Sri Siddheshwar Temple Solapur
Sri Siddheshwar Temple -Solapur
Sri Siddheshwar Temple is a Shiva temple at Solapur in Maharashtra. It is sacred to Hindus and members of the Lingayat faith. There is a lake within the temple complex.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Siddheshwar who has other forms as Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Therefore, the idol in the temple signifies the holy incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva who went by the same name. Shri Siddharameshwar himself attained Jeeva Samadhi in Shri Siddheshwar temple and lot of crowds visit here to see his Samadhi. A beautiful shrine dedicated to the saint Nalavatvad is found in the garden. There is also a silver-plated Nandi statue here. Vithoba and Goddess Rukmini temple and temples of various other gods are also situated in this huge temple complex. Siddheswar temple is surrounded by a beautiful and large lake called Siddheshwar Lake. It is believed that the lake was created by Sri Siddharameshwar, when all the holy rivers asked for permission to reside in the lake, a legend which makes it really sacred.
The temple is dedicated to its namesake Siddheshwar, a twelfth-century devotee of Shiva who is considered a god in the Lingayat faith and the gramadevata of Solapur. In 1167AD, Siddeshwar attained samadhi and a marble samadhi exists at the centre of the temple today.
History
Shri Siddharameshwar, a yogi and an ardent devotee of Shri Mallikarjuna of Srisailam, built Siddheshwar temple. Shri Siddharameshwar was ordered by his Guru to return to Solapur and to consecrate many Shiva lingams, when he was on his way to Srisailam. He obeyed his guru’s order and started his work in Solapur by making this temple. Shri Siddharameshwar had installed 68 Shiva Lingams in total.
It is said that the city of Solapur began to prosper at the birth of Shri Siddheshwar, who is also considered as the sixth god of the Lingayat faith, and devotees seek the blessings of this deity
The best time to visit the temple is the Makar Sankranti festival in mid-January,when a grand celebration takes place for three days. Gadda Yatra, a local fair, is arranged for fifteen days in the vicinity of the temple. The temple is in honour of Siddheshwar, a devotee of Shiva.
On Makarsankrati, there are annual pilgrimages called ‘Gadda’. This is when the Gadda Yatra celebration begins and continues for 15 days. A procession called the ‘Procession of Kathis’ is conducted at the temple.
