Swami Samarth Maharaj

Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj श्री स्वामी समर्थ महाराज
Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj
Religion	Hinduism
Personal
Nationality	Indian
Born	Nrusih-Bhaan
Died	April 30, 1878 Akkalkot, Solapur District, Maharashtra
Disciple(s)	Shree Balappa Maharaj, Shree Cholappa Maharaj, Shree Nrusimha Saraswati Maharaj of Alandi, Shree Anandnath Maharaj of Vengurla, Shree Swamisut Maharaj of Mumbai, Shree Shankar Maharaj of Pune, Shree Ramanand Beedkar Maharaj of Pune
Influenced	Shree Sai Baba, Shree Sant Gajanan Maharaj,Shegaon

"Don't Fear, I am always with you" (Marathi: भिऊ नकोस मी तुझ्या पाठीशी आहे)

Swāmi Samarth Mahāraj more commonly Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj (also known as Akkalkot Swāmi Mahāraj) of Akkalkot (left the physical body in 1878). He was also lovingly referred to as Swami Samartha or Akkalkot Maharaj by his devotees. was an Indian Guru of the Dattatreya tradition (sampradaya), widely respected in indian states of Maharashtra, as well as in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with Shripad Shri Vallabha and Narasimha Saraswati. His existence in physical form is dated in the nineteenth century AD.

Shri Swami Samarth traveled all over the country and eventually set his abode at Akkalkot village in Maharashtra, India. Maharaj first appeared at Akkalkot on a Wednesday around the September–October period in the year 1856 AD near Khandoba Mandir. He stayed in Akkalkot for close to twenty-two years. His parentage & native place details remain obscure to this day. Once when a devotee posed him a question about his life Shri Swami Samarth indicated that he is the origin of the Banyan tree (Vata- Vriksha). On another occasion Swami said that his name was Nrusimha Bhan and that he was from Kardalivan near Srisailam .

Swami himself said that he came from the Kardali forest. He repeatedly visited places like Puri, Banaras (Kashi), Haridwar, Girnar, Kathiawad and Rameswaram as well as China, Tibet and Nepal and stayed at Mangalvedha, a town near Pandharpur in Solapur district before settling down in Akkalkot. He came to Akkalkot in 1856 on the invitation of Chintopant Tol and stayed on the outskirts of the town for 22 years. He stayed at Ganagapura, Karnataka for a long time where he delivered the Nirguna Padukas to his disciples and devotees before leaving for the Kardali forest.