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Har Har Mahadev

12 / 12 · Twelfth Jyotirlinga

घृष्णेश्वर

The last shrine.A faith that beat death.

📍 Grishneshwar · Verul, beside Ellora, Maharashtra

A kilometre from the Ellora caves, in red basalt raised by Ahilyabai Holkar, stands the twelfth and final jyotirlinga — the smallest of them all, and the one whose story is about a woman who did not stop believing after her son was murdered.

Darshan & timings Read the legend

CalledThe last Jyotirlinga

Built18th c. by Ahilyabai Holkar, in red basalt

BesideThe Ellora caves — a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Photo: Rashmi.parab · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Checking…Timings Booking Before you go Reach Photos FAQ

A son killed out of jealousy.A mother who kept her routine.A lake that gave him back.

The legend

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

Two wives

The brahmin Sudharma and his wife Sudeha were childless. Sudeha persuaded him to marry her sister Ghushma, a devotee of Shiva who made a hundred and one clay lingams every day, worshipped them and set them in the lake. Ghushma bore a son.

What jealousy did

Sudeha watched the household turn towards her sister, and one night she killed the boy and threw his body into the same lake. In the morning Ghushma was told. She did not scream, and she did not stop — she made her hundred and one lingams, worshipped them, and walked to the lake to set them down.

Given back

Her son walked out of the water alive. Shiva appeared, furious, and would have destroyed Sudeha — and Ghushma asked him to forgive her sister instead. Moved, Shiva agreed to remain there forever, in the name of the woman whose faith had not moved: Ghushmeshwar, Grishneshwar.

Called

The last Jyotirlinga

Built

18th c. by Ahilyabai Holkar, in red basalt

Beside

The Ellora caves — a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Smallest

Of all twelve jyotirlinga temples

Darshan

Timings & the daily aartis

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

—

Now in India--:--

Morning & afternoon5:30 AM – 3:00 PM

Evening5:30 PM – 9:30 PM

A break falls between 3:00 and 5:30 PM. During Shravan and Maha Shivaratri hours extend dramatically — opening as early as 3:00 AM and closing at 11:00 PM.

Aarti & ritual schedule

4:00 AM – 4:30 AMMangal AartiBefore public darshan begins
8:00 AM – 8:30 AMJalhari Saghan
12:00 PM – 12:30 PMMaha Prasad / Madhyanh Aarti
7:30 PM – 8:15 PMSandhya Aarti
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.

Darshan

Free and unticketed. The temple is small, so even moderate crowds fill the courtyard — early morning is a different experience entirely.

Sparsh darshan

Touching the lingam is permitted here, subject to the dress rule for men. This is what draws many pilgrims specifically to Grishneshwar.

Abhishek

Sponsored abhishek and rudrabhishek are arranged at the temple office; ask in the morning.

Before you go

Dress code, rules & what it costs

Dress code

Men

This is the strictest dress rule of the twelve. Men entering the sanctum must remove their shirt and vest and wear a dhoti — bare-chested entry is required. Saffron dhotis are available to hire outside the temple.

Women

Saree or chudidar. Jeans and western wear are not permitted for sanctum entry.

Not permitted inside

Shirts and vests for men in the sanctumMobile phonesCamerasLeather items

What it costs

DarshanFree
Dhoti hireSmall charge outside the temple
Ellora caves entrySeparate ASI ticket

Practical advice

Men: bring or hire a dhoti. Without it you will not enter the sanctum, and this is enforced.
Pair it with Ellora, one kilometre away. The caves are closed on Tuesdays — plan around that, not around the temple.
Come at 6 AM. The temple is small and by mid-morning the courtyard is full.
Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) is 30 km away and is the base for this whole area.

Getting there

How to reach Grishneshwar

Verul, beside Ellora, Maharashtra — 20.0269°N, 75.179°E

✈

By air

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)

~30 km

Flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. Taxi to Verul takes about 45 minutes.

🚉

By rail

Aurangabad (AWB)

~30 km

Connected to Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Hyderabad. Buses and taxis run to Ellora regularly.

🚌

By road

By bus or car

Direct

Aurangabad ~30 km, Pune ~250 km, Mumbai ~350 km, Shirdi ~130 km. MSRTC buses run to Ellora throughout the day.

🗺️ Open in Google Maps ↗

When to come

Best time to visit

November to February is ideal, and doubles as the best season for the Ellora caves. March to May is very hot in Marathwada. The monsoon is green and pleasant but the caves get slippery.

Maha ShivaratriFeb / MarExtended hours from 3 AM to 11 PM; a fair fills the village.
Shravan MondaysJul / AugVery heavy footfall at a very small temple — come at dawn.
Ellora Ajanta FestivalNov / DecMusic and dance staged against the caves.
Tripurari PurnimaNovDeepotsav in the temple courtyard.

Around the shrine

What else is here

Ellora Caves

~1 km

Thirty-four rock-cut Hindu, Buddhist and Jain caves. Kailasa temple, Cave 16, was carved downward from a single rock.

Daulatabad Fort

~15 km

A hill fortress with a legendary spiral defensive passage. A steep, rewarding climb.

Bibi ka Maqbara

~28 km

Aurangzeb's son's memorial to his mother — the Deccan's answer to the Taj.

Ajanta Caves

~100 km

Second-century BCE Buddhist caves with the finest surviving ancient painting in India.

Photographs

Grishneshwar in pictures

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

Grishneshwar Shiva temple Maharashtra — Photo: Ms Sarah Welch · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Grishneshwar Temple — Photo: sowrirajan s from Chennai, india · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Grishneshwar Temple Shiva Jyotirlinga Maharashtra India — Photo: sowrirajan s from Chennai, india · CC BY 2.0 · 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

Do men really have to remove their shirt at Grishneshwar?

Yes. Men entering the sanctum must be bare-chested and wear a dhoti. It is the strictest dress rule among the twelve jyotirlingas and it is enforced at the door. Dhotis can be hired outside.

Can I touch the lingam?

Yes — sparsh darshan is permitted at Grishneshwar, subject to the dress requirement. It is one of the reasons pilgrims make the trip.

How far is Grishneshwar from the Ellora caves?

About one kilometre — walking distance. Note the caves are closed on Tuesdays while the temple is open every day.

Why is Grishneshwar called the last jyotirlinga?

It is twelfth and final in the traditional Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram. Completing it is what completes the yatra.

How much time do I need?

The temple itself takes under an hour. With Ellora, keep a full day; with Daulatabad as well, two.

Which other jyotirlingas are nearby?

Trimbakeshwar near Nashik (~200 km) and Bhimashankar (~350 km). All three are in Maharashtra and form a natural circuit, usually with Shirdi added in.

Have you had darshan here?

Light a lamp for Grishneshwar 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