Bhimashankar Temple: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Bhimashankar Temple is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Ask the temple office on arrival for the day's aarti schedule.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

According to Namdev, a saint in the medieval era, Saint Jnaneshwar went to Tryambakeshwar and then Bhimashankar. Namdev himself has also visited this place.

Bhimashankaram shrine and the Bhimarathi river have been talked about in writings as far back as the 13th century; however, the current construction of the temple seems to be fairly new.

The temple is built in the Nagara style, which combines traditional and modern designs. The temple hall was constructed during the 18th century by Nāna Phadnavis of Peshwa. The village of Kharosi was granted to the temple by King Shivaji. The daily religious observance was funded through the financial resources derived from the people of the area.

Legend & Significance

The shrine is linked to the legendary asura known as Tripura. The story goes that Tripura did penance, and Brahma, delighted with Tripura's penance, manifests and grants him three wishes. Tripura demanded that he be invulnerable to the gods, devils, yakshas, and gandharvas. His three "puras" should be unbreakable, and he should be able to travel anywhere in the universe. All his desires were fulfilled. Tripura embarked on a conquest to subjugate three Loka. Indra, the deity associated with the heavens, was also vanquished. Indra made the decision to seek blessings from the deity Shiva and performed penance. Shiva made a vow to annihilate Tripura.

On the peak of the Sahyadri hills, it is said that Shiva assumed the form of "Bhīmā Shankara" at the behest of the gods, and the sweat that spilled from his body after the battle is said to have formed the Bhimarathi river.

Architecture of Bhimashankar Temple

The architectural style of Bhimashankar is characterised by the use of the Nagara style, which is commonly found in northern India. The building style has some similarities to the Hemadpanthi style, which is common in the Deccan region. It is claimed that the old temple was built on a Swayambhu Shiva Linga.

Furthermore, it can be seen that the Ling is located precisely in the center of the Garbhagriha (Sanctum sanctorum) of the temple. The garbhagriha and antarala are constructed using indigenous stone in the Indo-Aryan architectural style, which is also commonly found in Jain temples. The pillars and door frames of the temple are covered with intricate carvings of deities and human figures.