First stay in Shirdi

Early life
There is no clear record of Sai's given name, nor of his origins. However, there are some indications based on his own words that he was born in a Brahmin family in the village of Pathri, under the name Haribhau. According to estimates he was born circa 1838. Once he told his devotee - Mhalsapathy - that he had been born in Pathri and his parents had given him to a "Fakir" (it is uncertain what Sai Baba meant using this expression). According to some sources as a boy Sai Baba was brought up by a Sufi fakir and according to others by a Hindu guru. Some people combine both these theories (that Sai Baba was first brought up by a fakir and then by a guru).

First stay in Shirdi
Sai arrived at the village of Shirdi in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state when he was about sixteen years old (in 1854). There he led an ascetic life - he stayed in a den under a Neem tree where he meditated sitting in an Asana. He aroused the interest and admiration of a few villagers of Shirdi.

Years 1854 - 1858
After approximately two months Sai Baba left Shirdi for four years. It is unknown where he stayed at that time or what happened to him. There are some indications however that he met saints and fakirs, worked as a weaver and spent time with Jhansi Rani Lakshmibai during Indian Rebellion of 1857.