services similar to Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir in Shirdi, India. The long term plans include development of its picturesque 13.2 acres in Suwanee, GA comprising Baba's mandir, staff quarters , multi-purpose hall and meditation center for use of devotees.

7. Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Austin, TX – Source: http://www.saiaustin.org

The Sai Austin Temple in Cedar Park, Texas promotes global harmony through prayers, feeding the hungry, and service to others. Sai Baba's teachings advocate feeding the poor, helping others, and selfless giving for personal spiritual growth. The Temple is open to all people from all backgrounds and faiths. The Temple engages in Sandwich Seva - making 700 sandwiches per week to feed the homeless in downtown Austin. Volunteers are welcome to help every Sunday (9-10 am) and Wednesday (8-9 am) mornings. Feeding the poor (Anna Danam) in India is sponsored quarterly in several locations, where thousands of free meals are given every year in India.

8. Shirdi Sai Jalaram Mandir, Houston, TX – Source: http://www.babamandir.org Shirdi Sai Jalaram Mandir (SSJM) is a non-profit organization incorporated in July 2002 in the state of Texas. The aim of this religious organization is to provide spiritual service activities related to the promotion of philosophy of two spiritual giants of India:

Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi, a great mystic and God Realized person who lived in India early 20th Century. Sri Jalaram Bapa of Virpur in Gujarat. Through this religious center, we intend to reach several people who also believe and practice their philosophy of human love and spirituality that would directly improve our understanding and promote world peace. Our ultimate goal is that each of us enriches our lives through spiritual living and promotes communal peace.

9. Shirdi Sai Temple Chicago, Hampshire, IL – Source: http://www.dwarakamaishirdi.org

Section 4 About the Shrdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW, Plano, Texas – Source: http://www.shirdisaidallas.org Sri Shirdi Sai Baba temple of DFW was created with the aim of serving as a Sarva Dharma place of worship that promotes the spiritual teachings of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba. The temple inauguration ceremony was held on the 20th of November 2004 and was attended by well over a hundred devotees. You will find it very interesting to know that the temple is situated next to a church, which is situated next to a Muslim place of worship, truly exemplifying Baba’s Sarva Dharma principle. Also just like “Dwarakamai”, the place where Baba is presently situated, used to be a mosque earlier. Location Sri Shirdi Sai Baba temple of DFW is a non-profit organization registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The temple is located at 2109 W Parker Road on the northwest corner of Custer and Parker road in Plano Texas, 75023. The facility accommodates approximately 299 people and provides a place of worship to all devotees of Shridi Sai Baba in the form of Daily Prayers (Arathi), Weekly Sessions (Satcharitra Reading, Vishnu Sahasranamam Chanting) and Monthly Services (Sathyanarayana Puja, Pada Puja, Abhishekam etc.). Other special events (Maha Shivarathri, Ugadi, Ramanavami, etc) are also celebrated at the temple. Our Mission

• To provide a place of worship for the devotees of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba

• To follow the spiritual teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba through Sai Satchartira

• To sponsor or support religious, cultural, educational, charitable activities, or organizations in United States and around the world.

Our Vision

• To expand and build a larger temple in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and to facilitate worship and services based on Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi, India.

Temple Timings Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 5:00am ~ 6:00am, 12:00noon ~ 1:00pm, 3:30pm ~ 9:30pm Thursday 5:00am ~ 1:30pm, 3:30pm to 9:30pm Saturday & Sundays 5:00am ~ 9:30pm Temple Services – Aarti Timings

Kakad Arathi – 5:15am (Morning aarti

Madhyana Arathi – 12:00noon (Afternon aarti)

Dhoop Arathi – 6:15pm (Evening aarti)

Shej Arathi – 9:00pm (Night aarti)

