Were there other saints in Shirdi before Sai Baba returned?

Yes, the prologue of Chapter 5 clarifies that Shirdi was already a place of spiritual significance before Baba's return with Chand Patil's group. The text explicitly states that prior to Baba's arrival with the wedding party, a saint by the name of Devidas had already made Shirdi his home. In addition, another holy person, Janakidas Gosavi, also came to live in Shirdi during that period. This indicates that Baba joined a community that already had a presence of revered spiritual figures.