Shirdi Aarti Timings — Kakad, Madhyan, Dhoop & Shej Schedule (2026)

Shirdi's Samadhi Mandir runs four aartis a day: Kakad at 5:15 am, Madhyan at 12:00 noon, Dhoop at sunset, and Shej at 10:00 pm, according to the Sansthan's current daily programme. Dhoop is the only one whose clock time moves, because it follows the sun, and it is the one most Yatris mistime.

Here is the full schedule, what changes on Thursdays and festival nights, and how the seated aarti pass works.

🕰️ The four aartis and the daily programme

The Shree Saibaba Sansthan Trust publishes a fixed daily programme for the Samadhi Mandir. These are the times to plan around.

Older guides still print Kakad at 4:30 am and Shej at 10:30 pm. Those were earlier schedules. If you are planning a pickup, work from the Sansthan's programme above and check it again the week you travel.

🌅 What each aarti is, and who it suits

Each aarti lasts roughly 20 to 30 minutes, and the mood is different at each.

• Kakad aarti, 5:15 am: the waking aarti, sung with the mandir still dark. The quietest, most intense of the four. Needs a 4:30 am start from your hotel.

• Madhyan aarti, 12:00 noon: the midday aarti after the Dhuni pooja at Dwarkamai. Easiest to fit into a day trip.

• Dhoop aarti, sunset: the evening aarti and the most crowded, because day-trippers and overnight Yatris overlap. Thursday Dhoop is the single busiest half hour of the week.

• Shej aarti, 10:00 pm: the night aarti that puts Baba to rest. Calm, and the one to choose if you are staying in Shirdi anyway.

🎟️ The seated aarti pass: price, quota and how to book

To sit inside the Samadhi Mandir during an aarti you need an aarti pass from the Sansthan. General darshan continues through the day, but the hall is held for pass holders while each aarti is sung.

• Price: ₹600 per person for Kakad, ₹400 each for Madhyan, Dhoop and Shej.

• Quota: about 150 passes per aarti per day are released online.

• Booking window: opens 60 days ahead on online.sai.org.in, the only official portal.

• Children under 12: enter free and need no pass.

• Carry: the printed or digital pass and the ID you booked with, for every person named.

Thursday, Saturday and Sunday dates, and anything near Ram Navami, Guru Purnima or Vijayadashami, sell out on release day. Log in a few minutes before the window opens. If you miss the pass, the darshan queue guide explains how to still see the aarti from the general line.

🕉️ Does darshan stop during aarti?

Yes, briefly. The darshan line is held for the length of the aarti, roughly 20 to 30 minutes, and then released. Three practical effects follow from that.

1. If you join the general queue 30 minutes before an aarti, you will be standing in it through the aarti and move only afterwards.

2. The line right after Madhyan aarti, around 12:30 pm, is one of the shortest windows of the day.

3. Dhoop aarti on a Thursday can hold the line for longer, because the hall is fuller and clearing it takes time.

For dress code, the cloakroom and what you can carry into the hall, see the Shirdi temple logistics guide.

📅 Thursdays and festival nights: what changes

Thursdays keep the same four aarti times, but the crowd roughly doubles and the evening carries one extra ritual: the Chavadi palkhi procession from the Samadhi Mandir to Dwarkamai and the Chavadi, usually starting around 9:15 pm and returning near 11 pm. If you want to see it, stand on the lane outside Dwarkamai by 9 pm.

Festival nights are different. On Ram Navami, Guru Purnima and Vijayadashami the Samadhi Mandir stays open all night and Shej aarti is not performed, because Baba is not put to rest. Kakad the next morning follows at the usual time. Our Vijayadashami guide covers that week's rush.

🧭 Which aarti should you choose?

• With elders: Madhyan at 12:00 noon or Shej at 10:00 pm. Both avoid the pre-dawn start and the Dhoop crush, and the hall is cooler at Shej.

• On a budget: skip the pass and stand in the general line just after Madhyan. You hear the aarti from the queue and move the moment it ends.

• On a tight schedule: Madhyan aarti with a pass, lunch at the Prasadalaya, and you are back on the road by 2 pm.

• Avoid: Thursday Dhoop without a pass. It is the only slot where the general line routinely runs 2 to 4 hours.

🛏️ Where to stay

For Kakad or Shej, stay within walking distance of Gate 2 so a 4:45 am walk or an 11 pm walk back is five minutes, not a taxi hunt. The Sansthan's own Bhakta Niwas and Sai Ashram fill first, and private hotels line the Nagar-Manmad road behind the mandir.

Pick the aarti that fits your day, book the pass 60 days out, and let the sun set the Dhoop time for you. Om Sai Ram.