Akkalkot Niwasi Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj, Akkalkot, Maharashtra,India

Akkalkot Niwasi Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj

Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj

Shrimad Nrusimha Saraswati - Incarnation of Lord Dattareya
In a place called Karanja Nagar (Karnataka State) in Southern India, there lived a pious Brahmin couple, Madhava and Ambabhavani, in the 13th century.

Asceticism
To this God-fearing & religious couple, was born a son around 1275 A.D. This child was the incarnation of Lord Dattatreya and came to be known as the great sage Shrimad Nrusimha Saraswati. The child was unique in the sense that, he was chanting only 'Aum' (the Hindu holy chant) since his birth. The parents were concerned about his dumbness till his 'Vratabandha' (the sacred thread bearing ceremony), when this child was merely eight years old, he started reciting all the four Vedas (the Holiest Hindu scriptures)

to the great astonishment of all the learned people.

After the aforesaid incident, the child left for Kashi(Uttar Pradesh State, Northern India) for Tapas [penance]. Pleased with his rigorous tapasya [penance], a learned ascetic named Shree Krishna Saraswati Swami, initiated him into Sanyasashram (Ascetism) and gave him the name, Shrimad Nrusimha Saraswati.

Biography
The biography of Shrimad Nrusimha Saraswati "Shree Gurucharitra", gives us the details of his work in guiding the devotees and the various miracles he performed to help the devotees. He stayed at Ganagapur (Karnataka State, Southern India) for a long time and then gave his "Nirguna Padukas" to his disciples and devotees, before leaving for the Kardali forests to perform Tapas [penance]. His disciples prepared a floating seat of flowers for him on which he sailed against the current of the river Patalganga and disappeared.

Rigorous Penance
He performed rigorous tapasya [penance] on the Shree Shail mountain in the Kardali forests for nearly 150 years. After this he took an extensive pilgrimage, covering even places, now known as Jawa, Sumatra, Indonesia, China, Japan, Australia etc., relieved many people from their miseries, and guided them on the spiritual path. Finally, he came to the ranges of Himalayas where he enlightened
many devotees. Later he sat under a Deodar tree for tapasya [penance]. This Tapasya [penance] in the Himalayas lasted for nearly 250 years, but a woodcutter unknowingly axed the anthill enveloping the body of Shrimad Nrusimha Saraswati. This resulted in the break in Tapasya [penance] and Shrimad Nrusimha Saraswati then left for an extensive travel throughout the Indian sub-continent guiding the devotees.
Akkalkot Niwasi Shree Swami Samarth
During this travel, he became popular by various names at various places. Thus at one place he was known as Chanchal Bharati and at another place he would be called Digambar Swami. As he travelled and stayed at various places, he became the Guru (preceptor) of many great souls like Shree Ramkrishna Paramahansa, Shree Saibaba of Shirdi, Shree Shankar Maharaj, Shree Gajajan Maharaj of Shegaon etc. Finally he settled down at Akkalkot (Maharashtra State) and stayed there for 24 years from 1854 A.D. to 1878 A.D. and thus came to be known as the Akkalkot Niwasi Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj (the great sage of Akkalkot).

Here he enlightened many disciples, such as Shree Dev Mamledar, Shree Balappa Maharaj, Shree Cholappa Maharaj, Shree Nrusimha Saraswati Maharaj of Alandi, Shree Ramanand Beedkar Maharaj of Pune etc.

Mahasamaadhi
On April 30, 1878 (Chaitra Vadya Trayodashi of Hindu year 1800) after nearly 600 years of the incarnation, the great sage adopted MahaSamadhi [the last conscious communion with God] under his favourite Banyan tree.

Devotees still experience his divine presence and feel reassured because of his quote "I have not gone, I am still present".



How to reach Akkalkot : 

Akkalkot is one of Block(Tehsil) under solapur district. Solapur is well connected from Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore by rail. There are many trains & buses from each stations to Solapur. It is around 675 – 700kms from Bangalore, 300 Km from Hyderabad and 270 Km from Pune. So reach the Solapur by train, bus or Air(Single flight from Mumbai daily). Akkalkot is 45 km away from Solapur towards east. You can reach there by state transport buses with Rs. 40 or you can take cab/Taxi from solapur to reach akkalkot.


