Cyrus Mistry goes on pilgrimage to Shirdi, Shani Shingnapur temples

Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), Nov 26: Industrialist and former chairman of Tata Sons, Cyrus P. Mistry, on Saturday went on a short pilgrimage to the famed Saibaba Temple in Shirdi and the Shani Shingnapur Temple, both in Ahmednagar district, officials said.

Mistry, who on Friday was removed as chairman of the Tata Steel board, started the day with a morning visit to the Saibaba Temple in Shirdi, accompanied by his wife. The couple stood for their passes in the VIP queue along with many others.

Later, they had 'darshan' of the Samadhi and statue of Saibaba, the 19th century saint revered by all communities, and were offered 'prasad', said the temple spokesperson Mohan Yadav.

After that, the couple went to the world-renowned Shani Shingnapur Temple in the same district (Ahmednagar), barely a 30-minute drive from Shirdi.

The Mistry couple sat on the floor like ordinary people for a pooja (prayers) conducted by a temple priest, an official said.

They also performed an 'abhishek' at the 5.9 feet tall dark stone idol representing Lord Shani, standing imposingly on the open air platform where it is believed to have emerged nearly four centuries ago.

Given Mistry's corporate and social status, both the Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur temple visits passed off without any fanfare or getting any special treatment from the authorities of the two temples.

The two temples towns, which attract lakhs of pilgrims during weekends, are situated around five hours driving distance from Mumbai.