President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday inaugurated the centenary year celebrations of Shri Saibaba samadhi in Shirdi, Maharashtra for which over 11 million pilgrims are expected from around the world.
“#PresidentKovind inaugurates Centenary Year celebrations of Samadhi of Shri Saibaba at Shirdi, Maharashtra,” the Office of the President of India tweeted.
“I congratulate the people of Shirdi and all the followers of Saibaba around the world on the centenary year of samadhi temple. In a country of faith and belief like ours, Sai baba attracts people from all religions, castes, creeds and communities,” Kovind said.
Earlier in the day, Kovind inaugurated the swank new Shirdi Airport in Ahmednagar and the inaugural Alliance Air commercial flight to Mumbai.
The small town in western Maharashtra is a world-famous pilgrim spot for the ‘samadhi’ temple of a 20th century saint, known as Saibaba, who is revered by all communities.
Developed by Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC), the airport is permitted initially for daytime operations by the DGCA and will slash the travel time between Mumbai and Shirdi, around 240 km apart, from six hours to barely 45 minutes.