What sequence of events led to Sai Baba arriving in Shirdi and meeting his first devotees?

Sai Baba's arrival in Shirdi was a direct consequence of his association with a man named Chandbhai. As explained in Chapter 0, after Maharaj miraculously helped Chandbhai find a lost horse and created fire from the ground with his tongs, he stayed at Chandbhai's home for a period. Sometime after this, a wedding was arranged for Chandbhai's wife's nephew with a bride from Shirdi. Maharaj joined the wedding procession on its journey to Shirdi. The group stopped in a garden near the Khandoba temple, and it was upon entering this temple that Maharaj met Mhalasapati, who greeted him as 'Sai Baba' and introduced him to the village.