Ganganapur

Ek Mukhi Datta Temple

Location


The Dattatreya Temple is situated in Ganganapur, Maharashtra. The presiding deity in this temple Dattatreya  is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu Dattatreya. Dattatreya temple is located at a very short distance of 1km from Murud. It stands on the bank of the river Bhima in Afzalpur taluka in Gulbarga district of Karnataka. The water of the rivers Bhima and Amaraja, especially at the spot of their confluence, are considered extremely holy. " Bhima-Amarja Sangam at Gangapur is very sacred. There are Koti Theerthas there. The Aswatha Tree at Gangapur is as powerful as tha KalpaVriksha. Near the Aswatha Tree is Narasimha Teertha, and northwards to it are the PapaVinasini Teertha, Varanasi Teertha, Rudrapada Teertha, Chakra Teertha, Koti Teertha, manmadha Teertha etc. There is the Kalleshwara temple there. It is holy as Gokarna.", Sri Narasimha Saraswati lived in Gangapur continuously for a period of 24 yearsThe temple is situated at the hill top and the idol has three heads of the Trinity Hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara.

Significance of the temple

The shrine at Ganganapur is in the middle of the process of assuming the form of a temple. It is currently more like an 'Ashram'. The main gate of the temple faces towards the west and is built in the Maratha model of 'Nagarkhana'. A spacious mandap (hall) is provided for the gathering.

The temple consists of a raised platform - the 'holy of holies' in the southern side of the hall. The Temple has a very small room divided into two by one walls. There are two doors, and in the inner portion, there are the images of Dattatreya and the 'Nirguna padukas'- a pair of sandals.

One can find 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 from here is the door in the dividing curtain; where inside the sanctuary are the Padukas.

It is these Padukas that are the object of worship at this place. It is a symbol depicting the significance of constant and eternal presence of Dattatreya in his form as Nrisimha Sarasvati. Dattatreya has a great significance in the Hindu mythology. The story behind the birth of Dattatreya is found in many texts. The son of Atri and Anusua, Dattatreya, is widely worshipped by Hindus.

Time to Visit

Cradle ceremony of Lord Sri Datta marks the beginning of Datta Jayanthi celebrations in Gangapur temple. All the incarnations of Sri Dattatreya swamy are worshipped with Shodashopachara puja. Nirguna Paduka puja is observed on this day. Rathothsavam or chariot festival on Margasira Poornima marks the conclusion of Datta Jayanti puja in Gangapur temple.

How to Reach the Temple

Form Mumbai It takes 6 hours to reach Murud. There are two express buses which depart from Mumbai every day for Murud at 6 am and 11 am. The nearest railway station is Indapur.Mumbai to 'Ganagapur Road' is the Direct and most convenient Train is 1013 Dn L.T.T. Kurla Terminus -Coimbatore Express, which departs from Kurla Terminus at 10.10 PM & departs from Kalyan 11.15 in the night. It reaches Ganagapur at 8.08 in the morning next day.

From this road of Ganagapur to Ganagapur City (town), where Datta Mandir is situated is around 30 minutes journey by road. Trax/Jeep/Sumo drivers charge Rs 15 per Passanger It takes around 2 hours maximum for a family to perform Pooja/Abhishek at Ganagapur.Mumbai is very much easily accessible through any part of the country as it is very well connected through Railnetwork.Through Airways also to Mumbai is much facilitated with flights from all the parts of the country and even all around the world.