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The
Siddheshwar Lake and the temple along with the fort on its western bank
attract a large number of devotees of Solapur City and neighboring
states for its unique spiritual, heritage, cultural and ecological
identity. The temple located as an island within the large lake measures
about 36 acres in area. The lake was developed by Shri Siddheshwar in
1180 A.D.
Today it is looked on as a ‘Tirthkshetra’,
this tirtha also
provided ‘Jeevan’ to the people of Solapur for almost 700 years, till
the municipal waterworks (Ekruk Lake) started supplying water to the
city in 1881.
The famous Gadda Yatra is celebrated during Makar Sankranti i.e. 14
January of every year for about 15 days.
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The
management of the lake and the temple and various religious, spiritual
and charitable activities are being handled by the trust called ‘Shri Siddheshwar Devsthan Panch
Committee’ (SSDPC) since 1889. In 1956,
the Lake Reformation Committee (LRC) was formed under the chairmanship
of the Collector, Solapur, and accorded the Tirthkshetra status for the
Siddheshwar Temple Complex in 2004.
Siddheshwar Lake became the ecological haven for aquatic flora and
fauna. Till about a decade ago it was also a site for migratory birds.
Few wastewater outlets fromthe peripheral roads, markets and surrounding
regions are directly connected to the lake, idol immersion, disposal of
garbage, defecation of surrounding places by people, which in turn
pollutes the lake water.
Solapur city has been facing severe draught conditions for the last
three-years resulting in poor recharging of the lake. Hence the water
level in the lake has reduced to its lowest. The conservation measures
are taken under the NLCP with the following objectives:
• to increase the recharge process and retaining capacity of the lake.
• to improve the existing environmental, social, recreational and
religious infrastructure and architecture in the vicinity of the lake
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• to improve the environmental status of the catchment area, thereby
curbing the sources of pollution in the lake.
• to incorporate energy conservation and environment friendly technology
for improving, both physically and aesthetically the surrounding areas
and thus enriching the pilgrims and visitors experience of the lake and
temple complex.
The
restoration work of Siddheshwar Lake will be implemented by the SSDPC
and managed and monitored by the LRC. The LRC, which comprises of
members from the SSDPC, the Collector of Solapur District, the
Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Solapur, other Govt. bodies
and Peoples’ representatives.
Getting There
By Air:
The nearest International Airport from Solapur is
Pune International Airport,
Maharashtra, roughly four hour drive from Solapur.
Pune International Airport
is well connected to major cities by flights to Nagpur, Bangalore,
Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad & other destinations through Air
India, Air India Express, Indigo, Jet Airways and Spice Jet.
Nearest Airport:
Solapur Airport, Solapur (No
scheduled commercial air service at this time).
By Rail: Solapur falls on the rail line connecting Hyderabad to Mumbai.
It is around 400 km from Mumbai. Regular trains are available to Mumbai,
Pune, Hyderabad and other parts of the state and country.
By Road: Being at the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka, Solapur is
very well connected by roads and is 45 km from Tuljapur, 73 km from
Pandharpur, 95 km from Paranda, 274 km from Pune, 300 km from Hyderabad.
You can take Solapur to Kolhapur buses and various other cities.
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