What was the spiritual landscape of Shirdi like before Sai Baba's return with Chand Patil's party?

Chapter 5 of the Shri Sai Satcharitra provides context about Shirdi's spiritual environment prior to Sai Baba's celebrated return. The text explicitly states that Shirdi was not devoid of holy presence before Baba made it his permanent home. It mentions that another saint, Devidas, had already established himself and made Shirdi his home for some time. Furthermore, another spiritual figure, Janakidas Gosavi, also came to reside in Shirdi later on. This information from Chapter 5 indicates that Shirdi was already a place attracting saints, setting the stage for it to become a major pilgrimage center with the arrival of the 'gem' that was Sai Baba, who returned to the town within a Muslim wedding party.