Bhimashankar
Located within the Ghat region of Sahyadri Mountains in Maharashtra, the Bhimashankar temple is a Jyotirlinga shrine, much revered by devotees coming from all over the state. There are people who come to the temple from other states too. It is also the source of the river Bhim that flows southeast, ultimately merging with the mighty Krishna River near Raichur. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, and thus, it has tremendous religious importance among Hindus.
If you are a religious person, you should certainly visit this temple. But there are those who come here even to see the architecture of the structure. The architecture of the temple combines both new as well as old school of Nagara style. You will be able to see skills achieved by ancient Viswakarma sculptors. Nevertheless, it is a modest yet poised structure that dates back to the 18th century. Many famous people have patronized this temple over the years. The legendary Maratha ruler Shivaji made endowments for the benefit of devotees who come to the temple for worshipping the deity.
The story behind the name of the temple is interesting too. According to legends, the demon Bhima was lurking in the deep jungles of the lofty Sahyadri hills. He was terrorizing the villagers. It became so bad that eventually Lord Shiva had to come down to Earth from His heavenly abode to admonish Bhima for his misdeeds. But this reportedly had the opposite effect, triggering the demon to strike at the all powerful. This enraged Lord Shiva so violently that he had to use His deadliest weapon on Bhima to reduce the demon to mere ashes. Henceforth Lord Shiva was worshipped as Bhimashankar.
How to reach: You can reach Bhimashankar easily from both Mumbai and Pune. There are several routes for those who are taking the road. Pune is the closest railhead and the airport. You can book a taxi from both these places. It takes a little less than two hours.
Pilgrims who come to Bhimashankar usually stay here for three days. Upadhay’s or priests make lodging arrangements. However you can book your own hotels in Bhimashankar, or home stays in Bhimashankar.
