Bhimashankar temple is a famous ancient temple located on the hills of Sahyadri in Maharashtra and is one among the twelve jyotirlinga temple. Bhimashankar temple is in the village of Bhorgiri, 50 km north-west of Khed, near Pune. Bhimashankar is also a popular destination for trekkers. Bhīmashankar is also the source of the river Bhima, which flows southeast and merges with the Krishna river near Raichur.
In recent times, Bhimashankar has acquired enormous importance since it was declared “SANCTUARY OF THE WILD LIFE”. This sanctuary is part of the Western Ghats, so it is rich in floral and fauna diversity. You can see a variety of birds, animals, insects and plants. In the deep forest you can find a malabar giant squirrel locally called “Shekaru”.
The Bhimashankar temple is a compound of old and new structures ans is constructed in Nagara style architecture. It shows the excellence of the skills acquired by the ancient sculptors of Vishwakarma. It is a modest but elegant temple and dates from the 13th century, Sabhamandap was built in the 18th century by Nana Phadnavis. The shikhara was constructed by Nana Phadnavis. It is said that the great sovereign Maratha Shivaji made donations to this temple to facilitate worship. Chimaji Appa collected five large bells after winning a war against the Portuguese at Fort Vasai. He offered one bell in Bhimashankar.
Bhimashankar Temple Open Close Timings:
Morning: 4.30 AM to 3:00 PM
Evening: 4.00 PM to 9:30 PM
Bhimshankar Mandir Darshan Timings::
Nijarup Darshan: 5.00 AM
Shringar Darshan: 4.00 PM to 9.30 PM
Note:
No Darshan for 45 minutes During Madhyan Aarti
Abhishek will be performed daily during temple opening hours.
No advance booking required for these tickets. Tickets to be purchased on arrival at the counter for the same day Pooja.
Dress Mandatory for Abhishek Seva.
Darshan waiting Time: 40 – 60 mins
Dress Code: Any decent outfit is permitted.
Bhimashankar Temple Schedule:
4:30 AM Kakada Aarti
5:00 AM Nijarup Darshan
5:30 AM Regular Pooja,Abhishek starts
12:00 Noon Naivedya Pooja (No Abhishek inside)
12:30 PM Regular Pooja,Abhishek starts
3:00 PM Madhyan Aarti (No Darshan for 45min)
4:00 PM to 930 PM Shringar darshan (No Abhishek inside)
7:30 PM Aarti
9:30 PM Mandir Closed
Note :-
Except Monday, Pradosh, Shravan Mass, Mahashivratri – Present Abhisheka (Abhishek inside temple ) till 2.00 PM.
On Monday, Pradosh, Shravan Mass, Mahashivratri – Present Abhisheka (Abhishek inside temple ) till 6.00 PM
Bhimashankar Temple History:
Legend has it that the name Bhimashankar came from the Bhima River, which evaporated due to the generation between the war of Lord Shiva and the demon Tripurasura.
According to legend, Tripurasura demon did penance in the Bhimashankar jungle years ago to please Lord Shiva. He hoped that by pleasing the Lord, he would be given immortality. The Lord, pleased with the devotion of Tripurasara, blesses him with immortality provided that Tripurasara uses his blessing for the well-being of the local populations and helps them. If Tripurasara forgets his vow, the Lord would have the right to demand it in any way he sees fit.
Over time, Tripurasara forgot all his promise and started to harass the local population and other deities. Confused peoples and deities approached the Lord to help them. The Lord prayed to Parvati Devi to help him. Together, in the form of “ardh-narya-nateshwar”, On Kartik Poornima day, they killed Tripurasara and the day is now known as Tripurasara Poornima.
After Tripurasara’s death, his wives Dakini and Shakini approached Shiva, questioning their existence without Tripurasara. The Lord has blessed both with immortality.
Bhimashankar Temple Regular Poojas:
1) Abhishek
2) Rudrabhishek
3) Mahapuja
4) Mahapuja-MahaNaivedya
5) Laghurudra
6) Laghurudra-MahaNaivedya
7) Laghurudra-MahaNaivedya-Bhrahman Bhojan
Bhimashankar Temple Yearly Poojas:
Prati Somvar
Prati Pradosh
Prati shivratri
Prati Amavasya
Shravan Somvar
Somavati Amavasya
Mahashivratri
Shavan Mass Pratidin
Bhimashankar Temple Shashvat Poojas:
Rudrabhishek
Mahapuja
Mahapooja + Mahanaivedya
Shravan Monday & Mahashivratra
Laghurudra
Laghurudra with Mahanaivedya
Laghurudra with ‘Brahman Bhojan’
Bhimashankar Temple Yearly Accommodation:
Private rooms are available near Bhimashankar Temple, and nearby Bhimashankar bus stop.
How to Reach Bhimashankar Temple:
By Air
Pune International Airport is the nearest airport which is 125 km away from the temple.
By Train
The nearest railway station is at Bhimashankar. Direct trains available from Pune, Mumbai, Nashik to Bhimashankar at regular intervals.
By Road
Direct buess are available from Pune to Bhimashankar Temple at regular intervals. The first bus starts at 5:30 AM and the last bus is at 4:00 PM.
From Kalyan bus station, the bus starts at 9:00 AM and Ghatkopar from bus station at 11:00 AM.
Bhimashankar Temple Address:
Shivtritha,
Shree Kshetra Bhimashankar,
Nigdale,
Pune District
Maharashtra – 410509.
Other Jyotirlinga Temples are:
1) Somnath Temple in Gujarat
2) Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh
3) Omkareshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh
4) Kedarnath Temple in Uttarakhand
5) Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Uttar Pradesh
6) Trimbakeshwar (or) Tryambakeshwar Shiva Temple in Maharashtra
7) Ramanathaswamy Temple in Tamil Nadu
8) Grishneshwar Temple in Maharashtra
9) Vaidyanath Temple in Jharkhand
10) Nageshwar Temple (or) Aundha Nagnath Temple in Gujarat
11) Srisailam Mallikarjuna Swami Temple in Andhra Pradesh