Who was the sannyasi from Madras mentioned in Chapter 31, what was his destination, and why did he stop in Shirdi?

The sannyasi from Madras is identified by the name Vijayananda. According to the account in Chapter 31, he was undertaking a long and arduous pilgrimage from Madras to the sacred Mansarovar lake, and also held a vow to go to Japan. During his journey, he heard of the great fame of Sai Maharaj of Shirdi, who was renowned as a great saint. This sparked an intense longing for darshan (a holy vision). Consequently, as Chapter 31 narrates, he decided to interrupt his travel plans and made a stop in the village of Shirdi specifically to seek out Sai Baba and have His darshan.