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Har Har Mahadev

06 / 12 · Sixth Jyotirlinga

भीमाशंकर

The sweat of a warbecame a river.

📍 Bhimashankar · Khed, Sahyadri Hills, Maharashtra

Deep in the Sahyadri, inside a wildlife sanctuary that shelters the Indian giant squirrel, the sixth jyotirlinga sits where the Bhima river begins. It is the only one of the twelve you reach through a forest.

Darshan & timings Read the legend

Source ofThe Bhima river

InsideBhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary

Home toThe Shekru — Indian giant squirrel, Maharashtra's state animal

Photo: Mechatron00 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Checking…Timings Booking Before you go Reach Photos FAQ

A demon born of Kumbhakarna.A battle fought at dawn.A river made of what it cost.

The legend

Why Shiva is here, and not somewhere else — as the Shiva Purana and local tradition tell it.

The son of Kumbhakarna

Bhima, born to Kumbhakarna's widow Karkati, grew up in the Sahyadri not knowing his father had been killed by Rama's side. When his mother told him, he set out to make the gods pay for it.

The king who would not stop praying

Bhima conquered the world and imprisoned the devotee-king Kamarupeshwar for worshipping Shiva. In his cell the king made a lingam of earth and worshipped anyway. Bhima raised his sword to smash it.

What the battle left behind

Shiva emerged from the lingam and the fight that followed shook the hills. The demon was reduced to ash. The gods asked Shiva to remain on the ridge, and he did — and the sweat of that battle, running off his body, became the Bhima river, which still rises here and flows all the way to the Krishna.

Source of

The Bhima river

Inside

Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary

Home to

The Shekru — Indian giant squirrel, Maharashtra's state animal

Style

Nagara, with 18th-century Nana Phadnavis additions

Darshan

Timings & the daily aartis

Times shown in IST. The status above is live against the temple's published hours.

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Now in India--:--

Morning5:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Afternoon & evening12:30 PM – 9:30 PM

The temple opens at 4:30 AM with Kakad Aarti and closes around 9:30 PM. A short Naivedya break falls around noon. Timings occasionally tighten during renovation work — confirm at bhimashankar.in before a long drive.

Aarti & ritual schedule

4:30 AM – 5:00 AMKakad AartiThe waking aarti
5:00 AM – 5:30 AMNijaroop DarshanThe lingam seen unadorned
5:00 AM – 6:00 AMPanchamrit Abhishek
7:00 AM – 8:00 AMMaha Puja
12:00 PM – 12:30 PMMadhyanh AartiNaivedya
7:30 PM – 8:15 PMSandhya AartiEvening
9:00 PM – 9:30 PMShayan Aarti

ⓘTimings change on festival days, during Shravan and at short notice. Verified 13 August 2026 — confirm against the official temple portal before you travel.

Booking

Darshan, aarti & registration

What can be booked, what is free, and where the official channel actually is.

General darshan

Free and unticketed. On ordinary weekdays the queue is short; Shravan Mondays are a different matter entirely.

VIP / quick darshan

A paid quick-darshan pass is available at the counter on busy days. There is no large online booking system here.

bhimashankar.in ↗

Abhishek

Panchamrit abhishek and sponsored puja are arranged at the temple office in the early morning; ask on arrival.

Before you go

Dress code, rules & what it costs

Dress code

Men

Modest clothing. Traditional dress is preferred for abhishek in the sanctum.

Women

Saree, salwar-kameez or anything covering shoulders and knees.

Not permitted inside

Leather itemsPlastic in the sanctuaryLoud music on the forest roadFeeding the wildlife

What it costs

DarshanFree
VIP passPaid at counter on busy days
ParkingNominal
Sanctuary trek guideOptional, arranged locally

Practical advice

There is a long flight of steps down to the temple from the parking area, and back up afterwards. Factor it in.
The MSRTC bus from Shivajinagar, Pune leaves around 4:30 AM and takes about three and a half hours for ₹150–₹250.
The forest road is genuinely narrow and winding. Do not attempt it after dark if you can avoid it.
Trekkers can come up the Shidi Ghat or Ganesh Ghat routes from Khandas — a serious half-day climb.

Getting there

How to reach Bhimashankar

Khed, Sahyadri Hills, Maharashtra — 19.0722°N, 73.5361°E

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By air

Pune International

~110–125 km

Nearest airport, three to four hours by taxi through the ghats. Mumbai is ~220 km.

🚉

By rail

Pune Junction

~110 km

The practical railhead, with connections from Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Karjat is nearer as the crow flies but the road is worse.

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By road

By bus or car

Direct

MSRTC buses from Pune Shivajinagar (3.5 hrs). Taxi from Pune runs ₹2,500–₹3,500 one way. From Mumbai it is roughly five hours via Karjat.

🗺️ Open in Google Maps ↗

When to come

Best time to visit

November to February is the most comfortable. The monsoon (Aug–Sep) turns the Sahyadri spectacularly green and is the best time for the sanctuary — but the road is slippery and the mist can be total. Avoid April–May heat.

Maha ShivaratriFeb / MarThe temple's biggest day; a fair fills the hillside.
Shravan MondaysJul / AugVery heavy footfall — start before dawn.
Kartik PurnimaNovLamps lit through the temple complex.
Tripurari PurnimaNovDeepotsav at the shrine.

Around the shrine

What else is here

Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary

Surrounds the temple

Dense Sahyadri forest, the last stronghold of the Indian giant squirrel.

Hanuman Lake

~1 km

A quiet forest pool a short walk from the temple; good chance of spotting the Shekru.

Gupt Bhimashankar

~1.5 km

The hidden origin point of the Bhima, in a fold of the forest.

Nagphani viewpoint

~4 km trek

The Cobra Hood — a cliff edge with a vast drop into the Konkan.

Photographs

Bhimashankar in pictures

Freely-licensed photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Each is credited to its photographer.

Bhimashankar temple — Photo: Pradeep245 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Bhimashankar temple, Maharashtra — Photo: ସୁରଥ କୁମାର ପାଢ଼ୀ · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

⚖Images are reused under their Creative Commons licences. Follow any photograph to its Commons page for the full licence terms.

Questions

What pilgrims ask

How do I reach Bhimashankar from Pune?

MSRTC buses run from Shivajinagar, the first around 4:30 AM, taking about three and a half hours for ₹150–₹250. A taxi costs ₹2,500–₹3,500 one way.

Is there a trek to Bhimashankar?

Yes — the Shidi Ghat (ladder route) and Ganesh Ghat routes climb from Khandas near Karjat. Shidi Ghat is steep and exposed; Ganesh Ghat is longer and gentler.

Is Bhimashankar worth visiting in the monsoon?

The Sahyadri is at its most beautiful then and the sanctuary comes alive. But the ghat road is slippery, visibility drops to nothing in mist and leeches are common on the trek routes.

Are there steps down to the temple?

Yes, a substantial flight from the parking area down to the shrine — and the same climb back. Anyone with mobility difficulty should plan for it.

Can I see the Indian giant squirrel?

Often, especially in the early morning around Hanuman Lake and along the forest path. It is Maharashtra's state animal and Bhimashankar is its stronghold.

Which other jyotirlingas are near Bhimashankar?

Trimbakeshwar near Nashik (~200 km) and Grishneshwar near Ellora (~350 km). All three are in Maharashtra and are commonly done as one circuit.

Have you had darshan here?

Light a lamp for Bhimashankar and it stays lit across the site — your progress towards all twelve is remembered on this device.

Page last updated 13 August 2026 · All twelve jyotirlingas