The Sai temple at Saibaba Colony that came about 76 years ago as a thatched shed on the Mettupalayam Road has now gone digital with the daily offerings like abhishekam, annadanam and dharshan available just a click away.

The devotees can now avoid long winding queues and need not rush to temple well before archanai. The newly launched e-seva portal and android mobile application enables a hassle-free virtual experience by providing all services of the temple over a mouse click.

The e-seva portal sponsored by AES Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Coimbatore will allow devotees to book their offerings in advance by logging on to the website http://www.srinagasai.com. The android app `Srinagasai’, sponsored by Jamhub Software Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore could be downloaded from Google play and will make available all services virtually.

The online service portal was launched amidst Guru Purnima celebrations by trustees including President KNK Viswanathan, Vice-president S Balasubramanian, Secretary S Balasubramanian and Treasurer N Sarvothamman. The developer of the site and the CEO of AES Technologies Pvt Ltd Ramesh Raju was also present.

One of the busiest temples in Coimbatore, where devotees reach from in and around the city, the Sai Baba Temple is the first of its kind devotion centre in the entire Tamilnadu. An outcome of Sai Movement, the temple was established along with the Sai Baba Mutt in 1939. However the temple was rechristened as Naga Sai after an incident in 1943 when a cobra appeared near the photograph of Saibaba with its hood inflated and stood there guarding the deity for two long days.

As the devotees were unable to get close to the deity and offer prayers, after a series of poojas, the cobra gave away and disappeared into the bushes close to the temple. As per the history of the temple, this was the only deity that was consecrated by Sri Sathya Sai Baba in 1961. Sri Naga Sai Trust is claimed to be the only holy shrine of Shirdi Sai Baba in the world to have a ‘Golden Chariot’ with a Golden Idol of Sai Baba.

Devotees throng here on Thursdays when the chariot comes around the prakaram (the temple compound around sanctum). The temple possesses the original sacred dhuni flame, the holy ash of which is named udi and is given as prasadam. This udi and is believed to have the power to cure all diseases.

The temple website http://www.srinagasai.com also features Live `darsan’ of Sai Baba.