Shri Manik Prabhu

Manik Prabhu was born into Deshastha Rigvedi Bramhin family of Srivatsa gotra on 22 December 1817 (Margashirsha Pournima – Datta Jayanti, Shaka 1739 Eashwar naam Samvatsara) in his grandmother’s native Ladwanti near Basavakalyan (now in the Bidar district of Karnataka). His father name is Manohar Naik and mother name is Baya Devi. It is said that his parents, who celebrated Rama Navmi every year, had a divine vision of Lord Dattatreya on the Ram Navami of 1817 before Prabhu’s birth. It is believed that Dattatreya assured Manohar and Baya that he himself would take birth as their child on Datta Jayanti. Prabhu had an elder brother called Dadasaheb, a younger brother called Tatya Saheb and a sister called Chimanabai. Prabhu lost his father at an early age and thus grew up under the guardianship of his maternal uncle Shri Balwantrao Apparao Kulkarni, who was employed with the Nawab of Basavakalyan.