What was the spiritual atmosphere of Shirdi when Sai Baba first arrived, and were there other saints present?

When Sai Baba first arrived, Shirdi was already a place with some spiritual activity. Chapter 0 explains that the village was situated on a walking path for pilgrims traveling to holy sites like Rameshwar and Pandharpur, so many holy men passed through. At the time of his arrival, a saint named Devidas was residing there. Another highly advanced saint, Janakidas, also stayed in Shirdi for many days and reportedly spent a lot of time with Maharaj. This information from Chapter 0 shows that Sai Baba entered a community that, while small, was accustomed to the presence of spiritual figures.