Храм Бхимашанкар: Одно из двенадцати Джьотирлингамов в Махараштре

Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra

The Bhimashankar Mandir (also known as Bhimashankar or Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga) is a Shiva mandir situated in its eponymous village, Bhimashankar, in Pune district of Maharashtra. It is a key pilgrimage centre and one of the 12 Jyotirlinga in the world. The temple's Shiva lingam is one of the three Jyotirlinga of Maharashtra. The Bhima 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 and Amba Ambika on these hills.

In addition to the Bhimashankar Mandir, devotees also take darshan of the deities of temples present in the vicinity. There is a shrine for Siva Ganams, Shaakini and Daakini, who assisted Shiva in the battle against the demon Tripurasur. There are other temples near the main temple, such as Kamalaja mata, who is an incarnation of Goddess Parvathi and who aided Shiva in his battle against Tripurasur. Behind the Bhimashankar temple is Mokshakund Tirtha. The custom is to take a bath in the kund before proceeding to the temple. The kund 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 to Lord Shani can be seen within the temple's grounds. There is a statue of Nandi in front of the Bhimashankar Shiva 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 antique Portuguese church bell. 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.