District: Bidar
Town: Maniknagar
Temple: Manik Prabhu Temple
Located in a small hamlet village by the name Maniknagar in a taluk town known as Humnabad in the Bidar district of North Karnataka, the Manik Prabhu Temple is dedicated to a great ascetic. On the outskirts of Humnabad lies the Manik Prabhu temple – about a kilometre away from this taluk town.
Manik Prabhu Temple– Overview
People believe that Manik Prabhu, the renowned saint, was a reincarnation of Lord Dattatreya. The Manik Prabhu Temple is located on the confluence of two holy rivulets Viraja and Guru Ganga The village of Maniknagar is built around this temple and is located on the high ground slopes. This region more or less experiences a temperate climate.
Manik Prabhu Temple – History and Mythology
Shri Manik Prabhu Maharaj was a great saint and is believed to be the fourth incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. He was born in 1817 and attained Samadhi on 1865. The saint till this date commands a lot of devotees who have faith and trust in him.
Shri Manik Prabhu Maharaj’s contemporaries were Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi, Shri Gondavalekar Maharaj and Shri Akkalkot Swami Maharaj. They often met him and discussed matters of spiritual and intellectual wisdom. The ascetic is hailed as Haktakarya Kalpadruma. His name is also associated with the first war of Indian independence during the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. The saint is renowned for his mystic powers through which he eradicated the pain and sufferings of many devotees who came to seek his blessings and advise. The saint stressed on the importance of following the path of Bhakti. Shri Manik Prabhu Maharaj has innumerable poetic contributions which are all dedicated to the Lord Brahma. The saint was given the title of Sakalamatacharya as all communities revered and respected him.
Shri Manik Prabhu Maharaj founded a new school of though which stressed on equality over all diversities of faith, persuasions and religion.
Manik Prabhu Temple – Local Information
The Shri Manik Prabhu Temple has a samsthan associated with this which bears all responsibility to provide decent accommodation, sanitation, food and other amenities to the pilgrims who visit this village. Martand Vilas is an air conditioned guest house that’s well equipped with all modern facilities and amenities. Another modest guest house is Madhumati Nilaya which has thirty six rooms in all. You’ll need to pre-reserve the rooms by writing to the samsthan. Devotees who opt for the Nitya Annadan scheme will have the opportunity to get the complimentary lunch that is served by the Samsthan. However, dinner, breakfast and tea are chargeable and you’ll have to request the guest house staff to provide them.
The Suprabhat–Seva is the first puja conducted at six in the morning. This is followed by Abhishek and Puja at nine in the morning. At twelve thirty in the afternoon Madhukari Bhiksha and Aarti is performed. Only on Thursdays and Saturdays Aarti is conducted at four in the afternoon. At seven thirty in the evening, Bhajan and Pradosha Puja is conducted which is followed by the last puja, Shejarati at nine in the night. After finishing the Shejarati puja the temple closes for the day.
How to Get to Manik Prabhu Temple
On the intersection of Bidar-Bangalore state highway and Pune-Hyderabad NH 9, the taluk of Humnabad is situated. You can reach Humnabad by road through Pune (385 km), Hyderabad (160 km), Sholapur (143 km) or Gulbarga (65 km). The nearest railhead is at Gulbarga. Major trains running between Mumbai–Chennai, Mumbai–Hyderabad, Mumbai–Bangalore and New Delhi–Bangalore halt at Gulbarga. The nearest airport is located in Hyderabad.
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