Satsang In which temple Sri Saibaba's sacred tooth was kept? - Part 3

Among those who visited the temple was Sri Nanasaheb Awasthe,
who had had the darshan and blessings of Sri Saibaba while he was
alive. An organization for the development of the temple, called
“Sri Sai Dasa Mandali,” was started in 1950. The members repaired
the temple and also built an 800 square-foot hall in the front part of
it. Guru Purnima, Sri Ramanavami and Baba’s mahasamadhi
(Vijayadasami) festivals are celebrated there with great fervor.

We will now come to a great leela of Saibaba relating to this temple.
On 12 July 1961, the Pansher dam flooded and its water overflowed
the dam crests. Large parts of Pune were submerged, many houses
were destroyed and many people lost all that they had. As Shivaji
Nagar, where the Sri Saibaba’ s temple is located, is a low-lying area,
water was flowing twenty to twenty-five feet above the temple tower.
The water subsided after a few days and the rehabilatory work was
started. The temple was totally engulfed in mud and to remove it and
to restore the temple to its former glory was a daunting and costly task.
However, the devotees finished it cheerfully in a few days. They were
rewarded for their labor with a glorious sight. Sri Saibaba’s photo, which
had been worshipped daily before the flood, was undamaged and was
looking as new as ever! There was no trace of damage from the water
or mud. No-one could believe that the photo had been under water for
several days. The audumber tree beside the temple was also fine and
did not even sag as a result of the flood. Everyone believed by this
wonderful leela of Sri Saibaba that his effulgent grace was on the temple.
Later the devotees got a beautiful marble statue of Saibaba installed in
the temple in the same place where the Baba’s photograph had been.
Baba’s tooth now lies under the padukas at the feet of the marble statue.
The photo of Baba, which withstood the flood, is also kept in the temple,
and devotees pay homage to it daily.

Courtesy of Sri Sai Leela Magazine April 1977