Bhimashankar Temple - The 6th Jyotirling
yam dakinishakinikasamaje nishevyamanam pishitashanaishcha |
sadaiva bhImadipadaprasiddam tam shankaram bhaktahitam namami |
sadaiva bhImadipadaprasiddam tam shankaram bhaktahitam namami |
Bhimashankar is a temple town located about 100 km from pune and 223 km from Mumbai in Western Maharashtra. It is considered to be one of the holiest places in India and is also a popular trekking destination.
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| Bhimashankar Temple, Pune, Maharashtra |
How to Reach
By Bus
- Direct routes to Bhimashankar exist only by road.
- Direct buses to Bhimashankar can be taken from Mumbai and Pune. To get to the town from other places, one has to take a bus to Manchar, from where regular buses leave for Bhimashankar.
By Trek
- One has to take a local train from Mumbai city to Karjat station. A six seater can be hired to take one to Khandas village which is about 40 km from Karjet station. The six seater vehicles charge Rs.700 for a trip from Karjat station to Khandas village, and hence might not be economical for small groups of travellers. There is an alternate 2 stage route that can be taken, which involves taking a State Transport bus from near Karjat station to Kashele village first. At the drop off point of the bus in Kashele village, a shared cab can be hired to Khandas village. The shared cabs charge Rs.20 per person and normally would wait for the cab to be filled with at least nine people before starting the journey. It is to be noted that this wait can take up to half an hour. A short 3 km walk from Khandas village would lead one to a small bridge, from where the trek begins.
- The path from the bridge forks into two pathways. Taking a right turn at the bridge would lead one along the Ganesh Ghat route, while taking a left at the bridge would lead one along the Shidi route. Both the routes lead to the top with the Shidi route being tougher and shorter than the Ganesh Ghat route. The Ganesh Ghat route is recommended for beginners while the Shidi route can be taken by trekkers with medium to advanced experience.
- Those doing the trek to Bhimashankar in the non-monsoon seasons are advised to carry three liters of water as there is a high risk of dehydration due to long stretches of trek being done while being exposed to the sun.
Eat
- You won't find any restaurant or shops for food. Better to carry our own food.
Accommodation
- Pilgrims usually stay here for three days. The local upajjhayas (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. There are several hotels near Bhimashankar. Places like Shinoli and Ghodegaon are good for staying near Bhimashankar. Accommodation at Bhimashankar mainly comprises two bungalows (with a capacity of 8 beds) and tents.
Story of The Legend
In the ancient times demons by the name Tripurasura become drunk with power. They harassed every resident of Swarg (Heavens), Narak (Hell) and Patal (Nether world). The divines were very scared. Then Lord Mahadev Himself came to destroy Tripurasur. Lord Shankar assumed colossal proportions. Tripurasur feared when they saw this Rudravatar. The fight went on. In the end, Lord Shiva killed the wicked demon and set the there worlds, Tribhuvan, free. Lord Shankar in the form of a huge hunk (Virat) was very tired. In order to get some rest, He settled here on the high area of the Sahyadri mountains sweat started pouring down from His huge body in thousands of streams. It all joined together and collected in a pond or Kund. The river that started from there is known as Bhima, which can be seen even today. Devotees then prayed to Bhimakaya Rudra thus: “In order to save the good people, reside here forever”. Bholenath listened to the devotees and stayed there as a JyotirLinga forever.
There was once a demon called Bhima, whose parents were Kumbhakarna and Karkati. Demon Bhima was harassing and torturing one and all. He was hell bent in the path of destruction of Dharma. Once he asked his mother about the details of his father. His mother told him that his father Kumbhakaran is the younger brother of Ravana, the king of Lanka, who was slain by Sri Ramchandra.
“I am yet to see Lanka; I met your father on some mountains near by, and after you were born, I continued to stay here itself. After my husband was killed, only my parental place became a refuge of sorts for me. My parents are Pushkasi and Karkat. When they went to eat up Agastya the saint, he burned them to ashes with the power of his meditation and Tapas”.
When he heard the story, he was at once eager to take revenge against all the divines along with Hari. He began a severe penance or Tapas, and a pleased Brahma granted him the bon of becoming a very strong man. With this new strength, he captured all the divines including Vishnu and Indra. They were in his control. After this he won a victory over the great Shiva devotee Kamarupeshwar. Kamarupeshwar did not stop his worship of Shiva even when in prison. He performed the Puja with the same devotion, observing all the procedures his wife also joined him in this.
On the other hand, Brahma and Vishnu along with all the other divines started praying Shankara and of asking for deliverance from the wicked Demon King. Shiva assured the divines and sent them home after pacifying them.
Bheema learnt from someone that Kamarupeshwar was making preparations to kill him. On hearing about this, he went straight to the prison and started inquiring into the process and aim of his worship. When he learnt the truth from the king, the wicked Demon called Lord Shiva names and insulted Him and ordered the king to worship Bheema himself instead. When Kamarupeshwar resisted, Bhemma attached the Linga with his sword. Before he could strike, Shiva appeared there. A severe fight ensued in which bows, arrows, swords, axe, the disc and trident etc. were used. In the end, at the request of Narada , Lord Shankar blew a fire and burned the wicked Demon Bheema to ashes. Thus the Devas were released from their sorrows. After this, the divines who were present there, and the saints together pleaded with Lord Shankara to remain there. In view of the welfare of the world, Shiva decided to stay there in the incarnation of Bheemashankar JyotirLinga.
Self-emanating Mahadev, in the shape of a chariot, the mountains have become the abode of BheemaShankara. It is also known as Rathachala. One Bhatirao Lakadhara (wood-cutter) used to live here. Once he was cutting some wood. Just as he struck the tree with his axe, blood started to flow from the earth. Bhatirao got scared and ran away. Soon, a crowd had gathered there. Someone brought a milk cow and made it stand there. The milk that came from the cow’s udders stopped the bleeding of the earth. Surprising everyone, a glowing JyotirLinga of Shankara, emanated from the earth. People built a temple there and installed the JyotirLinga in the temple. This temple eventually came to be known as Bhima Shankara temple.