Contact Information :

Akkalkot-Niwasi Shree Swami Samarth Mandir

Shree Swami Samarth Nagar,
Off Four Bunglows,
Andheri (West),
MUMBAI
Pin Code : 400 053
Maharashtra State
INDIA
Phone : 022 - 2 633 30 30
Timings : 06.00 A.M. to 11.00 A.M. and 04.00 P.M. to 09.00 P.M. (IST).
Temple of Akkalkot Niwasi Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj

Shani Shingnapur, Ahemadnagar, Maharashtra, India

Shani Dev

Shri Shaneshwar Devasthan Shanishingnapur

Shri Shaneshwar Devasthan Shanishingnapur's legend in District Ahmednagar is famous, far and wide, as the shrine of countless devotees. The number of its unbelievable miracles finds its place of pride in The Guinness book of World Records. Ahmednagar's population is known popularly as the place of saints. God Shani occupies a place of fear in the minds of most people in India. There is needless terror about God Shani in the minds of people. Unlike other Gods in the pantheon, why are you scared of God Shani? Although he is your friend, and not your enemy? In our day to day life, there is a great place of importance for strength and mercy in our lives.

Our bodies are constituted of five great elements. Therefore, these elements have a profound influence on
us. These planets thus control us continuously. God Shani occupies the seventh place in the constellation of the nine 'grahas' which control the world. God Shani exerts more power than the power of gravity itself. Therefore, when we think good or bad thoughts and make plans, they reach God Shani by the strength of his power. Thus, good results in good. And bad begets bad results soon.Among the people of Maharashtra and India itself, the greatness and grandeur of Shanishingnapur if spread far and wide. But the fame of God Shani has reached far and wide, even beyond the seven seas. After the 'darshan' of this world famous Devasthan and God Shani, this information based on social, religious, scientific, ' Sanskritic ', geographical and familial experiences is being made available to all devotees.

The story and history

Shani Shingnapur temple

In our routine lives, there is a great importance of the kindness and the power of God Shani. Shani occupies the seventh place among the nine planets which govern the world. This is viewed as unlucky in conventional astrology. As per 'Kaagol Shastra', the distance of Shani from the earth is 9 crore miles. Its radius is about one billion and 82 crore and 60 lakh kilometers. And its gravitational force is 95 times higher than that of the earth. Planet Shani takes 19 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. The astronauts have viewed the Shani's colours as beautiful, strong, influencing and eye-catching. It has twenty two satellites in its ring.

Shani Shingnapur

Shani's gravitational power is more than that of the Earth's. Therefore, when we think good or bad thoughts and make plans, they reach Shani by the strength of his power. In astrological terms, the bad influence is considered as unlucky. But the result of good deeds will be good. Therefore, we must understand God Shani as a friend and not as foe. And for bad deeds, he is Sade Saathi, disaster and an enemy.

As regards the birth of Shani, there are different stories. Foremost and accepted is the one in the ancient 'Scanda Poorana' of Kasi Khanda which is as follows.

God Soorya was married to Daksha Kanya Sadnya. Sadnya could not tolerate the radiance of God Surya. She used to feel that by doing penance she could increase her brilliance. Or, by the power of her penance, she could diminish the glare of God Surya. But for God Surya, she was a spouse worshipping wife. From God Surya, she had three children. One was Vaivastahva Manu. The second was Yama Raj. And the third was Yamuna. Sadnya loved her children very much. But, she was very upset with the radiance of God Surya. One day, she thought that she would separate from God Surya, go to her parents' home and undertake great penance. And if there was opposition, she would go far away to a lonely and undertake great penance.

By strength of her penance, Sadnya created a 'Chaya' (shadow) of herself and named her Suvarna. And, and then the shadow of herself became Suvarna. After handing over the children to Chaya, Sadnya told her that Chaya would thereafter play the role of womanhood and nurse her three children. She told her if any problem arose, she should call her and she would come rushing to her. But she cautioned her that she must remember that she was Chaya, not Sadnya, and nobody should know this difference.

Sadnya hander over her responsibilities to Chaya and went away to her parents' place. She went home and told her father that she could not stand the radiance of God Surya. And therefore, without telling her husband she had come away. Listening to this, her father scolded her very much and told her that without being called, if the daughter returns home, both her and her father would be cursed. He told her to go back to her home immediately. Then, Saudnya began to worry that if she went back, what would happen to the responsibilities which she had given to Chaya. Where would Chaya go? And their secret would be exposed. So, Sadnya went to the dense jungles in Uttar Kurukshetra and took repose there.

