Bhimashankar Templeਭੀਮਾਸ਼ੰਕਰ ਮੰਦਰ

What is Bhimashankar Temple?

Bhimashankar is a Shiva temple in its own village in Khed taluka of Pune district, Maharashtra, roughly 127 kilometres by road from Pune, in the Ghat region of the Sahyadri hills. It holds one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most venerated Shiva shrines of Hinduism, making it one of Maharashtra's great pilgrimage centres alongside Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar. Unlike most Deccan temples, it is built in the Nagara style of the north, carved from black stone, with the medieval shrine later expanded under the Marathas. It stands at 934 metres in the Bhimashankar forest range, surrounded by rare plants and animals.

The Bhima river begins here, rising near the temple and flowing southeast to join the Krishna near Raichur. The shrine and the river have been known for centuries: the medieval saint Jnaneshwar is recorded as having visited, and the Bhimashankaram shrine and the Bhimarathi river appear in literature going back to the 13th century.

The Tripurasura legend

Tradition links the shrine to the asura Tripura. The story says Tripura performed such severe penance that Brahma granted him three wishes: immunity from gods, demons, yakshas and gandharvas; three flying fortresses that could not be broken; and the power to travel anywhere in the universe. Armed with these boons, Tripura conquered the three worlds, defeating even Indra, king of the heavens.

At the gods' pleading, Shiva took the form of Bhim Shankara on the crest of the Sahyadri hills and destroyed Tripura. The sweat that poured from Shiva's body after the battle is said to have formed the Bhimarathi, the Bhima river. The self-manifested (swayambhu) lingam at the centre of the sanctum marks the spot where Shiva rested after the victory. Kamalaja Mata, a form of Parvati honoured in a shrine nearby, is said to have aided Shiva in the battle, along with his ganas and the spirits Shaakini and Daakini.

Why does the temple have a Portuguese church bell?

The present temple is a blend of old and new. The core shrine is 13th-century work in the Nagara style, showing the skill of the ancient Vishwakarma sculptors; the sabhamandap (pillared hall) and the shikhara were built in the 18th century by Nana Phadnavis, the Maratha statesman and Peshwa minister. The Marathas patronised the shrine for generations: Chhatrapati Shivaji granted the village of Kharosi to the temple and made endowments for its daily worship.

The strangest object at the temple is a large Roman-style church bell hanging in front of the shrine. Chimaji Appa, brother of Bajirao I, carried church bells back as trophies after the Marathas defeated the Portuguese at the Battle of Baçaim (Vasai) in February 1739. He offered one at Bhimashankar and another at Menavali near Wai, on the banks of the Krishna. A Portuguese bell in a Hindu temple courtyard is a small, unmissable reminder of the Maratha-Portuguese wars.

What can a pilgrim see at the shrine?

As with other Shiva temples of the region, the sanctum sits at a lower level, with the swayambhu lingam precisely at the centre of the garbhagriha. The pillars and doorframes are covered in intricate carvings of deities and human figures, in a style close to the Hemadpanthi manner of the Deccan. Before the sanctum stands a large stone Nandi, Shiva's bull. Behind the temple lies Mokshakund Tirtha, the tank where pilgrims bathe before darshan, born of the sage Kaushika's penance. Within the complex is also a small Shani shrine.

Mahashivratri is the year's great festival, when a fair gathers at the temple and special buses run from Pune. The monsoon and winter months are the best seasons to visit, and the area draws trekkers, bird watchers and nature lovers as well as pilgrims.

The forest and the river around the temple

Bhimashankar sits in the Western Ghats, one of India's great biodiversity regions, and the forest range around it is protected as a wildlife sanctuary. Viewpoints like Nagphani look out over the Sahyadris, and the route from Pune runs through Manchar and the ghats. It is about 200 kilometres from Mumbai. A trip combines easily with Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar, Maharashtra's other Jyotirlingas, into a single Deccan pilgrimage circuit.