Janmasthan
Karanja is a very ancient town. The town is mentioned in 'Patalkhand' of the 'Skand-Purana'. In ancient times, the north-south pilgrim route passed through Karanja. Saints, hermits, pilgrims, and other travelers used to halt here to refresh themselves before continuing their journey.

Dattatreya. Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Maharaj was born in Karanja, in the late 14th century. His name was Narahari. Madhava and Amba Kale were his parents. The janmasthan is located just behind the Gurumandir Temple.

The Childhood and Formative Years
Narahari surprised everyone by uttering the word, 'om' imediately after birth. Besides the word 'om', he did not develop the ability to speak during the normal formative years. His parents were very worried that the boy might be dumb. Narahari realised the worries of his parents and conveyed to them by sign language that he would have the speaking power after the 'Upanayan (thread Ceremony)' and they need not worry but plan his 'upanayan' at the right age. The parents felt reassured and at the appropriate age, performed the 'upanayan sanskar'. To the surprise of all, when as a part of the 'sanskar', Narhari came to his mother for 'bhiksha' and the mother gave the first fistful of 'bhiksha', Narhari recited 'Rigveda' in clear tone. At the second fistful from his mother, Narhari recited 'yajurveda' and then the remaining two vedas. All elders and the 'purohits' who were present were convinced that Narahari had divine qualities. They bowed before him with reverence.

A year after the 'upanayan sanskar', young Narahari left for 'Uttar Yatra (pilgrimage)' and enroute, he took 'Sanyas-Diksha' at Kashi (Varanasi) . He was thereafter named 'Nrusimha Saraswati'.

The Sainthood Years
Shri Nrusimha Saraswati spent most of his life in the Krishna-Bhima basin, which today comprises the tri-state region of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. He had divine powers and the common people from all walks of life experienced his divine abilities over a long period. He had many disciples and his work in vitalising the 'Sanatan Vedic Dharma' was remarkable. He rigorously practised the 'vedic' rituals in his daily life.

Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Maharaj is truly regarded as one of the great pioneers of 'Guru-Parampara'. He preached and convinced the total devotion and unflinching faith in one's `Guru' as the surest path to attaining 'moksha'.

Karanja, Narsobachiwadi, Ganagapur, Oudumber, are some of the prominent places where Shri Nrusimha Saraswati stayed and preached his disciples. He ended his 'avatar-karya' at Shri Shailyam in Andhra Pradesh by wading into the great Krishna River. He told his disciples that some flowers would come back from the river at the place where he entered the river. Exactly as he told, the flowers came and the disciples took them back as 'Prasad-pushpa'.

His life spanned over the late 14th century and greater part of 15th century AD. The 'Guru-Parampara' continues ever after.

Sage Karanj and the legend of Rishi Talav
Sage Karanj had his hermitage here and hosted pilgrims and travelers. He was the famous disciple 'Patanjali' of the great saint 'Vashishtha'. He came to be known as Sage Karanj because his hermitage was situated in Karanj-van. Sage Karanj observed that scarcity of water resources caused great discomfort to pilgrims traveling through Karanja. He started digging a tank to collect rain water as well as water flowing from nearby streams and rivers. Goddess Renuka was immensely pleased with Karanj Rishi's efforts. She blessed him that the tank would have water as sacred as that of the famous rivers such as the Ganga, Godavari, Sharayu, Tapi, etc. She blessed that anyone drinking water from the tank would invariably attain 'moksha'. The tank exists even today and bears the name "Rishi Talav".

River Bemblaa
A small river, known as 'Bembla', originates in Karanja. According to local folklore, the river flows underground for a Old Shivmandirfew miles, before appearing overground. The river too is of historic significance. The river was formed from the drops of the river Yamuna when Yamuna was traveling with Sun, her father. Thus, the water of the river Bemblaa is considered very sacred due to its Yamuna heritage. Nature has granted generous water resources around the town. There are ponds (small lakes), on all sides of Karanja, which store rain water. They lift the underground water levels and are also watering points for cattle, wild animals, and birds.

Tirth-kshetra Karanja
Goddess Shakti made Karanja a permanent abode through her various avatars such as Kamakshi, Ekviraa, Chandravati (Gauri), and Yakshini. It is also stated in the 'Skand-Purana' that 'Chandra' (Moon) was asked to perform penance in Karanja to be relieved of the curse for his evil conduct with his 'Guru-patni', Tara. During his penance, Chandra built a temple for Lord Shiva and a water tank - named as the Chandreshwar temple and Chandra Talaav, respectively. Legend has it that due to the blessings of Sage Karanj, all species of snakes are full protected from their traditional enemies such as eagles and vulttures. In gratitude, the snakes blessed the residents of Karanja with full immunity from snake bites.

Other temples in Karanja
The town boasts of several temples, some more than a 1,000 years old. Some of the more prominent ones are Shri Siddheshwar, Shri Chanreshwar, Shri Nageshwar, Shri Kamakshi Devi, Ekvira Devi, Yakshini Devi, those of Shri Ram (built by the famous Kannav Family of Karanja), Shri Vitthal, Shani Maharaj, Maruti and Shri Dattatreya. There are also a few old 'mathas'. Karanja is also a famous pilgrim centre for the Jain community. There are three beautiful Jain temples in Karanja.

Shri Gurumandir, Karanja
Swami Bramhanand Saraswati, a great disciple of Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati and a renowned Dattabhakta, has been instrumental in establishing Shri Gurumandir. The house where Shri Nrusimha Saraswatiswami was born is owned by the famous Ghude family. They acquired it from the descendents of the Kale family in which Shri Nrusimha Saraswati was born.