She was fearful of her safety in the jungle because of her youthfulness and beauty. And she changed her form into that of a mare so that none could recognize her and started her penance. Elsewhere, the union of God Surya and Chaya begot three children. God Surya and Chaya were happy with each other. Surya never doubted anything. The children of Chaya were Manu, God Shani and Putri Bhadra (Tapti).

As per the second story, the creation of God Shani was the result of Maharishi Kashyap's great 'yagna'. When God Shani was in the womb of Chaya, Shiv Bhaktini Chaya was so engrossed in penance of God Shiva that she did not care for her food even. She prayed so intensely during her penance that the prayers had a profound influence on the child in her womb. As a result of such a great penance of Chaya, without food and shade in the blazing sun, the complexion of God Shani became black. When God Shani was born, Surya was surprised to see his dark complexion. He began to doubt Chaya. He insulted Chaya by saying that this was not his son.

From birth itself, God Shani had inherited the great powers of his mother's penance. He saw that his father was insulting his mother. He saw his father with a cruel gaze. As a result his father's body was charred black. The horses of God Surya's chariot stopped. The chariot would not move. Worried, God Surya called out to God Shiva. God Shiva advised God Surya and explained to him about what had happened. That is, because of him the respect of mother and child had been tarnished and insulted. God Surya accepted his fault and apologized. And regained his earlier glorious looks and the power of his chariot's horses. Since then, God Shani became a good son to his father and mother and an ardent disciple of God Shiva.

Postal address

Temple name     :     Shri shanaishwar devasthan
Address     :             Shanishingnapur, Post: Sonai,
Taluka:                      Nevasa,

 Dist.:                         Ahamadnagar Pin. 414 105, Maharashtra, India.

Jai Shri Salasar Dham | Salasar Balaji Religious Temple, Rajasthan, India

Salasar Balaji Templ

Jai Shri Salasar Dham | Salasar Balaji Temple :

   

ABOUT SALASAR DHAM:

On Saturday, Shravan Shukla-Navami -Samvat 1811, a miracle transpired. A Ginthala-Jat farmer of village Asota in district Nagaur of Rajasthan was ploughing his field. Unexpectedly, the plough was hit by a particular stony thing and the sound - thlikk ... was created. He dug up the soil of that place and found an idol covered with sand. His wife reached there with his lunch packet. The farmer showed the idol to his wife. She wiped the idol with her sari (dress). The idol was that of Balaji i.e. Lord Hanuman. They bowed their heads with devotion and worshipped Lord Balaji. The news of
appearance of Lord Balaji spread in the village Asota immediately. The Thakur of Asota also heard the news. Balaji ordered him in the dream to send the idol to Salasar in the Churu district. The same miraculous night, a devotee of Lord Hanuman, Mohan Dasji Maharaj of Salasar saw Lord Hanuman or Balaji in dream. Lord Balaji told him about the idol of Asota and immediately sent a message to Thakur of Asota. The thakur was surprised to know - How Mohandasji knew minor details without coming to Asota? Lord Hanumanji had appeared for its utmost devotee-Mohandasji. Certainly it was the kindness of Lord Balaji bestowed upon his devotee. Mohandasji spent the most memorable times with Balaji. It is believed that Mohandasji spent his whole youth with Balaji as a friend and took samadhi(alive burial). The idol was sent to Salasar and was permanently affixed at the place known as Salasar Dham.

Entrance of Salasar Temple

Dhunia of Mohandas ji is the place where the holy fire lit by great devotee Mohandas ji is still burning. The devotees take holy ashes from here. It's in the Balaji temple jai hanuman.
Sri Mohan Mandir is situated near Balaji temple. The footprints of Mohandasji and Kanidadi are found there. This place is the samadhi sthal of both holy devotees. The continuous Ramayan reading has been taking place here from last eight years. In the temple premises of Lord Balaji, Akhand Hari Kirtan (Chanting of the name of Rama) is continuing for last 20 years. Such is the miraculous & divine blessing of Balaji that even birds and squirrels join in the Aarti to seek the blessings of Lord Hanumanji. This is an unbelievable sight witnessed by nay devotees.



Who is Lord Hanuman ?

