The journey was planned a few days prior to departure. Tuljapur , a devotional place holds up to be a kuldevi (Family goddess) - Aai Tulja Bhavani for most of Maharashtrian people. Akkalkot is a home place of Swami Samarth Maharaj, an 19th Century saint who was believed to be incarnation of Lord Dattatreyya.
This journey initiated at 5 AM from my home (Badlapur) in car accompanied by my Mom and Dad . We took the way for karjat-khalapur to join the Mumbai Pune expressway. At 7:30 AM, we were crossing Pune Military Cantonment area and heading for a straight route to Solapur. The overall route was a clean, scenario of a harsh dry regions with many tree skeletons, dried river basins, small farms with a depression of cropping failure. The total roadway sight hold me up to just pronounce 'Dushkali Maharashtra'. Few villages we sighted highway sighted were Patas, Kurkumbh, Ravangaon, Indapur, Themburni, Wadwal and touched Solapur city by 12:10 PM. Obviously, the travel period is quoted quite less but my driving gives such drastic results only.
Later, we took a hotel room at Shivaji Chowk in Solapur city. We got freshened and initiated our journey for Tuljapur, some what 45 kms in East from Solapur city at around 1:45 PM. We skipped our Lunch for some reason and directly Tuljapur at 3:15 PM. The road for Tuljapur was few times village crossing that affected my speed & mileage.
Tuljapur is at an elevation of 648 mt. and specially famous for Aai Tulja Bhavani temple. After car park, the walk starts giving us a view on road market of temple selling various varieties of items alike pooja plates, small to large artifacts and Devi murtis, toys, some snacks & eating stores, etc. crossing this all stuff, we get a view of Tulja Bhavani Temple. We removed our foot wears and visited the temple. We fallen prey to a huge waiting line of 1 and half hour that tested our higher patience. Lastly we got darshan, prayed to Devi for me, my family & all those whom I know or who know me. I known that praying to a shrine cannot help us to get anything but, it might boost your willingness & self confidence.
We then traced back our path to our stay at Solapur. En route, I clipped beautiful sunset (somewhere near Malumbra village) and reached our stay around 7:45 PM.
We had our dinner enchanting a very veg-thali and then got dreamed in our sleep.
Morning rise was a bit late, we packed our luggage back and checked out at 8 AM. Had a delicious Idli - wada breakfast in Solapur city and departed for Akkalkot, some what 43 kms in south to Solapur city.
En route, we halted and visited handloom workshop. As all know that Solapur is famous for its textile industries and more specifically for Solapur chaddars (light blankets OR bedsheets). We made a two full sized bag shopping including chaddars, towels, mattres, etc.
Our journey further continued to Akkalkot gripping us on a very busted road with full of jerky drive. At last we reached Akkalkot around 11:30 AM.
Akkalkot is a small township holding a divine bliss of Great Saint Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj's temple & Math from around one & half centuries and reconstructed as time passed.
Firstly we visited the temple holding up a main shrine, a vatvruksha (Tree where Maharaj use to sit and meditated for very long times. The darshan was a short process and bucked up quickly.
Later we visited Swami's Math where few resemblances are maintained.
Soon we reached the parking lot, made our self comfortable in car and started our journey back to home!!.....
We left Akkalkot city around 1:30 PM tracing back the same distorted route to reach Solapur and further to join Solapur - Mumbai highway. Our returning journey was very dull and lonely. Mom slept at back seat, Dad was busy exploring his mobile & outside nature and I was consciously driving the car at its eco - top speed of around 130 - 140 km/hr. The highway was literally holding around 10-12 vehicles in a patch of around 1 km, so less was the traffic density. We took a Lunch hold at Temhurni, and again started our same routine. I was aiming to reach my home till 7 in eve which was quite impossible but was struggling hard to make it possible.
Around 5 PM, we were crossing the Hadapsar region and was about to reach Pune in around 20 kms. At that instance, we observed many planting nurseries around us, patched on the highway side. We took a stop and visited one of them and bought beautiful rose saplings.
Later, we reached Pune, crossing via Akurdi & Nigdi regions we joined the Mumbai Pune expressway. The speedy ride continued till Khalapur exit and their by we continued to Badlapur via Khalapur, Karjat, Neral, Vangani & standed our foot in Badlapur at 8:15 PM.
Here by, comes end of my Solapur - Tuljapur - Akkalkot drive !!!
