Bhimashankar Temple

About Bhimashankar Temple

Bhimashankar Temple is an ancient Shiva Temple located in the village of Bhorgiriin (in the region of the Sahyadri Mountains), about 125 km from Pune, in Maharashtra. It is also known as Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga. It is situated at an elevation of 3500 feet above sea level. Bhimashankar Temple is a simple yet elegant temple that was constructed in the 13th century. Nana Phadnavis constructed the sabha mandap and shikhara in the 18th century. It is stated that the great Maratha emperor Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj endowed this temple to facilitate religious activities. The Bhimashankaram shrine (as well as the Bhimarathi river) has been mentioned in writings from the 13th century. In front of the temple is an unusual bell in the Roman style. Jesus and Mother Mary are depicted as idols on this bell. Chimaji Appa gave this big bell to the temple. Bhimashankar Temple (Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga) is one among the 12 Jyotirlingas present in India. It is said that after sunrise one who darshans the Bhimashankar temple while chanting the names of the 12 Jyotirlingas every day has all his sins washed away and the person attains salvation.

Mythology Of Bhimashankar Temple

According to the mythological text of the Hindu religion, Shiv Puran, it is said that in the old days there used to be a Rakshasa named Bhima (Son of Kumbhakaran). Bhima was born after the death of his father, Kumbhakaran, he did not know that his father had died at the hands of Lord Shri Ram. As Bhima grew up, he came to know about this, and he started burning the fire of revenge and took a vow to avenge his father’s death. Bhima knew that he could not defeat Lord Vishnu, so Bhima Sur did severe penance to impress Lord Brahma. And being pleased with Bhimasura’s penance, Lord Brahma appeared to Bhimasura and decided to give him the boon he wanted. Bhimasura asked Lord Brahma for immense strength so that even Lord Vishnu could not defeat him. Lord Brahma gave him the boon he wanted. After gaining strength, Bhimasura first defeated Indra Adi devatas and then defeated Lord Indra too. And after that, Bhimasura started conquering the earth. First, he defeated King Sudakshina of Kamrukh and put him in jail. King Sudakshina was a devotee of Lord Shiva. He started worshiping Lord Shiva in jail, and seeing his worship, Lord Shiva appeared, and Shiva killed Bhimasura. All the gods and sages came together and prayed to Shiva, “Give happiness to the people, you should reside here forever.” From then Lord Shiva resides there in the form of Jyotirlinga.

Another story is that a demon named Tripurasura, who wanted immortality, performed penance to please Lord Shiva. And being pleased with Tripurasura’s penance, Lord Shiva appeared to Tripurasura and decided to give him the boon he wanted on the condition that he would use his powers to help mankind. However, over time Triparasur forgot his word and started troubling sages and gods by misusing his powers. And when the gods prayed to Shiva, now it is he who will save us from this trouble. Then Lord Shiva requested his wife Parvati to help him kill Tripurasura. And then both of them appeared as Ardhanari Nateshwara and killed Tripurasura.

How to Reach Bhimashankar Temple

By Road

To reach Bhimashankar temple, first, you have to reach Pune. From here, you have to reach the Shivaji Nagar bus stand which is 4km away from Pune. From here there are continuous buses to the temple every 30 minutes. The distance between the Shivaji Nagar bus stand and Bhimashankar is 110 km. The whole distance will be covered in 3-4 hours.

By Train

The nearest Railway station to Bhimashankar temple is the Karjat Station which is located at a distance of around 164 km. From here you can take a bus or a taxi to reach the temple.

By Air

Bhimashankar does not have an airport. The nearest airport is the Pune Airport which is 105 km away from the temple. From here you can take a bus or a taxi to reach the temple.

Entry Fees and Timings of Bhimashankar Temple

The Bhimashankar Temple (Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga) is open all seven days a week and opens at 4:30 am and closes at evening 9:30 pm. From morning to evening various rituals happen in the temple you can also take part in these rituals. There is no entry fee to visit Temple.

Rituals	Timings
Morning Aarti	4:30 AM – 5:00 AM
Morning Darshan	4:30 AM – 3:15 PM
Nijarupa Darshan	5:00 AM – 5:30 AM
Evening Darshan	4:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Shringar Darshan	4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Evening Aarti	7:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Fairs and Festivals in Bhimashankar Temple

The temple hosts a grand fair on many auspicious occasions. Some of the festivals celebrated at Bhimashankar Temple (Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga) are

Mahashivaratri:- During Mahashivaratri huge fair is organized by temple authorities which last for almost 5 days. For the celebration of Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati’s union, many devotees travel here. To celebrate Mahashivaratri, thousands of Shiva enthusiasts travel here.
Karthik Poornima:- On this day, In all three realms, Lord Shiva truly overthrew the demon empire of Tripura. Karthik Poornima is celebrated on the Purnima (full moon) day or the fifteenth lunar day of Kartik (November–December) month.
Ganesh Chaturthi:- Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated because it is believed that this is the day Lord Ganesha (son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati) was born. The whole temple is decorated with different flowers.
Deepawali:- The festival generally comes in October – November. The temple is decorated with lights and dials. Throughout the day, priests offer special poojas to Lord Shiva.