Datta Peetha Parikrama (Path Completing Lord Dattatreya Powerful Places)

Immortal Incarnation of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, Lord Dattatreya has transformed various places into holy places by virtue of the work he has carried out through his different incarnations (Datta Sampradaya). All these holy places represent great significance and values bestowed by Datta Sampradaya. One can experience very strong holy vibrations full of Datta Satvik Vichar and great parampara of Datta Lineages.

Following are the few of the very important Datta Peethas you should pay visit to in your lifetime:

• Gangapur in Karnataka State- Second Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Shri Nrusinh Saraswati"
• Nrusinhpur ("Narsobawadi") in Maharashtra- Second Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Shri Nrusinh Saraswati"
• Suchindram in Tamil Nadu State - Vishnurupi Lord Dattatreya
• Audumbar -  Second Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Shri Nrusinh Saraswati"
• Pithapuram - First Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Sreepada SreeVallabha"
• Kuravpur - First Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Sreepada SreeVallabha"
• Akkalkot - Third Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Shree Swami Samartha"
• Mangalwedha - Third Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Shree Swami Samartha"
• Markandi in Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra state- Third Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Shree Swami Samartha"
• Dattatreya Ghat or Datta Guha in Himalayan Ranges - Lord Dattatreya
• Girnar in Gujarat - Lord Dattatreya
• Nagalpuram near Tirupati - Vishnurupi Lord Dattatreya
• Senthalpangalam in Tamil Nadu state
• Prayag in Uttar Pradesh
• Sompuram in Andhra Pradesh
• Chandradronagiri
• Datta Peetha of Mysore
• Shirdi in Maharashtra - Anshik(Partial) Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Saibaba"
• Shegaon in Maharashtra - Anshik(Partial) Incarnation of Lord Dattatreya "Gajanan Maharaj"

Completing the visit to the above Datta Peethas marks the completion of Datta Peethas' Parikrama and one achieves the ultimate enlightenment in his life and he becomes free from birth cycles.

Solapur - Gateway to Many Holy Places (Pilgrimage Tours)

The regular readers of my blog will be surprised while reading this blog post. Unlike my usual blog posts which are about the holy and pigrimage places, this post is all about a city and its importance of being a hub connecting different places. This city is a great connecting place or gateway to many holy places that includes Akkalkot, Gangapur, Pandharpur, Tuljapur etc. Beside this there is a a famous Siddheshwar Temple in the city of Solapur.

Many pilgrimages can be planned surrounding the city of Solapur. One can make Solapur city for their stay beside the local sightseeing. One can plan a pilgrimage of 2-3 days. One can stay in Solapur and then plan a day's tour to visit Akkalkot, Gangapur. One day can be planned for visits to Tuljapur and Pandharpur. One day for some rest and local Solapur city darshan.

It is a well developed city with all amenities. You can find many eating places across the city, but one I cherish the most is eating at Shree Datta Bhojanalaya. This is the place where I find good food at affordable prices. The food is also delicious.

Solapur City is some 400 kms from Mumbai and takes little over 6 hrs by road. Lots of buses (private and public transports both) are available. There are also good number of trains going to Solapur from Mumbai. Siddheshwar Express is one such milestone train between Mumbai and Solapur.

So what are you waiting for plan your visit to this city and/or a pilgrimage surrounding Solapur.

To book luxury bus tickets to Solapur or know more, please visit Sonal Travels or call Mr. Vijay Mane on 022-2340 9745 / 9869554222.

Akkalkot Pilgrimage - Swami Samarth

Amongst the holy places of various incarnations of Lord Shri Datta Guru, the most praised one now a days is Akkalkot.

It is one of the leading communities with large number of followers of Shri Swami Samartha, of Akkalkot.

Believed to be an incarnation of Shri Dattatreya the name of this spiritual master, popularly called Swami Samarth, is a household word in Maharashtra and the region around.

As this Perfect Master chose to reside at a place called Akkalkot for 22 years where he took Mahasamadhi (left his mortal body) in 1878, he is also known as the Maharaj of Akkalkot, Akkalkot is situated in district Solapur of Maharashtra state of India.

• It is believed that Shri Swami Samartha appeared in Akkalkot in 1857. The temple of Shri Nrisimha Saraswati is of Dattatreya. So swami is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Datta.

• His full name was Sripad Shrivallabh. He resided in Akkalkot for around 23 years. Before he came to Akkalkot he was in Mangalvedha. But no one can tell where he came from.

The popular belief is that he came to Mangalvedha during 1838 and stayed there for 13 years. He used to stay in a farm there. From Mangalvedha he stayed at Mohol for five years, then he came to Solapur and finally to Akkalkot.

After he was sure that he had completed his worldly duties and had guided his disciples rightly, he decided to go for Samadhi. His disciple Chollapa accordingly began to make arrangements. Finally he took Samadhi in 1878.

• One account put forth by devotees asserts that after traveling in the Himalayas, the Swami sat in Samadhi for three hundred years in a dense forest. He became completely covered by anthills, and a large tree grew beside him. Once a woodcutter came to the forest and chose that particular tree for cutting. Laying his axe first to the anthill, he was surprised to see blood oozing from it. Pulling down the anthill, he discovered the Swami beneath it.

• Roused from Samadhi, the Swami declared the incident to be Divinely ordained as it was time for him to go into the world and continue his mission. The Swami is said to have then wandered for a hundred years, performing many miracles, before appearing in Akkalkot.

The Swami was unpredictable, appearing mad to many, and full of miracles. He loved his devotees with a great passion, and like other Adepts of the Crazy Wise style, he was paradoxically full of both human and Divine qualities.

Once, when asked who he was, he replied, "I am this infinite universe; I am everywhere. Yet my favorite resorts are Sakyodri, Girnar, Kasi, Mathapur, Karveer, Panchaleswar, Audumbar, Karanjnagar, Narasimhvadi, and Gangapur."

How to Reach:
This is 45 kms away from Solapur towards east. You can reach there by state transport buses. Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj of Akkalkot a Satpurush who was a devotee of Shri Dattatraya stayed in Akkalkot. This is a Taluka place. Thousands of pilgrims visits this holy place and take advantage of free food at Annachatra at this temple. This temple has become more and more popular and attracts more and more devotees.

Private Luxury Travel services are also available from Mumbai to Solapur.

To book luxury bus tickets please contact Mr. Vijay Mane at Sonal Travels, Crowford Market on 022-23459745/09869554222.