Baba worship had and has all stages in it, and all sorts of worshippers.
Baba who first objected to his worship, did by his own Antarjnana or prophetic vision foreseeing what was to follow, namely, not only individual benefits to millions, but also national benefit and ultimately benefit to the cause of religion itself for the sake of humanity.
That is why HE gradually promoted and then developed HIS worship:-
- Individual worship of Baba attracted larger and larger numbers from the immediate neighbourhood and
- from distant places and this developed into congregational worship;
- and that again from simple congregational worship to the highly complicated forms, which are seen in famous places of worship like Pandharpur.
- Worship like Pandarpur and Tirupati were developed for Baba worship at Shirdi, including ritual, hymnology, music, processions, cars, palanquin horse and pujaris.
"I draw to Me, My man from far off or even across the seven Seas to Shirdi, like a sparrow with a string fastened to its feet"-Shirdi Sai Baba, Indian Spiritual Guru-God 