Manik Nagar
The Spiritual Heritage
was Sri Manik Prabhu Maharaj of Bidar district.
The seer who set up the Manik Prabhu Samsthan in 1845, became the source of all spiritual knowledge.
Devotees hailed him as the Sakala Mata Acharya or the scholar of all faiths who practiced what he preached. He was a philosopher with few peers. He wrote interpretations of great scriptures that remain reference books on the traditional Indian religion. He also wrote poetry in Sanskrit, Marathi, Urdu, and Kannada.
Manik Prabhu influenced rulers like the Hyderabad Nizam and several religious preachers.
He chose a hamlet near Humnabad to set up his Ashram. Originally, his devotees built a small hut for the Guru. Later, another hut was constructed for the Gadi or the Spiritual Seat, which in time to come was to be associated with the living spirit of Shri Manik Prabhu Maharaj. Sitting on the Gadi, he would give audience and his very Darshan.
He organised Bhajans where people participated irrespective of caste, creed, faith or religion.
With the passage of time, the number of devotees increased, and there was need for dwelling places for the devotees. Legend has it that while the Guru's residential quarters were being built, a gang of robbers stole materials from priest and workers. However, they got lost in the jungles, repented and returned the goods.
As the need arose, more temples and buildings came up in Maniknagar. Many of the devotees also decided to stay there and constructed their own houses. Manik Prabhu's brother, Nrisimha, who was working at the darbar of the Nawab of Kalyan, resigned from his post and came to Maniknagar to assist in the management of the spiritual center's activities. His experience in court administration was of great assistance and he could put the ideas of Manik Prabhu in actual practice. He saw to it that the place was protected from wayward robbers, who were abundant in those days. Similarly Manik Prabhu's elder brother Hanumant Dada took upon himself the responsibility of providing food and shelter to the devotees.
In the beginning it was decided that only Brahmacharis and Sanyasis should be permitted to stay in Maniknagar but this rule had to be relaxed when Mother Bayadevi and brother Nrisimha came to stay in Maniknagar. Many householders were also eager to make Maniknagar their place of residence, so that they could always be in the service of Manik Prabhu. Along with the construction of dwelling places, an extended hall was constructed for the Manik Prabhu's Darbar to accommodate more and more devotees visiting Maniknagar. Slowly, regular discipline and some form and decorum came to be established.
Often, philosophical discussions and spiritual discourses were conducted in Manik Prabhu's Darbar. People from far and near would come with their doubts and Manik Prabhu- who had not received any formal education in the scriptures- seemed to be better versed in the scriptures than the philosophers in his Darbar and was able to clear all doubts with great ease.
Such was the graceful presence of Manik Prabhu that his very Darshan would assuage all the misery of a person. They would be absorbed in the Bhajans and all thoughts of the world would be forgotten.
Once, a devotee who wanted to test the spiritual powers of Manik Prabhu, had vowed to offer to Manik Prabhu, one sugar candy, which would have cost one paisa at the most, if his wishes were fulfilled. After his wishes were fulfilled he came to Maniknagar, with a bagful of sugar. Manik Prabhu could see that the devotee wanted to show his great generosity in offering a bagful of sugar while he had to offer only one sugar candy, worth one paisa. Seeing the trace of arrogance in this act and with the intention of teaching him, Manik Prabhu picked with great humility, only one paisa worth of sugar. He attained Sanjeevini Samadhi in 1865. The Manik Prabhu Mandir is built over this Samadhi.
The lineage continues.
Marthand Manik Prabhu
Manik Prabhu was not only a poet and philosopher, but also a connoisseur and promoter of arts. He invited musicians to Manik Nagar and perform. He routinely organized performances in his Darbar. The seers who followed him kept alive the spiritual and cultural aspects of the legacy.
Sri Marthand Manik Prabhu, the third Peethadhipati, was not only a Vedic scholar, but also a musicologist. He wrote the book Gaan Marthand that traces the roots of music and philosophy to the same strains of spiritualism.
He was himself an accomplished player of Pakhawaj, a percussion instrument. He also was a great patron of Indian classical music. Maestros like Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, Ustad Abdul Kareem Khan Saheb, Ustad Rahmat Khan Saheb and Pandit Bhaskar Buva Bakhle all performed before him and were honoured by him.
He further strengthened the ecclesiastical tradition started by Manik Prabhu. He declared that the only aim of all faiths was love and therefore, there was no scope for enmity between followers of two faiths. ``Just as the bees select honey irrespective of the type of the flowers, our Sampradaya believes in collecting all the essentials from all religions, creeds and beliefs and offering them in collected form at the feet of Shri Prabhu,'' he said.
