When I used to stay in Punjagutta area, through some hostel mates I came to know about this temple and then onwards, used to visit it regularly.
Highlights:
- Idol: Baba’s idol is very close to the Shirdi’s samadhi statue and there’s lot of divinity in it. One can feel the connectedness with the Lord and positive vibrations from the idol and also the premises. I get refreshed and feel very good whenever I visit this place.
- The founders and the trust members of this temple have been maintaining it very well. All the harathis are held with great focus and immense faith. Thursday evenings are a major highlight, with bhajan, pallaki seva etc. The premises is very clean and although the area gets jammed on peak days, still its controlled well.
- Ladies and Gents follow separate queues. For devotees in urgency, they can take the queues but the ones who wish to be immersed in the eternal pleasure of watching Sai Baba, they can use the middle area, sit and enjoy the view of the Lord. Some people do parayanams, write chantings etc.
- The ground floor has meditation hall and is very calm and good to find peace and spend time with oneself. There are nice illustrations of Baba’s life portrayed on the walls. The dhuni and padhuka’s are also not to be missed on one side of the mandir.
- There’s a free library and a medical facility and many charity works happen regularly at the premises. Some computer courses are also taught here for free. I’ve the dream of contributing to this as a trainer. All the good things are posted on the notice board for easy tracking.
- This is a very good place to do pooja for a new vehicle etc.
Lowlights:
- The chappal stand service is good but becomes chaotic when there are many devotees. The people working in it used to ask money for the service although it was meant to be free. This was the case few years back not sure about the current status.
- Parking is a problem as the temple is in a prime location with not much empty space around the temple. The roads to the temple are also narrow, adding to the worries of four wheelers.
Sidelights:
- Address: The temple is situated in Dwarakapuri Colony in Punjagutta. There are multiple ways to locate this temple:
1) Himalaya Book Depot beside lane.
2) While going from Central towards NIMS/Khairatabad, first right after Masjid on the right side.
3) While coming from Nagarjuna Hills to Banjara Hills No. 1, first left.
Just reach Hyderabad Central/Punjagutta Police Station junction and inquire about this place. People should be able to guide you.
- Many celebrities frequent this place. Some are living/working around this area:
– Tollywood’s top Writer and Director, Trivikram Srinivas’s once residence (during struggling days) and his current work location (lucky mascot) is very near to this place.
– Tollywood’s famous Music Director Koti’s office is behind this mandir.
– Also heard that Tollywood’s legendary director Dasari Narayana Rao’s house/office is near this temple.
Final Words:
If you are a Sai Baba’s devotee then its a must visit temple. It helps enhance your bond with the Almighty. It’s definitely Hyderabad’s Shirdi !