Regular Scheduled Events

Thursdays – 7:30pm Sai Bhajans

Saturdays – 11:00am Vishnusahasranamam Chanting

Sundays – 7:00pm Sai Satcharitra Parayanam

First Thursday – 7:00am Baba Pada Puja & Abhishekam

First Tuesday – 7:30pm Lalita Sahasranamam Chanting

2nd Saturday – 7:00pm Satsang & Bhajans

Every Purnima – TBD Sathyanarayana Pujs & Katha

Every month – TBD Sankatahara Chaturthi Puja

* Please check website for updates

Yearly Festivals Celebrated

New Year Jan 1 Sankranthi/Pongal January (Typical, date depends on panchangam) Maha Shivarathri February/March (Typical, date depends on panchangam) Ugadi March/April (Typical, date depends on panchangam) Rama Navami April (Typical, date depends on panchangam) Vishukani (Tamil new Year) April (Typical, date depends on panchangam) Guru Pournima July (Typical, date depends on panchangam) Gokul Ashtami August (Typical, date depends on panchangam) Ganesh Chathurthi September (typical, date depends on panchangam) Sai Punyathithi October (On 10th day of Navarathri) Navrathri October (Typical, date depends on panchangam) Diwali Oct/Nov (Typical, date depends on panchangam) Sri Datta Jayanthi December (Typical, date depends on panchangam)

Temple Guidelines – Updated Revised: 01 January 2014

1. PLEASE MAINTAIN “SILENCE” AT ALL THE TIMES & REFRAIN FROM DISRUPTION TO

ANY TEMPLE ACTIVITY. Follow temple volunteer instructions at all times.

2. Please seek consent from the volunteer on duty prior to assisting in any temple duties/activities.

3. Pets are not allowed inside the temple.

4. Please place your footwear properly in the shoe rack. Do not leave shoes outside or near the entrance.

5. Please clean your hands with sanitizer prior to entering the Mandir.

6. Please adhere to appropriate dress code at all times.

o No shorts for men and boys, No short skirts for women and girls, No specific restriction for kids.

7. Please put all donations in hundi (cash/check). All checks are payable to “Sri Shirdi Sai Baba

Temple of DFW”.

8. Please do not bring uncooked food as offering unless it is for annadhan/food pantry (includes lentils, rice, oil, ghee…). Cooked prasadam will be accepted at all times. Refrain from bringing leftover or offered food to the temple.

9. Do not remove any CD’s/Tape’s from the temple.

10. Please leave the books back in the library shelf after reading. Do not remove from the temple.

11. Please return aarti books/sheets after use. An English version is available from the temple if needed.

12. Do not post or write anything on the main notice boards. This is for “Temple Use Only”.

13. Please contact the board of directors if you want to donate something. This includes dress & alankar items for Baba.

14. Please do not eat past the center curtains with mats on the floor in the mandir area. Please use the other side (214).

15. Please avoid using cell phones inside the temple as it could disrupt devotees/activity.

16. Baba’s darshan closes after Shej aarti. Baba pradakshina will be closed at 9pm.

17. For suggestions and comments, please use “Suggestion Box” located in the temple near the main notice board.

18. Distribution of flyers or pamphlets of other outside organizations is strictly prohibited.

19. Posting on the notice board located near the shoe rack is limited to non-profit or charitable organizations. All other community related postings should be reviewed and approved by the board prior to posting. However, the temple does not endorse any such postings on this notice board.

20. Temple premises can be used by its devotees for religious purposes only and requires prior approval of the board. It should not conflict with any existing or future temple activities. A separate set of guidelines for “private use” of temple premises should be followed. You may bring pictures/idols/posters to the temple for use during such sessions and must be removed from the temple on conclusion of the event. All such events will be held on the 214 side.

21. Please refrain from bringing any old used pictures/idols/posters to the temple for disposition.

22. The temple venue shall not be used to conduct business, publicity, and/or outside organizational meetings.

23. Solicitation of any kind inside the temple premises is strictly prohibited. This includes selling and distribution of any printed materials, books, CD’s, cassettes and collection of donation/dues, phone numbers/email addresses not related to the temple.

24. All temple events as deemed necessary by the board will take precedence over all other activities at all times.

25. The temple board reserves the right to change/modify/revise these guidelines with or without prior notice.

Temple Membership

The Temple shall have two classes of members as set forth herein, more specifically Annual Members and Life Members. The duration of an Annual Members’ membership is for a single calendar year, and expires on the last day of the year. Membership in this Temple shall consist of all persons who have met the qualifications of a particular class of membership of the Temple and are listed on the membership roll. Candidates for membership shall be presented to the Board of Directors for consideration. After fulfillment of the conditions of either class of membership, the members shall have all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of a member of the Temple. The Board of Directors may adopt and amend application procedures for membership in the Temple. Qualifications for Membership: (a) The minimum qualifications for membership are as follows:

(i) Members must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. (ii) Devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba. (iii) Completion of each calendar year’s membership application form. (iv) Support of the Mission-Vision of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW. (v) Payment in full of membership dues as recommended. (vi) Attendance of General Body Meetings either in person or by proxy. (vii) Volunteer to serve the Temple. (viii) Agreement to abide by the bylaws of the Temple. (ix) Approval of the membership application form by the Board of Directors.

