“Holy Shiva Temple in the Sahyadri Hills.”
Bhimashankar Temple is one of the 12 holy Jyotirlinga Shiva Temples of India. It is located at the western edge of the Sahyadri Hill range in Maharashtra, and is about 120 km from Pune by road. One has to travel up to Manchar on the Pune Nashik highway and then take a left turn to Bhimashankar. It is about 65 km from Manchar.
After reaching the temple entrance we had to walk down about 250 steps to reach the shrine. Luckily the steps are covered by an awning all the way down so it was not very hot. Be careful of the monkeys though, on the way. There are small shops to buy the offerings like coconut, sweets and flowers lining both sides of the stairway. There are some snacks and tea stalls as well.
The temple itself is well organised with railings to keep the rush of devotees in an organised queue. It was a Monday when there is maximum rush of devotees but we were able to get a darshan within the hour. The priest was kind enough to let us give an offering of milk on the Shiva lingam at the centre of the sanctum. There are some priests sitting outside the sanctum who take offerings in cash to perform specific pujas like abhishek. One can also sit outside the sanctum on the floor for a while to pray and meditate on the Lord, ‘Om Namah Shivaay’.
Legend has it that the Lord Shiva had fought with the demon Bheema, the son of Kumbakarna, and reduced him to ashes in a flash of lightning. Hence the name of the site became Bhimashankar. The river Bhima (formed by the sweat which flowed from Shiva’s body) also originates here and flows southwards to join the River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh.
After reaching the temple entrance we had to walk down about 250 steps to reach the shrine. Luckily the steps are covered by an awning all the way down so it was not very hot. Be careful of the monkeys though, on the way. There are small shops to buy the offerings like coconut, sweets and flowers lining both sides of the stairway. There are some snacks and tea stalls as well.
The temple itself is well organised with railings to keep the rush of devotees in an organised queue. It was a Monday when there is maximum rush of devotees but we were able to get a darshan within the hour. The priest was kind enough to let us give an offering of milk on the Shiva lingam at the centre of the sanctum. There are some priests sitting outside the sanctum who take offerings in cash to perform specific pujas like abhishek. One can also sit outside the sanctum on the floor for a while to pray and meditate on the Lord, ‘Om Namah Shivaay’.
Legend has it that the Lord Shiva had fought with the demon Bheema, the son of Kumbakarna, and reduced him to ashes in a flash of lightning. Hence the name of the site became Bhimashankar. The river Bhima (formed by the sweat which flowed from Shiva’s body) also originates here and flows southwards to join the River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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