Bhimashankar Temple

As per the Shiv Mahapuran, once Brahma (the Hindu God for creation) and Vishnu (the Hindu God for protection) had an argument about creation.[2] To test them, Shiva pierced the three worlds with a huge, endless pillar of light, the Jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma split their ways to search downwards and upwards, respectively, to find the end of the light in either direction. Brahma lied and said he found out where it ends, while Vishnu accepted defeat. Shiva showed up as the second pillar of light and cursed Brahma, telling him that he would never be included in ceremonies again while Vishnu would be worshipped forever. The Jyotirlinga is the supreme, partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. The Jyotirlinga shrines, thus, are places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.[3][4]

The twelve Jyotirlinga sites are named after the god who lives there, and each one is seen as a different form of Shiva.[5]

At all of these places, the main image is a lingam, which stands for the endless stambha pillar and represents Shiva's endless nature.[5][6][7]

The twelve Jyotirlinga are Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Himalayas, Bhīmāshankar in Maharashtra, Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra, Vaidyanath in Jharkhand, Nageshvara Jyotirlinga at Dwarka in Gujarat, Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Grishneshwar in Maharashtra. [1]

Stone bull

Bell at the temple

The sanctum of the Bhimashankar Temple is on a lower level and is made up of both old and new Nagara-style buildings. It demonstrates the exceptional craftsmanship of ancient Vishwakarma sculptors. The temple dates from the 13th century. In the 18th century, Nana Phadnavis built the Sabhamandap. He also designed and built the shikhara. It is stated that the great Maratha king Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj endowed this temple to facilitate religious ceremonies.[8][1]

As far back as the 13th century CE, people wrote about the Bhimashankaram shrine and the Bhimarathi river. It is reported that Saint Jnaneshwar visited Tryambakeshwar and Bhimashankar. A Roman-style bell may be found in front of the temple. Chimaji Appa donated this big bell.[8]

On 16 May 1739 Chimaji Appa amassed five big bells following his victory over the Portuguese from the Vasai Fort. He offered one here at Bhimashankar and the others in Menavali near Wai in front of a Shiva temple on the banks of the Krishna River, the Banshanker Temple in Pune, the Omkareshwar Temple in Pune, and the Ramlinga Temple in Pune (Shirur).[8]

There are Buddha-style carvings of Amba-Ambika, Bhootling, and Bhimashankar in the hills of Manmaad near Bhimashankar at a height of 1034 metres. A big bell in the Hemadpanthi structure built by Nana Phadanavis is a feature of Bhimashankar. Places that can be visited in the vicinity include Hanuman Lake, Gupt Bhimashankar, the origin of the River Bhima, Nag Phani, Bombay Point, and Sākshi Vinayak. Bhimashankar is a forest reserve of 130.78 km² that was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1985. This sanctuary is a part of the Western Ghats, so it is rich in floral and faunal diversity. A variety of birds, animals, insects, and plants can be seen. A rare animal, the Malabar giant squirrel, locally called "Shekaru," can be found in the deep woods. The Bhorgiri fort is close to Bhimashankar.

There is a shrine known as Kalmaja near the Bhimashankar temple. Kalamaja is a goddess dedicated to a tree named Kalamb. She is a goddess of the local tribes. Hinduism has had a big impact on this area, so there are many stories about her.

The Mokshakund tirtha is behind the Bhimashankar temple, and it is associated with the rishi Kaushika. There are also the Sarvatirtha, the Kusharanya tirtha - where the Bhima river begins to flow eastward, and the Jyanakund.

Bhimashankar is an ancient shrine and one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva. Bhimashankar is a pilgrim's paradise because it is far from the noise of cities and can be seen through the white clouds. The dense forests surrounding the high ranges are an abode for rare species of flora and fauna. Situated at the extreme end of the Sahyadri Ranges, this place gives a wonderful view of the world around the local rivers and hill stations.

Bhimashankar is the source of the Bhima River, which flows southeast and merges with the Krishna River.

It seems as if Lord Shiva is keeping a silent vigil over the majestic ranges of the Sahyadris. Bhimashankar is a trekker's delight and a traveler's sojourn, with only the silent murmur of the cool breeze and the occasional chirping of birds breaking the silence.

The Khed (Rajgurunagar) is the administrative taluka in Pune district, comprising the upper reaches of the Ghod and Bhīmā rivers. The village of Bhorgiri, 50 km northwest of Khed, is home to the Bhimashankar Temple. It is located 127 km away from Pune in the Ghat region of the Sahyadri hills. It is also the location of the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary. It is about 130 km from Pune by road and 62 km away from Manchar. Bhimashankar is in Pune District.