He said that the traditional Indian faith was ``so liberal that even atheism of the atheists is symbolised as our God''. The followers of such Dharma can never have enmity with any other beliefs, he said.
He started the magazine Sakalamatacharya Manik Prabhu to spread the good word across regional and linguistic boundaries. He was called “Abhinava Shankaracharya”. He was a tireless writer in Marathi, Hindi and Kannada. His abhangas are full of philosophical truths. His books, ‘Guru Sampradaya', ‘Mahamauna Shataka' and ‘Manik Nirvikalpabodha' have proved immensely beneficial for the followers of the sampradaya in understanding its true values.
He took as much interest in the temporal matters of Maniknagar as he did in rejuvenating the spiritual aspirations of the devotees of the Sampradaya. During his time he extended Shri Manik Prabhu Maharaj's Samadhi - Mandir and constructed Devi Venkamma's Temple, Bhandarkhana, Naubatkhana and many other grand buildings in Maniknagar.
The Music legacy
The Samsthan has a distinct music legacy. For 165 years now, Manik Nagar, has been hosting music festivals.
Musicians of international repute descend on Manik Nagar in Humnabad taluk to perform at the Manik Prabhu Mandir, during the Datta Jayanti celebrations for 10 days in the first fortnight of the month.
"Almost all those whom you want to listen to in your lifetime, have been here at least once," recalls Dnyanraj Manik Prabhu, who heads the Samsthan now.
Cultural ambassadors of India such as Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Hariprasad Chourasia, Rajan Mishra and Sajan Mishra and popular performers such as Zakir Hussain, Sangeetha Katti and Lata Mangeshkar, have performed here.
The performers have included Grammy-award winner Vishwamohan Bhatt, Rajan Mishra and Sajan Mishra, Dr N. Rajam, Ronu Majumdar, dhrupad singers Gundecha brothers, Ulhas Kashalkar who represents the Gwalior and Jaipur gharanas, Malini Rajurkar known for her tappa and tarana singing, Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande of the Jaipur-Atrauli tradition, Khayal singer Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Sangeeta Katti and kathak dancers Mangala and Raghavraj Bhatt. Senior artists like Pandit Yashwant Bua Joshi, of the Gwalior gharana has been honoured him with a title of Samsthan Darbari Gayak.
Senior proponents of classical music such as Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, and Hariprasad Chourasia, and star performers such as Zakir Hussein and Lata Mangeshkar, have also rendered service at the Mandir.
Music CDs of last year's performances are available at the Samsthan Ashram. Copies can be ordered by e-mail to maniknagar@gmail.com. The office can also be contacted by phone (08483-270042). CDs of bhajans and religious discourses in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi and Kannada are also available.
4. The institution
The ashram has evolved into an institution of social change in the last six decades. It now runs 19 educational-cultural institutions, including schools for the visually challenged in Humnabad and Raichur, and an orphanage. A charity hospital is also coming up in Manik Nagar.
The institutions – Sri Manik Prabhu Public School- Sri Manik Prabhu High School -Sri Manik Prabhu Pre University College -Sri Manik Prabhu Hostel -Sri Manik Prabhu Orphanage -Sri Manik Prabhu Library -Sri Manik Prabhu School for the Blind -Sri Manik Prabhu Veda Pathashala -Sri Manik Prabhu Sanskrit Pathshala -Sri Manik Prabhu Sangeet Vidyalaya -Sri Manik Prabhu Kreeda Mandal
The lineage Sri Manik Prabhu – Sri Manohar Manik Prabhu -Sri Marthand Manik Prabhu -Sri Shankar Manik Prabhu -Sri Siddharaj Manik Prabhu -Sri Dnyanraj Manik Prabhu
6. Manik Prabhu's legacy in popular culture
Born in Ladawanti in Basava Kalyan taluk in 1817, he went around the country in search of spiritual enlightenment before settling in a hamlet near Humnabad. The sleepy village later came to be known as Manik Nagar after its illustrious master.
People of different faiths believed him to be reincarnation of Dattatreya or Mehboob Subhani.
His philosophy is all the more relevant today, when divisive forces get ready to rip off India on the basis of language, culture and religion. A saint like Manik Prabhu who showed the way of syncretic thinking and worship shines like a beacon.
He also leaves behind the fusion of the sublime spiritualism and the worldly pleasure of the arts like music. He continues to be an eternal influence. Manik is among the most popular names in this region. One comes across several people named Manik in all communities in north Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra. People name businesses, shops and social service organizations after the saint.
Rishikesh Bahadur Desai
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