He lived during the nineteenth century from 1858 to 1878[citation needed] and is a known spiritual figure in various Indian states including Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Swami Samarth traveled all across the Indian subcontinent and eventually set his abode at Akkalkot, a village in present-day Maharashtra.

According to Swami Samarth himself, he had originally appeared in the Kardali forests near Srisailam, a Hindu holy town in present-day Andhra Pradesh.

[8][7] Swami Samarth is also believed to have visited Maniknagar, Karnataka to meet Manik Prabhu, an Indian saint and mystic considered to be another incarnation of Dattatreya.

During this period, Manik Prabhu and Swami Samarth often sat under a cluster fig tree (Audumbar in Marathi) and had conversations on profound spirituality.