Well to start with, there were two reasons for taking this trip. First, my mom's love for temples and not wanting to miss a wonderful chance to visit these temples and was elated when I agreed to come along. And second, my love for travel and not wanting to miss an opportunity to visit a new place. Also I love the picturesque Indian countryside and the humble village life.
After a night-long journey from Mumbai by train we reached Gangapur in Gulbarga district of Karnataka by noon. And after a bumpy 40 minute ride in the cruiser from the station we reached our lodge, yes a lodge, as this was the best we could get and lived on odomos during our stay in order to save ourselves from the mosquitos known for spreading dengue and chikungunya. For lunch we went to a bhojanalaya that served homemade food which was simple yet delicious.
Later during the day we went to Amarja Sangam, the confluence of rivers Amarja and Bhima which is considered very holy where we could see happy pilgrims dipping in the holy waters. We went for a boat ride in the only boat, which was part motor and part manually rowed and watched the sun set. Later we went to the Audumber (fig) tree on the banks of the river which is as powerful as the Kalpavriksha. From there we went to the Dutta Paduka Mandir (temple) of Sri Narsimha Saraswati Swami, an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya which is adorned with the Nirguna Paduka where we attended the Palkhi procession in the evening.
The next day early in the morning we went to the temple again witnessing the humble village life around us: the milking of cattle, women filling pots of water, the gram panchayat and devotees visiting the temple. From the temple we went for breakfast and after napping, packing our bags and having lunch went to the Bhasmacha Dongar (a small hillock of ashes). From there we left for Solapur, which is famous for the Siddheshwar temple and bedsheets.
The next morning we went to Akkalkot, a small town where the saintly guru Shri Swami Samarth attained samadhi. We visited various temples around the place like the Khandoba temple, Samadhi Math (monestary), Guru Math, Vatavruksha and the Annachhatra where they organize free meals for the devotees daily. Later in the evening we went to Tuljapur to visit the Bhavani temple. Shivaji Maharaj always sought her blessings before his military expiditions and it is believed that Goddess Tulja Bhavani presented Shivaji with the Bhavani sword for success.
At night we took the Siddheshwar Express to Mumbai and returned back home in the morning without knowing about the big surprise I was in for!!
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