Shirdi to Shani Shingnapur

I am going to Shirdi to the Sai Baba Mandir, and I have recently found out that Shani Shingnapur is not too far from there and I should also go there as well.

I would like some help in finding out how I can reach Shani Shingnapur from Shirdi and how long it would take to reach the destination?

 

Hello, welcome to the forum!

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Overview

Shirdi, home of the Sai Baba Mandir, is about 74 kilometres away from the Shani Shingnapur Temple. The Shani Shingnapur Temple is dedicated to Lord Shani, the deity for the planet of Saturn. It is a unique temple in that the sanctum is located amidst an open area. According to a local myth, Lord Shani's idol here emerged from the Panasnala River and the deity even appeared in the dream of the head shepherd, telling him that the idol shouldn't be covered under any roofing. This serves two purposes, first is because the whole skies is the roof of the Lord Shani and second is so that the deity can guard over the village without any interference. In contrast to the Sai Baba Mandir, the whole Shani Shingnapur Temple exudes a simple ambience though the spirituality is still there. In this guide, we would highlight the best ways of reaching the Shani Shingnapur Temple from Shirdi.

How to Reach Shani Shingnapur from Shirdi (Economical Options Only)

There are various ways of reaching the Shani Shingnapur Temple from Shirdi. You can opt to go via your own vehicle or via public transport but this guide would be more on the latter. Since the small village of Shani Shingnapur is directly connected by road to Shirdi, there won't be any issues at all. Depending on the means of transportation, travel duration is around two hours, more or less.

1. By MSRTC Bus - The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation operates some buses running from Shirdi to Shani Shingnapur. These buses are of various types, from day ordinary, to ordinary express and to night express. These buses don't originate from Shirdi though, they come from other originating cities such as Nasik, Yeola, Malegaon and Manmad. There are buses all throughout the day as well so you can plan your trip accordingly. They leave from the State Transport Bus Stop of Shirdi, just a few metres from the Sai Baba Mandir.

↪ MSRTC Bus Timings from Shirdi to Shani Shingnapur ↩

Bus Number	Bus Type	Origin City	Terminating City	Origin Station Departure Time
Bus No. 1	Night Express	Pandharpur	Nagpur	6:00
Bus No. 2	Ordinary Express	Pandharpur	Katol	6:00
Bus No. 3	Night Express	Pandharpur	Nagpur	6:02
Bus No. 4	Night Express	Pandharpur	Nagpur	7:00
Bus No. 5	Day Ordinary	Yeola	Shani Shingnapur	7:00
Bus No. 6	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	7:00
Bus No. 7	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	8:00
Bus No. 8	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	8:05
Bus No. 9	Day Ordinary	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	8:30
Bus No. 10	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	9:30
Bus No. 11	Ordinary Express	Saoner	Pandharpur	10:00
Bus No. 12	Ordinary Express	Nandgaon	Bhagawangad Temple	11:30
Bus No. 13	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Bhagawangad Temple	13:00
Bus No. 14	Day Ordinary	Nasik	Shani Shingnapur	13:15
Bus No. 15	Day Ordinary	Malegaon	Mohotadevi Ghat Mhata	15:00
Bus No. 16	Day Ordinary	Nasik	Shani Shingnapur	15:00
Bus No. 17	Ordinary Express	Triambak	Shani Shingnapur	15:00
Bus No. 18	Day Ordinary	Malegaon	Shani Shingnapur	15:15
Bus No. 19	Day Ordinary	Manmad	Shani Shingnapur	15:30
Bus No. 20	Day Ordinary	Lasalgaon	Shani Shingnapur	16:00
Bus No. 21	Day Ordinary	Malegaon	Shani Shingnapur	16:15
Bus No. 22	Day Ordinary	Nasik	Shani Shingnapur	20:00

The table above highlights all of the buses reaching or passing through Shani Shingnapur which are all operated by MSRTC. The earliest bus departs from Shirdi at around 6:00 in the morning while the latest bus departs at around 20:00 in the evening. There are buses every hour or so departing from Shirdi so the frequency is quite good. Journey is around two hours, more or less. Fares weren't depicted in the MSRTC website but since this is a government venture, the rates would be very minimal. You can register at the MSRTC website for further information about these buses.

