What was the significance of Shirdi's location, and who were some of the saints Maharaj interacted with there?

Shirdi's location was significant because it was situated on the walking path for pilgrims traveling to southern holy places like Rameshwar and Pandharpur, meaning many holy men's feet touched the place. The Introduction (Chapter 0) notes that when Maharaj first arrived, a saint named Devidas was already there. Maharaj also spent a lot of time with another advanced saint named Janakidas. Furthermore, the famous Gangagir Baba used to visit and had "great affectionate conversations" with Maharaj after recognizing his immense spiritual worth, showing that Shirdi was a place of spiritual confluence.