Nearest Airport: Pune

Nearest Railway Station: Pune Junction

Roadways : Regular government buses ply between pune shivaji nagar bus stand (via manchar 60kms)and bhimashankar, Travel time around 4 to 5 hours. Also from Manchar one can find buses to bhimashankar jyotirlinga but frequency is very less. Yatris can book bus tickets online thought MSRTC(Maharashtra official government website). Manchar is a connecting point for bhimashankar, as it is near to national highways. People coming from nasik can alight at manchar and take buses to bhimashankar. Private vehicles(parked behind the manchar bus stand), are available on shared basis for bhimashankar.

Very few or minimal private accommodations are found next to the temple or at the bhimashankar bus stand. One can find MTDC Bhimashankar At Post Rajpur, Tal Ambegoan which is 5 kilometers away from the bhimashankar bus stand. Only people having their own vehicles will find it convenient to stay here, else transport between temple and MTDC will be next to impossible other than walking for a couple of hours. There are few private independent houses available for stay but are bit far away.

Quite a few good restaurants are available for food. For any emergency medicals, few provision stores have some basic medicines, But a good medical shop is found 14kms away at Talegarh, Tale Ghar and one has to arrange his own vehicle transport or go by government buses.

From bhimashankar bus stand to the temple there are two ways to reach, either through steps or through motorways. Some 100 steps downwards leads to bhimashankar temple from bhimashankar bus stand. Doly(palquin) is available for those who cannot climb steps. Also one can arrange vehicles which drops them near to the Sri Rama Temple which is besides Bhimashankar temple.

Bhimashankar temple, Maharashtra

Although the present structure of the temple appears to be of comparatively recent origin, the shrine Bhimashankaram (and the Bhimarathi river) have been referred to in literature dating back to the 13th century. Built-in the Nagara style of architecture, this temple is a modest yet graceful temple and dates back to the 18th century.

It is believed that the ancient shrine was erected over a Swayambhu Lingam (that is the self emanated Shiva Lingam). It can be observed that the Lingam is exactly at the centre of the floor of the Garbagriham (the Sanctum Sanctorum) of the temple. Intricate carvings of divine beings, interspersed with human figurines adorn the pillars and the doorframes of the temple. Scenes from mythology find themselves captured in these magnificent carvings.

Within the temple precincts, there is also a small shrine dedicated to Lord Shani Mahātma (also called Shanaeshwara). The idol of Nandi, Lord Shiva's vāhan (vehicle) has been installed as is the case with all the Siva Temples, just at the entrance of the temple.

This temple is closely associated with the legend of Shiva slaying the demon Tripurāsura associated with the invincible flying citadels, the "Tripurās". Shiva is said to have taken abode in the 'Bhima Shankara' form, upon the request of the Gods, on the crest of the Sahyadri hills, and the sweat that poured forth from His body after the battle is said to have formed the Bhimarathi river.

The Gopura-shikhara of the temple was built by Nāna Phadnavis. The great Maratha ruler, Shivaji is also said to have made endowments to this temple to facilitate the carrying out, of worship services. As with other Shiva temples in this area, the sanctum is at a lower level. The 'Shani temple' is located inside the main complex of the temple of Bhimashankar.

Between the two pillars outside the 'Shani' temple, one comes across an ancient huge Portuguese bell. Behind the temple, there is a small pathway that leads one to the banks of a river. "Stepping out of the Temple, one is awed with a bewitching view of the virgin wilderness, occasionally interrupted by the glimpses of the majestic forts on the surrounding mountains."

History unveils itself in the peaks of the Sahyadris. Bhimashankar – a place where spiritual splendor merges with nature's magnificence is definitely a pilgrim's paradise. There are other temples and shrines, near the main temple. There is a shrine to Kamalaja near the Bhimashankar temple. Kamalaja is an incarnation of Parvathi, who aided Shiva in his battle against Tripuraasura. Kamalajaa was worshipped with offerings of lotus flowers by Brahma.

There is a shrine for Siva Ganams, Shaakini and Daakini who assisted Shiva in the battle against the demon, Bhima. Kaushika Maha Muni is said to have done 'Tapas' (penance) there. The place where he bathed is called Mokshakund tirtham, which is located behind the Bhimashankar temple. There are also the Sarvatirtha, the Kusharanya tirtha - where the Bhīmā river begins to flow eastward, and the Jnyanakund.

Top view of Bhimashankar Temple

https://www.bhimashankar.org.in

• https://web.archive.org/web/20150519081020/http://www.shinoli.com/bhimashankar/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20150407214954/http://bhimashankar.shinoli.com/
• https://templeknowledge.com/about-shree-bhimashankar-temple/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080706012358/http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/TouristDelight/Shrines/Shrines.aspx?strpage=Jyotrilingas_Bhimashankar.html
• https://web.archive.org/web/20090604021424/http://pune.gov.in/tourism/tour_rel.html