2. By Train + By MSRTC Bus (Option A) - Your first option for train journey is to reach the Rahuri Railway Station from Shirdi. As you might have known, Shirdi already has its own railway station, the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station. Now the nearest railway station to Shani Shingnapur is the Rahuri Railway Station, just around 25 kilometres to its west. There is one direct daily train from Shirdi to Rahuri, which departs around the late afternoon from the former station and reaches the latter in around 1 hour and 30 minutes.

↪ Train Timing From Shirdi to Rahuri ↩

Train Name & Number	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Journey Duration	Schedule
Sainagar Shirdi Mumbai CST Fast Passenger Train No. 51034	16:10	17:43	1 Hour and 33 Minutes	Daily

The table above showcases the schedule of the Sainagar Shirdi Mumbai CST Fast Passenger Train No. 51034. It departs from Shirdi at around 16:10 in the afternoon and arrives at around 17:43 in Rahuli. The train has daily schedules though it can be a bit troublesome if you arrive too late at Shirdi during peak weekends. Fare rates are very minimal at just Rs. 15 for General Seating, Rs. 100 for Sleeper Class and Rs. 490 for Third AC Class. You can book this train from the official website of IRCTC or from any other train booking site.

From the Rahuri Railway Station, you can ride an auto rickshaw or taxi to reach the MSRTC Rahuri Bus Station. From there, you can find direct buses to Shani Shingnapur operated by the MSRTC. Some of these buses originate from Rahuri but others have different originating stations as well. But you can find buses every hour or so making your journey a bit easier.

↪ MSRTC Bus Timings from Rahuri to Shani Shingnapur ↩

Bus Number	Bus Type	Origin City	Terminating City	Origin Station Departure Time
Bus No. 1	Ordinary Express	Raver	Shani Shingnapur	00:00
Bus No. 2	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	7:00
Bus No. 3	Day Ordinary	Yeola	Shani Shingnapur	7:00
Bus No. 4	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	7:00
Bus No. 5	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	7:30
Bus No. 6	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	7:35
Bus No. 7	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	8:00
Bus No. 8	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	8:05
Bus No. 9	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	8:30
Bus No. 10	Day Ordinary	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	8:30
Bus No. 11	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Shani Shingnapur	9:30
Bus No. 12	Ordinary Express	Raver	Shani Shingnapur	10:00
Bus No. 13	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	10:00
Bus No. 14	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	10:15
Bus No. 15	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	10:30
Bus No. 16	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	11:15
Bus No. 17	Ordinary Express	Nandgaon	Bhagawangad Temple	11:30
Bus No. 18	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	11:45
Bus No. 19	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	12:30
Bus No. 20	Ordinary Express	Nasik CBS	Bhagawangad Temple	13:00
Bus No. 21	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	13:00
Bus No. 22	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	13:15
Bus No. 23	Day Ordinary	Nasik	Shani Shingnapur	13:15
Bus No. 24	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	13:20
Bus No. 25	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	13:30
Bus No. 26	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	13:35
Bus No. 27	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	15:00
Bus No. 28	Day Ordinary	Malegaon	Mohotadevi Ghat Mhata	15:00
Bus No. 29	Ordinary Express	Triambak	Shani Shingnapur	15:00
Bus No. 30	Day Ordinary	Nasik	Shani Shingnapur	15:00
Bus No. 31	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	15:15
Bus No. 32	Day Ordinary	Malegaon	Shani Shingnapur	15:15
Bus No. 33	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	15:30
Bus No. 34	Day Ordinary	Manmad	Shani Shingnapur	15:30
Bus No. 35	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	15:45
Bus No. 36	Day Ordinary	Lasalgaon	Shani Shingnapur	16:00
Bus No. 37	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	16:00
Bus No. 38	Day Ordinary	Malegaon	Shani Shingnapur	16:15
Bus No. 39	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	16:30
Bus No. 40	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	17:30
Bus No. 41	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	18:30
Bus No. 42	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	19:00
Bus No. 43	Day Ordinary	Nasik	Shani Shingnapur	20:00
Bus No. 44	Day Ordinary	Rahuri	Ghodegaon	20:00

These are all the buses running from Rahuri to Shani Shingnapur. The earliest bus departs at 00:00 but if you would rather leave when there's daylight, then the earliest bus for you would be departing at around 7:00 in the morning. The latest bus departs at around 20:00 from Rahuri. Fare structures were also not highlighted in the MSRTC website but you can reach it for further information or for ticket reservation.