Membership identification will only be issued upon payment in full of the membership dues and acceptance and approval of the membership application by the Board of Directors. If a membership application is rejected by the Board of Directors, the applicant’s fees will be refunded in full. (b) Annual Member Rights and Responsibilities - Annual members may participate and vote in all General Meetings of the Membership. Annual Members have the right to vote on the election of the Board of Directors and changes to the Bylaws of the Temple. Annual Members must pay the applicable Annual Member fee on a yearly basis. (c) Life Member Rights and Responsibilities - Life Members must pay Life Member fee as established by the Board of Directors. The fee must only be paid one time by the Life Member, and no further fees are required from the Life Member. Life Members must agree to abide by the Temple’s membership covenant. The names of Life Members will be added to the Sankalpa List during the four (4) major festivals celebrated in the temple (Ramanavami, Guru Purnima, Sai Punyathithi, and Temple Anniversary). Life Members are the only members eligible to serve on the Board of Directors or to serve as an officer of the Temple. Life Members have the right to vote on the election of the Board of Directors and changes to the Bylaws of the Temple.

How to become a member

• Download the Membership Form from the website http://www.shirdisaidallas.org

• Fill-out the form indicating Annual or Life membership.

• Send the form back by email (maildrop@shirdisaidallas.org) or drop it in the temple office.

Temple Board of Directors (2014)

Director Anil Ramagiri 214-725-0718 (Cell)

Director Basvi Reddy Ayuluri 214-597-3356 (Cell)

Director Gopal Narra 214-293-7317(Cell)

Director Jayanth Ramani 469-585-4275 (Cell)

Director Sreenivasa Reddy Palagiri 972-639-7742 (Cell)

Director Sreenivasa Reddy Munagala 972-375-7929(Cell)

Director TJ Singh 972-310-1943(Cell)

Director Vidyasagar R Yarramalla 972-836-7989 (Cell)

Director Vinay Thirunagari 214-621-9630(Cell)

Mailing Address Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW P.O.Box 797354 Dallas, TX 75379-7354 Temple Phone Number: (469) 467-3388 Email: maildrop@shirdisaidallas.org

Reach Other Devotees

If you have joined shirdisaidallas group already, you can post messages to other members by using the following address: shirdisaidallas@yahoogroups.com

Section 5 Temple Construction Project

Purpose: Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW has grown quickly over the past several years and we are looking to expand to a bigger location and create a permanent place of worship for the devotees of Shirdi Sai Baba. In order to fulfill this mission, the temple had started the initial search back in 2009 for a suitable property in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A new temple will be built based on a similar

footprint of the Shirdi Sai Baba temple in Shirdi, Maharastra, India. The temple will have a multi building layout with a main mandir, Gurusthan, Chavadi, Dwarakamai accompanied by kitchen/prasadam hall, parking lot, classrooms, bhajan/meditation hall, storage area and landscape per city requirement. New Temple Site Location On 18th August 2011, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of DFW purchased 5.61ac in preparation for the construction of the new temple in Plano. The property is located at 2699 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, Texas. It is adjacent to Republic Title and opposite to Dell building on Plano Parkway. Temple Conceptual Design We plan to build a total of 43,854 sq-ft grand design concept constructed over several phases. Currently we are working on the 1st Phase of construction plan, which is proposed to begin in Q4 2014 with a tentative completion scheduled for Q4 2015. Phase 1 Move-In Design Plan For phase 1, we are planning to build a total of 16,792 sq-ft consisting of basement and 1st floor.

Project Timeline - Tentative Master Concept Design --- Completed 2013 Architect Selection --- Completed 2013 Phase 1 move-in plan --- Completed 2013 Secure Bank Loan LOI --- Completed 2013 Baba Idol Sculpting --- Started Q1 2014 Detailed Design Drawings --- Q3 2014 Architectural, MEP Drawings --- Q3 2014 GC Qualification & Selection --- Q3 2014 GC Contract Execution --- Q3 2014 City Permit Approval --- Q3 2014 Begin Construction --- Q4 2014 Baba Idol Sculpting & Arrival in DFW --- Q4 2014 Complete Construction --- Q3 2015 City Final Inspection & COO --- early Q4 2015 Move-in and start Operation --- Q4 2015