Lord Hanuman

Lord Hanuman was born in Anjaneri (now a hilltop temple). Anjaneri is near Triambakeshwar, Nasik - a pilgrim village in Maharashtra State.
He is the son of Anjani and Maruti, born with the blessings of 'Vayu', the wind god (also called Pavan). He is considered to be an avatar (incarnation) of Lord Shiva.
He is one of the seven Chiranjivis and the only learned scholar who knew the nine Vyakaranas. He learned the shastras from Suryadev, the sun god. He is well versed with the Vedas and other sacred books.
He has exhibited astonishing physical strength and worked many miracles. His valour, wisdom, knowledge of the scriptures and superhuman strength attracted everybody who came near him. He had extraordinary skill in warfare. He is the chosen messenger of Lord Rama and the minister & messenger of Sugreeva. Lord Hanuman is fast - the most agile and oriented god.

Hanumanji is the symbol of Devotion and Service.

How to get there: 

One can either land at Delhi or Jaipur from any part of the country by Rail / Road / Air and from there, one can reach Salasar Balaji.

Location:
Salasar is in district Churu (Rajasthan)
Situated at Jaipur - Bikaner highway.
57 kilometres from Sikar and 24 kilometers from Sujangarh.
Salasar is in Sujangarh Panchayat Samity.
 

Air:
Indian Airlines and Jet Air are having flights up to Jaipur, from where it is 3.5 hours drive in Taxi or Bus.
 

Road:
 

From Delhi:
Delhi - Jaipur - Sikar - Salasar Daily bus services from Delhi - Jaipur - Delhi are operated by DTC, Haryana Roadways and Rajasthan Roadways.
 

From Jaipur:
Jaipur - Choumu - Ringas - Sikar - Salasar Balaji (approx. 150 kms.)
 

Rail: 

Siker, Jaipur nearest rail head to Salasar Balaji. From Delhi - Jaipur: From Old Delhi Station : Ashram Exp., Ahmedabad Delhi Mail, Inter-city Exp. From New Delhi Station : Ahmedabad Rajdhani Exp. (Sat), New Delhi-Ajmer Shatabadi Exp.
           

Climate:

The climate of Rajasthan can be divided into four seasons: Summers, Monsoon, Post-Monsoon and winter.

Brahma Temple In Pushkar, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

Brahma Temple In Pushkar, Ajmer, Rajasthan

Entrance of Brahma Temple In Pushkar

Brahma Temple In Pushkar, Ajmer, Rajasthan:

History :

Brahma Temple in Pushkar is the only temple dedicated to Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe according to Hindu mythology in India. The temple is nestled in the Pushkar valley which lies beyond Nagaparvat and the Anasagar Lake, Rajasthan. Brahma is among the trinity of Hindu Gods, the other two being Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Built in the 14th century, Brahma Temple is an important pilgrim place for Hindus. Other than the Brahma Temple, Pushkar also boasts of dedicated to Lord Mahadev, Lord Varah and Lord Ramvaikunth.

Pushkar is regarded as a holy place as it was here that Lord Brahma, together with all the gods and goddesses performed a ‘Yagna’ (self-mortification) at the lake. According to legends, Brahma’s wife Savitri was not present at the Yagna and Brahma married another woman on his impulse. Savitri being displeased by Brahma’s act cursed that Brahma would never be worshipped anywhere else. Due to the reason, this is the only known temple in the world, where Lord Brahma is worshipped.

Legends have it that the Pushkar Lake appeared when a lotus flower fell from the hands of Lord Brahma in this valley. Mythology also states that Lord Brahma killed the demon Vajra Nabha by striking him with His weapon, a lotus flower. The impact of the strike caused the petals to fall in three places. One among the three places was Pushkar where a lake sprung up.

The Brahma Temple stands on a high podium, constructed entirely in marble. The entrance of the temple is ornamented by a red spire and an image of ‘Hans’ (Goose) symbolic of Brahma. A lovely silver carved turtle can be seen sitting with its face towards the sanctum. The black and white chequered tiles floor around the turtle have may silver coins is embellished with many silver coins which are imprinted by the names of the donors. Even, the inner walls of the temple are studded with silver coins.

