Saibaba is considered to be the epitome of spiritual enlightenment and religious harmony, who is believed to be a manifestation of God. He always preached people to follow the path of Shraddha (devotion) and Saburi (patience). According to him, Shraddha and Saburi were the supreme attributes to reach the state of godliness. He is worshipped by Hindus and Muslims alike. Some of his Hindu devotees believe that he was an incarnation of lord Shiva or Dattatreya. He spread the message of unity and brotherhood throughout world. He was the greatest saints ever born in India, who lived between 1838 and 1918, whose real name, birthplace and date of birth are not known. People found him under a tree in meditative posture. He attracted the villagers towards him and was reared by a muslim family. He lived in a mosque and after death his body was cremated in a temple. In the mosque, he started an ever-burning dhuni fire and distributed its udhi (ash) among his followers. This udhi was considered sacred and it had magical powers. 

It is believed that at a tender age of 16 years Saibaba arrived at the village of Shirdi, Maharashtra and remained their till his death. He found shelter in a mosque, (later this mosque came to be known as 'Dwarikamai') where a villager Mahalsapati addressed him as Sai or Saint. Saibaba lived an extremely simple and austere life; living in the village as a mendicant monk, and sleeping on the floor in a dilapidated mosque. He preached his principle of love and faith in humanity to all his disciples. His desciples included both Hindus and muslims, Saibaba became a great building force between them. He regularly recited Hindu and Muslim prayers. He was an Indian guru and fakir, who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim followers as a saint. He encouraged charity and simplicity. His sayings were oral, typically short, pithy rather than elaborate discourses. His most famous saying is “Sabka Malik Ek”.

Saibaba left no written records, his life and teachings are well documented in Sai Satcharitra by Shri Hemadpant in Marathi which was personally blessed by Shri Saibaba. Subsequently Sai Satcharitra has been translated into a number of different languages. The one in English is called Shri Sai Satcharitra by Shri Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji. His teachings are guiding his devotees to the path of salvation. Many religious teachers, groups and organizations promote his teachings. Among the most prominent is the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, which also takes care of the shrines and temples in Shirdi. 

Saibaba preached that there is only one God, who is the master of all the human beings. He strongly believed in uniformity of religion and he never distinguished anyone on the basis of caste, creed or religion. He performed many miracles to lessen the suffering of poor people. Today, the devotees of Saibaba are numberless in India and abroad. Shirdi, the village in Maharashtra, is the most popular pilgrimage of Saibaba. There are over 2,000 major Saibaba temples in different parts of India.All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India