History, Importance, Timings, Festivals, Architecture, Social & Religious Activities, Interesting Facts, Best time to Visit and Travel Guide of Swami Samarth Maharaj Mandir, Akkalkot, Solapur, India
Akkalkot is a city of Solapur and major pilgrimage site famous for Swami Samarth Maharaj. He was a sage of the 19th century. Swami Samarth Maharaj Temple located here in Akkalkot is also known as Vatavriksha Swami Samarth Maharaj Temple,Akkalkot as its little different then other temple. Here you can see holy Banyan tree where it is said the Swamiji had spent more than 20 year below it. Devotees consider him as a manifestation of the God Dattatreya. Lord Dattatreya, respected as a Hindu God and people of Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh believed him as an incarnation of the three Hindu deities – Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar. People of different states describe Swami Samarth as a holy figure and address with different name like Akkalkot Swami, Akalkot Maharaj, Maharaj of Akalkot, Akalkot Niwasi Maharaj, Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj, Sri Swami Samarth etc. He dwelled around various parts of India and finally settled down at Akkalkot. His ancestor and origin are unclear to the people. According to mythology, when a follower asked him about his origin, he replied that he was grown from a banyan tree.
People believed him as a fourth form of Dattatreya. He was also believed to be an incarnation of Narasimha Saraswati. Swami Samarth once stated that he had originally made an appearance in the Kardali forest of Andhra Pradesh. He had dwelled across the Himalayas as well as in Nepal, China, and Tibet. After spending his life in Mangalvedha (a town of Solapur), he finally came down to Akkalkot.
People also believe that he traveled to Maniknagar (Karnataka), where he met with Manik Prabhu, another Indian philanthropist. Manik Prabhu is also believed to be another manifestation of Dattatreya. Swami Samarth lived there for almost six months. Both of the saints often had conversations on insightful theology. They were more like brothers.
In the year 1856, Chintopant Tol invited Swami Samarth to Akkalkot. Since then, Swami Ji started living on the border of the city for almost 22 years. He used to live in the house of his follower Cholappa, where his temple is currently located.
People believed that Swami Ji had some spiritual powers. He delivered justice to many people in unbelievable ways. Amazed by this, many people joined him as followers. His followers continue to witness his spiritual powers in many ways.
The temple has a simple architecture. It is not designed with the figurines or carvings common in other Hindu temples.
The temple follows some specific rituals regularly. Kakad Aarti, Abhishek Puja, Laghu Rudra, Aarti & Naivedya, and Shej Aarti are on the list.
The Kakad Aarti starts at 5.00 am
Abhishek Puja happens from 7.00 am to 11.00 am
Laghu Rudra starts at 8.00 am and ends at 10.00 am
The timing for Aarti & Naivedya is at 12 noon
The Shej Aarti is performed from 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm
The main festivals celebrated are –
Shri Swami Samarth Pragat din – Chaitra Suddha Dwitiya
Shri Swami Samarth Punyatithi – Chitra Vaidya Trayodashi
Guru Purnima – Ashad Shuddha Purnima
Shri Datta Jayanti – Marga Shirsha Purnima
Gangapur Yatra – Magha Vadya Pratipada
The temple remains open from 6.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 4.00 pm to 9.00 pm. Visitors are allowed in these times. The temple authority serves Prasad at 12 noon and 8.00 pm every day.
People can visit the temple at any time of the year. Although, the temple remains very crowded at the time of the festivals.
For more details, people can contact the temple authority at – 022 2437 3914.
The temple is a delightful place to visit because of the calm ambiance. Devotees spend time singing religious songs or invoking all the time, which makes this place more serene. People find peace and serenity visiting there. The place has religious importance from the perspective of the Vedic rituals.
How to Reach Akkalkot Swami Samarth Maharaj Temple, Solapur, Maharashtra, India
The neighboring airport is the Sambre airport. The airport is almost 265 km away from Akkalkot. People can also catch trains to reach Akkalkot. The nearest railway station is Akkalkot Road. Solapur is another station located 40 km away from Akkalkot. Buses are also available from the main cities of India, such as Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, etc.Solapur is one of major district of Maharashtra and shared border with Karnataka so it is very well connected to all major cities of Maharashtra with Air, Road and Rail network.Solapur is at 85 km from Pandharpur, 245 km from Ichalkaranji 250 km from Pune, 402 km from Mumbai, 230 km from Ahmednagar, 310 km from Aurangabad, 285 km from Kolhapur, 310 km from Hyderabad. State transport bus are also running from all major cities to Solapur with high frequency. Solapur has major railway junction from where you can get trains to all major cities of India. Solapur has airport as well from where you can get flights to various cities of India.