The main shrine houses the life-size image of Lord Brahma with four hands and four faces sitting in a cross legged position. An image of Goddess Gayatri, who is known as the milk Goddess, can be seen on the left of Lord Brahma and that of Goddess Savitri can be seen on his right side. The temple also comprises of an image of Lord Vishnu, life sized dwarpals (door men) and Garuda pillars (a mythical bird, in gold). The walls of the temple are adorned by beautiful images of Peacock and Goddess Saraswati. From the temple, there is a silver door that leads down to a small cave. This small cave comprises a temple of Lord Shiva.

The temple is swarmed by people in large numbers during the Kartika Purnima in the months of October- November. At this time, the town of Pushkar becomes alive with the joyous Pushkar festival. This is also the time which marks the time during which Brahma performed his Yagna. Pilgrims come to pay their homage and get blessings from the Jagat Pita, Lord Brahma.

 Best time to visit :

The best time to visit Pushkar is in the winter months and especially during October/November when the city is abuzz with activity for the Pushkar Fair.

 Trivia :

Savitri Temple is another famous temple at Pushkar located in the rear of the Brahma Temple. The Savitri Temple overlooking the lake is indeed a treat to the eyes especially during dawn. The exquisite landscape from the Pop Mochani Temple is worth watching.

 Timing:

The temple is open for worship between 6:30 am and 8:30 pm during winter and 6:00 am to 9:00 pm during summer, with an interval in afternoon between 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm when the temple is closed. Three aratis are held in the temple: Sandhya arati in the evening about 40 minutes after sunset, Ratri Shayan arati (night-sleep arati) about 5 hours past sunset and Mangala arati in the morning, about 2 hours before sunrise.

Getting there :

By Air

The nearest airport from Pushkar is Jaipur. Jaipur is well connected to all the major cities which includes Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Jodhpur, Udaipur. Recently, flights to Dubai has also started from Pushkar by Indian Airlines.

By Bus

Pushkar is 11 km from main Ajmer bus stand. Rajasthan Roadways run very comfortable deluxe & air conditioned buses from Jaipur. There are buses from Jaipur to Ajmer every 15 minutes, some nonstop. The roads are very good, and it takes around 2 hrs from Jaipur. You can also come by taxi.

By Train

The nearest railway station for Pushkar is Ajmer, which is on the Broad Gauge and hence connected to all the metro cities of India. There are daily trains from Delhi in morning (Shatabdi Exp) and evening (Intercity Exp).

Gettig Around

Pushkar is a relatively small town and easy enough to get around on foot There are no auto-rickshaw in the town center. A bicycle is best to get around.

Shopping

Pushkar main bazaar is a tangle of narrow lanes lined with an assortments of interesting small shops.

Particularly good buys include silver and beaded jewellery, embroidered fabrics, bed and cushion covers. Rajasthani puppets and fusion music. Its also great place to but books. There's is a excellent range of second hand novels in various language available.

Things to do

Each year, up to 200,000 people flock to Pushkar for the Camel Fair, bringing with them some 50,000 camels and cattle for several days of pilgrimage, horse dealing, camel racing and colorful festivities.

The Rajasthan tourist office has promoted the fair as an international attraction by adding Rajasthan dance programs and other cultural events and by putting up a huge ten city for the Indian and foreign visitor.

Places to See

Temples :

Pushkar boasts temples, through few are as ancient pilgrimage site many were destroyed by Aurangzeb and subsequently rebuilt. The most famous is what is said to be the only temple in India dedicated to Brahma. It's marked by a red spire and over the entrance gateway is the Hans, or goose symbol, of Brahma, who is said to have personally chosen Pushkar as its site. The Rangji Temple chosen is also important.

The one - hour trek up to the hilltop temple overlooking the lake is best made early in the morning; the view is magnificent.

Ghats :

Numerous ghats run down to the lake, and pilgrims are constantly bathing in the lake's holy waters. If you wish to join them, do it with respect - remove your shoes, don't smoke and don't take photographs. This is not Varanasi and the pilgrim here can be very touchy about insensitive instruction by non - Hindus.

GENERAL INFORMATION :

Area :55.76 sq.km.

Altitude :486 meters

Climate :Mean Max. Mean Min.

Summer :38.1degree C 27.7 degree C

Winter :23.3 degree C 05.5 degree C

Rainfall :38 to 51 cm.

Clothing : Summer Light Tropical

Winter: Woolen

Best Season :July-March

Languages :Rajasthani, Hindi, Urdu, English, Sindhi.