| Bhimashankar Temple | |
|---|---|
Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga | |
 Bhimashankar mandir in its namesake village | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Pune |
| Deity | Bhimashankar (Shiva Shankar) |
| Festivals | Mahashivratri |
| Location | |
| Location | Bhimashankar village,Taluka- Khed,Pune district, Maharashtra |
| State | Maharashtra |
| Country | India |
  Location in Maharashtra | |
| Geographic coordinates | 19°04′19″N73°32′10″E / 19.072°N 73.536°E /19.072; 73.536 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Nagara[citation needed] |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 26 |
| Width | 14 |
| Temple(s) | 2 |
| Elevation | 934 m (3,064 ft) |
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Bhimashankar Temple is aHindu temple dedicated toShiva situated in itseponymous village, Bhimashankar, inPune district ofMaharashtra. It is a keypilgrimage centre and contains one of the 12Jyotirlingas.[1] The temple's Shivalingam is one of the fiveJyotirlingas of Maharashtra.[2] Themandir is situated on a mountain, 110 kilometers away from Pune. The temple's vicinity has rare plant and animal species.[1] The mandir is located inKhed taluka, in theBhimashankar forest range.[3]
TheBhima River originates from the Bhimashankar village, and the hills of the Manmad village are present near it, there are old rock carvings of the God Bhimashankar,Bhootings andAmba-Ambika on these hills.[2]
According toNamdev, a saint in the medieval era, Saint Jnaneshwar went to Tryambakeshwar and then Bhimashankar. Namdev himself has also visited this place.[4]
Bhimashankaram shrine and the Bhimarathi river have been talked about in writings as far back as the 13th century;[4] however, the current construction of the temple seems to be fairly new.[5]
The temple is built in theNagara style, which combines traditional and modern designs. The temple hall was constructed during the 18th century by Nāna Phadnavis of Peshwa.[6] The village of Kharosi was granted to the temple by KingShivaji. The daily religious observance was funded through the financial resources derived from the people of the area.[7]
He offered one here at Bhimashankar and the others inMenavali, nearWai, in front of aShiva temple on the banks of theKrishna River, the Banshanker Temple in Pune, theOmkareshwar Temple in Pune, and the Ramlinga Temple in Pune (Shirur).[8]
Chimaji Appa (brother ofBajirao I) donated a big bell to the temple, which is visible in front of the temple.[8] This is one of the manyPortuguese colonists'church's bell, which Chimaji and his army brought fromVasai as souvenirs after defeating the Portuguese at theBattle of Baçaim on February 1739. This type of bell is also present at theKhandoba temple and Naro Shankar mandir inNashik.[9][10][11]
The shrine is linked to the legendaryasura known asTripura. 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, andgandharvas. 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 threeLoka.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.[12]
On the peak of theSahyadri 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 theBhimarathi river.[13]
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 theHemadpanthi style, which is common in theDeccan region.[11] It is claimed that the old temple was built on aSwayambhu ShivaLinga.
Furthermore, it can be seen that theLing is located precisely in the center of theGarbhagriha (Sanctum sanctorum) of the temple. Thegarbhagriha andantarala are constructed using indigenous stone in the Indo-Aryan architectural style, which is also commonly found inJain temples. The pillars and door frames of the temple are covered with intricatecarvings of deities and human figures.[14][15]
In the 18th century,Nāna Phadnavis built theSabhamandap; he also designed and built theshikhara. The Maratha KingChattrapati Shivaji Maharaj endowed this temple to facilitate religious ceremonies.[8][13]
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In addition to the Bhimashankar Mandir, devotees also takedarshan of the deities of temples present in the vicinity. There is a shrine forSiva Ganams,Shaakini, andDaakini, who assisted Shiva in the battle against the demonTripurasur.
There are other temples near the main temple, such asKamalajamata, who is an incarnation of GoddessParvathi and who aided Shiva in his battle against Tripurasur.
Behind the Bhimashankar temple isMokshakund Tirtha. The custom is to take a bath in thekund before proceeding to the temple. Thekund is the result of Maha-muni Kaushika's legendary penance here. Additionally, there are the Jnyankund that Dattatreya created and the Sarvatirth connected to the goddess Bhashitadevi. Kusharanya tirth is located to the south of the temple, and it is from here that the Bhima River begins to flow eastward.
A minor shrine dedicated toLord Shani can be seen within the temple's grounds.[11] There is a statue ofNandi in front of the BhimashankarShiva Linga.
The "Shani Temple" is situated within the main complex of the Bhimashankar temple.
Between the two pillars in front of the "Shani" shrine, there is an enormous antiquePortuguese churchbell. Behind the temple, there is a narrow walk that goes to the riverbanks. Outside the temple, there is a large area of forest that is sometimes broken up by forts on the mountains nearby.[clarification needed]
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