akkalkot shri swami samarath

Akkalkot shri Swami Samarth

Akkalkot shri Swami Samarth

 

Akkalkot  is a city and a municipal council in Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated 40 km southeast of Solapur and very close to the border between Maharashtra and Karnataka states.

Akkalkot a place of Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj, a 19th century saint who is supposed to be be an incarnation of God Dattatreya.

Religious significance

Akkalkot is widely known for its association with Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj, held by some to be a reincarnation of Lord Dattatreya. Swami Maharaj lived for over two decades at Akkalkot, at the residence of his disciple Cholappa, where his samadhi and shrine are now located. The shrine complex, which is known the Vatavruksh Mandir since it encloses the banyan.  The swami would preach his message from  beneath of this tree, is the hub for devotions for his followers it is said that the tree speaks and some sound comes from the tree. Free accommodation and meals are provided to pilgrims by the Shri Swami Samarth Annachhatra Mandal. The other local shrine is the samadhi of Akkalkoth Swami located some distance from the main shrine, but still within the city limits. Akkalkot is also famous for Gajanan Maharaj’s Shivpuri, where Ancient Vedic Therapy Agnihotra is performed.

Shri Narasimha Saraswati, is supposed to be the earlier incarnation of Shri Dattatreya , about three centuries before the advent of Swami Samarth

The ‘Guru Charitra’ one of the most prominent holy book gives lot of information about Him. As per the most popular belief, Shri Narasimha Saraswati,  after helping and spiritually uplifting a large number of people over a few decades, went away to the Himalayas for sacrament and went into Samadhi. In the Samadhi state He remained for about three hundred years. With the passage of time a huge anthill grew over him and he was lost to the outside world. One day accidentally a woodcutter’s axe fell on the scrub grown around the ant hill. He was shocked to find blood stains on the blade of the axe. He cleared the anthill and Lower, he found a Yogi in meditation. The Yogi slowly opened his eyes and consoled the surprised woodcutter saying that it was the Divine Will for Him to re-appear in the world to restart His mission. This is how a Yogi, appears in his new role came to be known as Swami Samarth.

Prior to his settlement at Akkalkot, Swami Samarth visited far and wide. While moving in the Himalayan region he visited China. , he visited places like Puri, Benaras, Hardwar, Girnar, Kathiawad and Rameswaram in the South. He also stayed at Mangalvedha, a town near Pandharpur in Solapur district Maharashtra, which had been populated earlier by famous saints like Domojipant and Chokhamela. He came to Akkalkot in 1856 where he continued his physical existence for 22 years. He came to Akkalkot on the invitation of one Chintopant Tol and stayed at a place on the outer edge of the town.

 Swami Samarth had the power to read  the past and future , and  minds  of all the people Who were use to come there.

Baba Saheb Jadhav, great devotees one day came to meet the Swami. Seeing him suddenly Swami Samarth said “Oh Potter! There is a summon coming in your name”. being in the close circle of Swami Samarth  the potter understood the meaning of this sentence and begged to Swami to save him from the forthcoming death so that he could continue to serve him (the Swami). Moved by his loyalty Swami Samarth looked-up towards the sky and muttered something as it addressing to someone who was invisible. Suddenly, Swami pointed his hand towards a bull passing nearby and said in a loud tone “go to the bull”. In the presence of a large number of devotees, the bull immediately fell dead. Jadhav, with a fresh charter of life, devoted himself totally to the service of Swami Samarth thereafter. Similarly, A European engineer from Solapur visited the Swami with the earnest hope of having a son. As he came to Swami Samarth, the latter just  Swami looked at him and told, he would have a son within a year. That is what happened exactly.

Hundreds of devotees continue to have miraculous experience about Sri Swami Samarth even today also.