Bhimashankar Temple

About

The Bhīmāśaṅkara Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Śiva in the village of Bhīmāśaṅkara, in Khed taluka of Pune district, Maharashtra, set on a Sahyadri ridge about 110 kilometres from the city of Pune. It is one of the great pilgrimage centres of the Śaiva tradition and houses one of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas — one of three found in Maharashtra.

The shrine sits within the Bhimashankar forest range, a wildlife sanctuary known for rare plant and animal species. The Bhīmā River rises near the temple village, and the nearby hills of Manmad preserve old rock carvings of Bhīmāśaṅkara himself, of Bhūtagaṇas, and of the goddesses Ambā and Ambikā.

The present temple is carved in dark stone and combines Nāgara-style architecture with elements of the Hemādpanthi Deccan tradition. References to the Bhīmāśaṅkara shrine and the Bhīmārathī river appear in writings as early as the thirteenth century, although much of the temple in its current form dates from later improvements. The sabhā maṇḍapa (central hall) and the śikhara were extended and refined in the eighteenth century by Nānā Phaḍṇavīs, the celebrated Peshwa-era statesman.

History

References to a shrine at Bhīmāśaṅkara reach back to the thirteenth century, in writings associated with the saints Jñāneśvar and Nāmdev. Chhatrapati Shivaji is said to have granted the village of Kharosi to the shrine, and the daily ritual life of the shrine was supported through endowments drawn from the surrounding country. Chimaji Appa, brother of Peshwa Bajirao I, presented a great bell to the temple after his army's victory over the Portuguese at the Battle of Vasai (Bassein) in February 1739 — one of several Portuguese church bells brought back from that campaign.

Significance

Bhīmāśaṅkara is held to be one of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas — the principal radiant manifestations of Śiva on the earth. According to legend, Śiva took the form of Bhīmāśaṅkara on the peak of the Sahyadri to overcome the asura Tripura; the Bhīmārathī river is said to have arisen from the sweat that poured from his body after that battle.