Sai Baba’s Sandalwood Mandir
How a shared dream, a carefully carved shrine, and an unexpected portrait brought Sai Baba into the Tarkhad family’s home worship.
ShraddhaSaburiWorship6 min read
The chapter
As the Tarkhad family’s visits to Shirdi increased, Babasaheb and Jyotindra longed for a way to remain close to Baba while in Bandra. One morning, both dreamed of a beautiful carved Mandir with Baba seated inside it. When they compared their sketches, they found them remarkably alike.
They purchased sandalwood and commissioned an expert carpenter to create the shrine. The work took more than a year, and the finished Mandir was described as about nine feet tall. The family still needed a portrait of Baba to place inside it.
During a Friday visit to Chor Bazaar, a Muslim shopkeeper recognized Babasaheb and Jyotindra by the description given to him by an elderly saintly donor. The parcel contained a black-and-white portrait of Sai Baba in a wooden frame, and the frame fit the sandalwood Mandir without alteration.
The family consecrated the portrait and established a daily practice of worship, including sandalwood paste, a lamp, incense, and sugar offered as prasad. On a later visit to Dwarkamai, Baba told a devotee seeking a photograph to visit His “Bhau’s” home, where He was alive in the portrait in the Mandir.
What this account invites us to reflect on
The chapter connects Shraddha and Saburi with patient, loving practice. The family’s shared dream, long effort, unexpected delivery, and daily worship are remembered as signs that devotion can continue at home even when a devotee is away from Shirdi.
Editorial note: This page is a concise paraphrase for web presentation and does not reproduce the complete chapter. Please consult the original PDF for the full account and wording.