3. By Train + By MSRTC Bus (Option B) - Your next option is to reach the Ahmadnagar Railway Station from Shirdi. The advantage of this route is that there are more options for trains that run all throughout the day. In road distance though, the Shani Shingnapur is about 43 kilometres away from the Ahmadnagar Railway Station. Thus, your journey would be a bit longer for this route, but if you can't make it to the train mentioned in the second option, then this is your best option.

↪ Train Timings From Shirdi to Ahmadnagar ↩

Train Name & Number	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Journey Duration	Schedule
Sainagar Shirdi Pandharpur Express Train No. 11001	5:00	6:48	1 Hour and 48 Minutes	Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays
Sainagar Shirdi Chennai Central Weekly SF Express Train No. 22602	8:25	10:12	1 Hour and 47 Minutes	Fridays
Sainagar Shirdi Mumbai CST Fast Passenger Train No. 51034	16:10	17:43	2 Hours and 15 Minutes	Daily
Sainagar Shirdi Mysuru Weekly Express Train No. 16218	23:55	2:10	2 Hours and 15 Minutes	Tuesdays

These are all the trains running from the Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station to the Ahmadnagar Railway Station. The earliest train departs at 5:00 while the latest train departs at 23:55. Journey duration varies but it's between 1 hour and 47 minutes to 2 hours and 15 minutes. Not all trains have daily schedules so make sure you plan accordingly. You can refer to the table below for the fare structures of the different trains.

↪ Fares for Trains From Shirdi to Ahmadnagar ↩

Train Name & Number	General Seating	Sleeper	Third AC	Second AC
Sainagar Shirdi Pandharpur Express Train No. 11001	Rs. 48	-	-	-
Sainagar Shirdi Chennai Central Weekly SF Express Train No. 22602	Rs. 63	Rs. 170	Rs. 540	Rs. 740
Sainagar Shirdi Mumbai CST Fast Passenger Train No. 51034	Rs. 25	Rs. 100	Rs. 490	-
Sainagar Shirdi Mysuru Weekly Express Train No. 16218	Rs. 48	Rs. 140	Rs. 490	Rs. 695

From Ahmadnagar Railway Station, the MSRTC Main ST Stand is under two kilometres away. You can ride an auto rickshaw or taxi to reach the bus stand from where you can get the buses for Shani Shingnapur. Now the problem is that there are only two early morning buses that depart from this bus stand to Shani Shingnapur. So if you cannot fit them into your schedule, then just ride a cab from Ahmadnagar to Shani Shingnapur. Again, these buses are operated by the MSRTC.

↪ MSRTC Bus Timings from Ahmadnagar to Shani Shingnapur ↩

Bus Number	Bus Type	Originating City	Terminating City	Origin Station Departure Time
Bus No. 1	Ordinary Express	Pandharpur	Saoner	8:00
Bus No. 2	Day Ordinary	Pandharpur	Katol	10:00

So the two buses depart from Ahmadnagar at around 8:00 and 10:00. If you want to make it any of these timings, you have to choose the Sainagar Shirdi Pandharpur Express Train No. 11001. You can go to the MSRTC website for further information about these buses. It takes around an hour for these buses to reach Shani Shingnapur from Ahmadnagar.

4. By Shared Tempo - Your last option is to ride a shared tempo from Shirdi to Shani Shingnapur. There are many of these types of vehicles outside the Sai Baba Mandir. You can negotiate the price, if you're part of a group and you want to rent the entire vehicle. But you can also just wait for the vehicle to be filled by other passengers. You would only be paying Rs. 150 per head or even less. However, the ride can be very bumpy and is away from the main highway. You would be instead taken to the village route where you can enjoy the village and field views. The journey can take around two hours, more or less. For the timings of these shared tempos, they vary depending on the rush of pilgrims during that day. So during slow days, it would take a few hours for the ride to commence as the drivers would wait for passengers to make the journey more cost-effective for them.

Conclusion

This ends our guide on your economical travel options from Shirdi to Shani Shingnapur. If you want a direct journey, you can opt for the MSRTC buses that leave from the Shirdi State Transport Bus Stop and arrive directly at Shani Shingnapur. If you want train journey, you can opt to reach either the Rahuli Railway Station or the Ahmadnagar Railway Station. But be prepared as the journey won't be direct, you would need to combine the trip with bus journey. Your last practical option is by shared tempo, which is very affordable but a bit on the uncomfortable side.

I hope this helps you!