Dattatreya Temple: Popular Tourist Attraction In Maharashtra

Dattatreya Temple

About:

Dattatreya Temple is located at Ganganapur, Maharashtra. The presiding deity is Dattatreya, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu Dattatreya. The shrine at Ganganapur is in the process of assuming the form of a temple.

It is at present more like an 'Ashram'. The main gate faces towards the west and is built in the Maratha model of 'Nagarkhana'. A spacious mandap (hall) is provided for the gathering. There is a raised platform - the 'holy of holies' in the southern side of the hall. Dattatreya Temple has a very small room divided into two by a wall.

There are two doors, and in the inner portion, there are the images of Dattatreya and the 'Nirguna padukas'- a pair of sandals. There is a very small opening in the wall in the form a silver-plate framework, which allows pilgrims to have a glimpse of the image. Some feet away is a door in the dividing curtain; where inside the sanctuary are the Padukas. It is these Padukas that are the object of devotion at this place. It is a icon of the constant and endless attendance of Dattatreya in his form as Nrisimha Sarasvati.

The shrine at Ganagapur has not yet assumed the form of a temple, though it is on its way to do so. Basically it was a 'Math' or 'Ashram' of Shri Nrisimha Sarasvati in an old block of buildings. The main gate faces towards the west and is built in the "Nagarkhana", a Maratha model. After entering one can come see a spacious mandap.

Location info:

Address:Ganganapur

District: Ganganapur, Maharashtra

Nearest City: Umred

Best time to visit: October to February

Climate/Weather:

summer: :Temperature varies between 22°C-39°C during this season.
witner:Temperature varies between 12°C-34°C during this season.

History:

The legend behind the emergence of this temple goes like this; Dattatreya is the son of the sage 'Atri' and his wife 'Anasuya'. He practised his penance in a very severe manner and his power grew so much that ultimately flames began to emerge from his Jatas. The Trimurthis, Brahma,

Vishnu and Mahesh greatly pleased at his Tapa made their appearance before him and asked him as to what he desired. He said he wanted nothing more than a son of divine powers, having the qualities or 'Gunas' of all the three of them, they promised him that in the second part or 'Yuga' of the "Vaivaswat Manvantar", children would be born to him who would be incarnations of themselves

Once upon a time it must have been an open courtyard after the fashion of medieval mansions, but is now completely roofed over. On the southern side of the mandap one can see a raised platform, the holy of holies, It's a very small room divided into two by a wall. There are two doors and in the inner portion are the image of Dattatreya and the "Nirguna padukas" a pair of sandals.

Interesting things to do:

Famous Lord Ganesha is the most respected and worshiped gods in Maharashtra. There are eight shrines dedicated to him, which are located around Pune. These shrines are collectively known as the Ashta Vinayak temples. The Mahalakshmi temples at Kolhapur and Mumbai are also famous. The city of Nashik in Maharashtra is a renowned Hindu pilgrimage center, where many famous temples are located like the Kalaram Temple, Kapaleshwar temple, Muktidham Temple etc.

Interesting things to Visit:

Festival:
During the month of Magba is the most popular, the purpose of the utsava being the -punya-smarana’ of the Guru, Shri Nrisimha Sarasvati. It was on the first day of the month that Shai Guru brought to an end his existence in this world, and it is his death anniversary that is celebrated during the four days. The other important festivals are Shripad Shrivallabha, Datta-jayanti and Nrisimha-jayanti.

Mobile range info:

How to reach?

Nearest Railway Station:Indapur railway station

Nearest Airport:Mumbai airport

Road Transport:Ganganpur is well connected by road ,hence it is easily reachable

Nearest Visiting places:

Elephanta Caves:
The famous Elephanta Caves are major tourist attraction in this region. The Elephanta island is located 10 km away from the Gateway of India at Mumbai. There are rock cut temples in these caves dating back to the 5th century BC.The island was named by Portuguese after the statue of an elephant near the landing area of the island. The temples on this island are dedicated to Lord Shiva Mahadeva. These temples are rich in sculptural content.

Kailash Temple:
The Kailasha Temple is situated near the village of Ellora about 30-kms from Aurangabad. This famous temple is famous for its amazing architecture. This is the largest excavation out of 34 excavations at Ellora, which took almost a century. The Kailash temple is carved out of one piece of rock. It is considered as the world's largest monolithic structure and also the most extensive rock-cut projects ever undertaken. This temple is the venue of Ellora festival organized by MTDC in the month of December. The Ellora festival is a celebration of music and dance and is attended by a large number of people.

Girijaatmaja Vinayak:
This temple is situated on the beautiful Lekhan Hills, located along the Kukdi River. These hills are situated on the Pune -Nashik highway about 150-km from Pune. In Ganesh Puran (a festival) this place is called as Jirnapur or Lekhan Parbat. The Girijaatmaja Vinayak is one of the Astha Vinayak shrines of Maharashtra. This is the only Ashtavinayak temple to be situated on a mountain and set in a Buddhist cave-temple. The Girijatmaj Vinayak refers to the Ganesh as the son of Parvati. Girija is another name for Parvati and Atamaj means son.

Siddhivinayak Temple:
Siddhi Vinayak temple is located at Prabhadevi in Mumbai, Maharashtra. This famous temple is devoted to Ganesha, the elephant-headed God of Good Fortune. The Siddhi Vinayak temple is one of the Ashtavinayak Temples and it dates back to the 18th Century. The highlight of temple is the right side tilted trunk of the elephant headed God, Ganesha, which is usually tilted towards the left.

Varadvinayak Temple:
The Varadvinayak temple is located in the Mahad village of Raigarh district in Maharastra. This temple is dedicated to Varadvinayk (Ganapati or Ganesha). It is considered to be one of the Astha Vinayak shrines of Maharashtra. It is believed that Ganesh as Varad Vinayak fulfills all desires of the devotees. This region was known as Bhadrak or Madhak in ancient times. A unique feature of this famous temple is a lamp that is burning constantly since 1892 AD. There is Gomukh on the northern side of the temple. It is a visage of a cow from which the holy water flows. There is also a holy pond on the west of the temple.

Mumbadevi Temple:
Mumbadevi Temple is located at Bhuleshwar in Mumbai. The temple is devoted to city's patron Goddess Mumbadevi and is almost 6 centuries old. She is regarded as Mumbai's resident deity. The city of Mumbai is named after the Goddess Mumbadevi because the Mumbadevi temple was once located on the site the present Victoria Terminus in the central island which was called Mumbai.

Mahalakshmi Temple:
The Mahalaxmi Temple is located at the northern foot of the Malabar Hill in Mumbai. The temple is oldest temple in Mumbai dedicated to Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. The famous Mahalaksmi temple has many idols of Hindu gods here and is visited by many devotees every year. One of the festivals celebrated here is the Navaratri festival, when innumerable devotees throng the temple to offer coconut, flowers and sweets to the goddesses.