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| En route caption |
This journey initiated at 5 AM from my home (Badlapur) in car accompanied by my Mom and Dad . We took the way for karjat-khalapur to join the Mumbai Pune expressway. At 7:30 AM, we were crossing Pune Military Cantonment area and heading for a straight route to Solapur. The overall route was a clean, scenario of a harsh dry regions with many tree skeletons, dried river basins, small farms with a depression of cropping failure. The total roadway sight hold me up to just pronounce 'Dushkali Maharashtra'. Few villages we sighted highway sighted were Patas, Kurkumbh, Ravangaon, Indapur, Themburni, Wadwal and touched Solapur city by 12:10 PM. Obviously, the travel period is quoted quite less but my driving gives such drastic results only.
 |
| snapping dad at Kurkumbh(En route) |
Later, we took a hotel room at Shivaji Chowk in Solapur city. We got freshened and initiated our journey for Tuljapur, some what 45 kms in East from Solapur city at around 1:45 PM. We skipped our Lunch for some reason and directly Tuljapur at 3:15 PM. The road for Tuljapur was few times village crossing that affected my speed & mileage.
 |
| Tuljapur Top view |
Tuljapur is at an elevation of 648 mt. and specially famous for Aai Tulja Bhavani temple. After car park, the walk starts giving us a view on road market of temple selling various varieties of items alike pooja plates, small to large artifacts and Devi murtis, toys, some snacks & eating stores, etc. crossing this all stuff, we get a view of Tulja Bhavani Temple. We removed our foot wears and visited the temple. We fallen prey to a huge waiting line of 1 and half hour that tested our higher patience. Lastly we got darshan, prayed to Devi for me, my family & all those whom I know or who know me. I known that praying to a shrine cannot help us to get anything but, it might boost your willingness & self confidence.
 |
| Tuljapur Local markets |
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| Candid of Lovely childhood in Tuljapur |
 |
| Myself |
 |
| Mom & Dad |
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| Tuljapur Temple |
We then traced back our path to our stay at Solapur. En route, I clipped beautiful sunset (somewhere near Malumbra village) and reached our stay around 7:45 PM.
 |
| Coco & cloudset |
 |
| Dark Fantasy Sunset from malumbra |
We had our dinner enchanting a very veg-thali and then got dreamed in our sleep.
Morning rise was a bit late, we packed our luggage back and checked out at 8 AM. Had a delicious Idli - wada breakfast in Solapur city and departed for Akkalkot, some what 43 kms in south to Solapur city.
En route, we halted and visited handloom workshop. As all know that Solapur is famous for its textile industries and more specifically for Solapur chaddars (light blankets OR bedsheets). We made a two full sized bag shopping including chaddars, towels, mattres, etc.
Our journey further continued to Akkalkot gripping us on a very busted road with full of jerky drive. At last we reached Akkalkot around 11:30 AM.
Akkalkot is a small township holding a divine bliss of Great Saint Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj's temple & Math from around one & half centuries and reconstructed as time passed.
Firstly we visited the temple holding up a main shrine, a vatvruksha (Tree where Maharaj use to sit and meditated for very long times. The darshan was a short process and bucked up quickly.
 |
| Swami's Vatvruksha |
 |
| Swami's Vatvruksha |
Later we visited Swami's Math where few resemblances are maintained.
Soon we reached the parking lot, made our self comfortable in car and started our journey back to home!!.....
We left Akkalkot city around 1:30 PM tracing back the same distorted route to reach Solapur and further to join Solapur - Mumbai highway. Our returning journey was very dull and lonely. Mom slept at back seat, Dad was busy exploring his mobile & outside nature and I was consciously driving the car at its eco - top speed of around 130 - 140 km/hr. The highway was literally holding around 10-12 vehicles in a patch of around 1 km, so less was the traffic density. We took a Lunch hold at Temhurni, and again started our same routine. I was aiming to reach my home till 7 in eve which was quite impossible but was struggling hard to make it possible.
 |
| Scenes at Plantation Nursery |
Around 5 PM, we were crossing the Hadapsar region and was about to reach Pune in around 20 kms. At that instance, we observed many planting nurseries around us, patched on the highway side. We took a stop and visited one of them and bought beautiful rose saplings.
 |
| Last caption of Car at Hadapsar |
Later, we reached Pune, crossing via Akurdi & Nigdi regions we joined the Mumbai Pune expressway. The speedy ride continued till Khalapur exit and their by we continued to Badlapur via Khalapur, Karjat, Neral, Vangani & standed our foot in Badlapur at 8:15 PM.
Here by, comes end of my Solapur - Tuljapur - Akkalkot drive !!!
Mast re..:-)
ReplyDeleteGood going Sagar!!
ReplyDeleteVery nice SAGAR!!! All information here...
ReplyDeleteVery nice SAGAR!!! All information here...
ReplyDeleteThank you Raj
ReplyDeleteThank you Srinath Srirangam
ReplyDeleteThank you brother, Sagar Mahajan
ReplyDelete