Bhimshankara is situated in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra. The easiest way to go there is via Pune. Bhimashankaram is located at Bhuvanagiri village in Puna district of Maharashtra. River Bhima has its source here.
This temple in the Nagara style is an old and not a very large structure. The jyotir Lingam is situated on top of the Sahyadri hill temple. Lord Siva is considered to be taking rest here after the Trpurantaka samharam. The sweat drops of Lord Siva were converted as steam & is running as Bhimarati. New structures have been added. There are two idols of Nandideva. One idol is old, while the other is of fairly recent addition. There is a theertham & a well behind the temple structure. The Bhimashankarar Lingam measures around one and a half feet & quite narrow. The Goddess is worshipped as Kamalaja.
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Far away from the tumult of the urban life, peeping through the white fleecy clouds, Bhimashankar, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, can certainly be termed as a Pilgrim Paradise. The dense forests surrounding the high ranges also play an abode to the rare species of flora and fauna. Situated at the extreme end of the Sahayadri Ranges, this place gives a wonderful view of the world around you, the forts, the rivers and the hill stations around. Bhimashankar is also the source of the River Bhima, which flows southeast and merges with the river Krishna. Endless stretches of virgin forests, lofty peaks that seems to reach out to the heavens and the whispering waters of the River Bhima, Bhimashankar is definitely one of God’s choicest creations. It seems as if Lord Shiva is keeping a silent vigil over the majestic ranges of the Sahayadris. The serenity interrupted only by the silent murmuring of the cool breeze and the occasional chirping of birds, Bhimashankar is definitely a pilgrim’s paradise, a trekker’s delight and a traveller’s sojourn. Want to be a part of this heavenly experience? …Read on.
The Skanda Purana describes the Sparsa Linga of Somnath as one bright as the sun, the size of an egg, lodged underground. The Mahabharata also refers to the Prabhasa Kshetra and the legend of the moon worshipping Shiva.
Eons ago in the dense forests of Dakini, on the lofty ranges of the Sahaydris lived the evil Asura by the name Bhima with his mother Karkati. Compassion and kindness shivered in the presence of Bhima. The divine and the mortals were scared of him alike. But certain questions about his own existence tormented him. Bhima could no longer sustain his curiosity and finally he asked his mother to unveil the mysteries of his life. He urged his mother to tell him who his father was and why had he abandoned them in the wilderness of the forest. It was then revealed to him that he was the son of Kumbhakarna, the younger brother of the mighty King Ravana – the King of Lanka. Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Lord Rama annihilated Kumbhakarna. This infuriated Bhima and he vowed to avenge Lord Vishnu. He embarked on a severe penance to please Lord Brahma. The compassionate creator was pleased by the dedicated devotee and granted him immense prowess. This was a terrible mistake. The evil tyrant caused havoc in the three worlds. He defeated King Indra and conquered the heavens. He also defeated a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva – Kamrupeshwar and put him in the dungeons. All this angered the Gods and they along with Lord Brahma beseeched Lord Shiva to come for their rescue. Lord Shiva consoled the Gods and agreed to rescue them from the tyrants. On the other hand Bhima asks Kamrupeshwar to worship him instead of Lord Shiva. When Kamrupeshwar denied doing that, he raised his sword to strike the Shiva Linga. No longer he managed to raise his sword, Lord Shiva appeared before him in all his magnificence. Then the terrible war began. But then the holy sage Narad appeared and requested Lord Shiva to put an end to this war. It was then that Lord Shiva reduced the evil demon to ashes and thus concluded the saga of tyranny. All the Gods and the holy sages present there requested Lord Shiva to make this place his abode. Lord Shiva thus manifested himself in the form of the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga.
Bhimashanker is seventy-four miles or 110 Kms. from Pune by road. State buses go there from Pune twice a week with more than five hours of bus journey. During the Mahasivaratri festival, when there is a great fair at the temple, buses ply to and fro daily. It is also accessible from Kariat on the Pune - Bombay section of the Central railway. There is not a proper road from karjat to Bhimashankar and only the devotees who wish to go to the temple on foot during festivals use this road. Pilgrims usually stay here for three days. The local upadhyayas or priests make arrangements for the lodging and boarding of pilgrims at a small cost. Visitors are accommodated in either temporary hutments or in dharamshalas near the village. A new dharamshala is under construction.
In some classics like Shiva Leelamrit, Gurucharitra, Stotraratnakar etc., BheemaShankara is described as a woman. Gangadhar Pandit, Ramdas, Sridhar swamy, narahari Malo, Gnaneshwar, and other saints describe BheemaShankara as JyotirLinga.
Historical figures like Chatrapati Shivaji and Rajaram Maharaj were known to visit this shrine. This was a favourite palce for Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath and Raghunath, Raghunath Peswa had a well dug up here. The Diwan of the Peshwar, Nana Phadanvis renovated this temple. A court hall was built by a Pune trader or Sahukar by the name Chimanji Antaji Nayik Bhinde in 1437 AD.
The temple of Bhima Shankara is built in Hemadpanthi style. It is decorated with the Dashavatar statues. These are very beautiful to look at. The Nandi temple is close to the main temple. A huge bell weighing 5 mans(1 man=40 seens) is located close to the temple. It has 1721 AD inscribed on it. When this bell is rung, the entire echoes with its sound.
The worship of BhimaShankar is done, with Rudrabhishek, Panchamrit snan, everyday. The Lord is praised in rich words. On Mondays as well as other days, lot of devotees flock here for Darshan. A big fete (mela) takes place on Maha Shivaratri festival. The natural scenic beauty of this place is wonderful to look at.
There are many places of tourist interest near BheemShankar temple. Among these are Mokshakund, Gyankund, Gupta Bhumeshwar, SarvaAteerth, Papanasini, akhya Teerth, Vyaghrapada Teerth, Sakshi Vinayaka, Gorakhnath Ashram, Daityasamharini Kamalaja devi’s place, Kamalaja lake, Hanuman lake, etc are worth seeing. The Kokan Kagar or Nagphan is a very dangerous palce located at a height or approximately three thousand feet, from were the entire Talahati Kokan area can be seen. It feels like we are being air-borne. It is very difficult to see this “Kokan kagar” sanding. One has to lie down on the ground, near Kagar and then only it can be seen. A person who is seeing this in a prostrate position has to be kept steady by holding his feet firmly. While watching this is frightening, yet beautiful scene one has to chant “Jaya Bheema Shankar Jaya Bheema Shankar”.
Besides the Shiva Temple and the dense forest surrounding it, you can also visit Bombay Point, Gupta Bhimashankar: the origin of Bhima River, Hanuman Tank and Nagphani Point.
