Sangmeshwar Temple of Sangli is one of the popular temples in the region. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and its most busy time is the Shravana month of the Hindu calendar, during which, it sees a large number of devotees, especially on Mondays.
Shrine’s History
Here the confluence of Krishna and Warna rivers is at Haripur where 700 years ago written Gurucharitra also has mentioned the old Sangameshwar Temple which is in Haripur, the worship of Sangameshwar is done under the name of Markandeya. In the month of Shravan 1000 of devotees visit this sacred place for offering prayers. At the same time, a big festival is also held. In the year 1768, Govind Hari Patwardhan made houses for the Brahmins, which is why the town is known as Haripur as a tribute to Hari Patwardhan.
Shrine’s Map Location and How to Go There
By Road
Bus:The city of Sangli is well connected by MSRTC buses from different cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nasik, Kolhapur, Goa, Hyderabad and a few other cities. There are many private buses that are available as well.
By Rail
Sangli has two major train stations and these are served extensively by many trains from different parts of the country. Miraj Junction and the Sangli Junction are the two main stations and they are connected to different places such as Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Ahmadabad, Pune, Bangalore, Mysore, Goa, Cochin, Surat, Vadodara, Bhopal and many other cities.
By Air
The nearest airport is at Kolhapur which is 48 km away from Sangli, this is one of the fastest ways to reach Sangli is by air. And The nearest major international airport is located at Mumbai and it is situated around 390 km from the place. The Pune airport is located around 237 km from the city of Sangli. Taxis are available from both the places and they charge around Rs 10-15 per km for the trip for non-A/C sedans.
Events Celebrated at This Shrine
Sangameshwar Yatra is annually held on Magh Shukla Paksha Pratipada tithi or the first day during the waxing phase of moon in Magh month as per traditional Hindu lunar calendar followed in Maharashtra.
Extra Information About this Shrine
Best Season to Visit June to October. While going to this place or while coming back to Sangli Bus stand, there is a beautiful Ganesh temple on the way, which you can visit. Parking space is available for 2/4 wheeler outside. Just before entering the Sangameshwar temple main gate, there is a small temple of Vishnu on the left side. Before entering you can take Pooja Sahitya for main Shiva’s temple and Lord Shani and Lord Hanuman temples which are inside. In the main temple, it has very beautiful Shiva lingam. Around the temple, while doing Pradakshina, there are small temples of “Lord Narasimha”, Lord Dattatreya, Lord Kalbhairav, Sant Dnyaneshwar, Vitthal Rukmini Temple, Hanuman Temple and Shani Temple.
Plan to visit in the evening after 5PM, it will be a very peaceful experience. At the backside of the temple, there is an intersection of Krishna and Warna rivers. You can go there from the right side gate of the temple. There is a small temple of ‘Krushnaamaee’ . You can take pride in country boat used to transfer people across the river at the minor charges