Manik Prabhu Temple

Getting there

• By train

  Regular train services run from Bidar to Gulbarga via Humnabad. The station nearest the temple is not named here, so check before you travel.

• By road

  Humnabad, a city and municipal council in Bidar district, is connected by two national highways NH-65 and State Highway NH-218.

Why devotees come here

Manik Prabhu Temple stands at Maniknagar in Bidar district, Karnataka, on the confluence of the Viraja and Guru Ganga rivulets. Devotees regard Manik Prabhu as an incarnation of Dattatreya, and Maniknagar is a Datta-Peetha, where a guru-parampara guides devotees on their spiritual path.

Manik Prabhu is regarded as an incarnation of Dattatreya by the Datta Sampradaya. Maniknagar is a Datta-Peetha, and a guru-parampara there guides devotees on their spiritual path. Devotees believe that Prabhu still sits in his samadhi and answers their prayers.

Prabhu settled on the banks of the Viraja and Guruganga rivulets in 1845, and the place came to be known as Maniknagar. He attained sanjeevan samadhi, a state of meditative, blissful consciousness. His samadhi is the centre of the Samsthan's activities. Shri Manohar Prabhu completed the construction of the Samadhi Mandir, the main temple of Shri Manik Prabhu.

A messenger of Peshwa Nana Sahib, Ranga Rao, came to Maniknagar seeking support for the independence movement. The Samsthan is linked to the First War of Independence. It celebrates Datta Jayanti and the Gyarahvi of the Sufi saint Mehboob Subhani with equal fervour.

Festivals

• Margashirsha PournimaDatta Jayanti

  A seven-day Mahotsava for Prabhu's birth anniversary. It ends with a nightlong Prabhu Darbar, where the Peethadhipati gives darshan and prasad.

Tips for your visit

• The Samadhi Mandir is the main temple, and Prabhu's samadhi is the nucleus of Maniknagar.
• The Prabhu Darbar on the final night of Datta Jayanti runs all night, and the Peethadhipati gives darshan and prasad, so plan your travel with that in mind.

Questions people ask