Temple circuit of Kolhapur and Sholapur

Temple circuit of Kolhapur and Sholapur

Last week we visited temples in Kolhapur – Sholapur circuit. An enchanting experience, its amazing that there’re so many renowned temples concentrated in this region. We planned for four day trip from Mumbai. The route planned was Mumbai – Pune – Kolhapur – Miraj – Pandarpur – Sholapur – Tuljapur – Gangapur (In Karnataka) – Akkalkot – Pune – Mumbai covering a distance of approx 1500 kms. We left Mumbai at about 14:00 hr and reached Kolhapur by 20:15 hrs covering about 400 kms. The drive through NH4 was fantastic with minimum traffic and the road is one the well maintained road in India. At Kolhapur we dined at Opal Hotel, which is famous for its spicey Non-Vegetarian food, specially the mutton loncha, mutton masala, pandara rasa and lal rasa. One should definitely have a try. Also in the morning do visit to Doodhkatta, where you will get raw buffalo milk to drink, which remind you of the good old days. Worth a try.
Next day morning we visited the famous Mahalakshmi temple to get blessings from Amba Ma. The temple is famous for its architecture with lot of pillars, claimed to be constructed long back. The darshan was fulfilling. From Kolhapur we moved towards west along NH204, about 20 kms, to reach hill temple of Jyotiba. After paying homage to lord we marched toward the Pandarpur via Miraj. Pandarpur is the abode of Lord Vithoba. The Vithoba Rukmini Temple is situated at the bank of river Chandrabhaga. Seeing the temple one will get the feeling of old times and people. As usual there was a huge line of devotees waiting to get the blessings of their beloved deity. We got the Darshan within an hour. The idols of lord Vithoba and Rukmini were really beautiful, and have dignity. But the priest around it needs to be trained to be more polite with the devotees. After darshan we take a round of boat trip in the river Chandrabhaga, a truly refreshing experience. Then we left Pandarpur and moved towards Sholapur were we’ve to take the night halt. We reached Sholapur at about 20:00 hrs. Total distance covered during the day was approx. 310 kms.
Next day morning we advanced to Tuljapur, 40 km from Sholapur , abode of Shakti, the temple known to be visited by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The temple is located on the hill top. You will get the feeling of power as your enter inside the temple complex. The way to main idol is through Goumukh Tirth and Paapnasashi Tirth. We got Darshan of Maa Bhavani after waiting for about an hour. The architecture of the temple indicates the victories of Shivaji Maharaj. After getting blessing of Shakti, we moved towards Gangapur, abode of Lord Shree Dattatrey. The route up to Umarga was good, about 76 kms. From Umarga to Gangapur via Aland, about 77 kms, the road is really bad. Sri Kshetra Gangapur, One of the most famous Dattatreya Peethas, is associated with Sri Narasimha Sarasvati Swami, an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. It stands on the bank of the river Bhima. This Nirguna Math is adorned with the Nirguna Padukas. The water of the rivers Bhima and Amaraja, especially at the spot of their confluence, are considered extremely holy. After taking the darshan of paduka, we left Gangapur and moved to Akkalkot via Afzalpur & Dudhini. The road up to Dudhini, 50 kms approx was also very bad and considering the importance of the Gangapur and Akkalkot urgent improvement is must. From Dudhini to Akkalkot, approx 30 kms, the road is better. We reached Akkalkot at about 19:00 hrs. After getting room and taking bath we visited the Swami Samarth Temple. We got the darshan and thereafter got Mahaprasad (divine). Full credit for the entire working and development of temple complex to the management. From there we went to our room and jumped into the bed. Total distance traveled during the day approx 280 kms. Next day we again visited the Swami Samarth Temple and then take a return journey to Mumbai via Sholapur , 40 km from Akkalkot. Road, NH9, was bad up to Pune. Enroute we halt at Sholapur to buy chaddars and bed sheets, which it is famous for, and then halt at Pune at Joshi wadewale. We reached Mumbai at 22: 00 hrs after traveling approx 500 kms.