Bhimashankar - the jyothirlinga in the Sahyadri hill range
Dhakini Bhimashankar is one of the twelve jyotirlingas which is situated near Pune in Maharastra. It is not only a piligrim centre but known for its beauty as a tourist attraction. A brief sketch of this historic temple and the story behind this famous spot are portrayed in this article.
Introduction
Dhakini Bhimashankar is one of the twelve Jyothirlings situated in deep rooted dense forest just 120 K.M away from the city of Pune in the state of Maharastra. It is situated on the extreme end of the Sahayadri Range of mountains. The moment we enter the dense forest on the way to this historic temple, we feel a pleasant feel of atmosphere as if the heavenly things are welcoming us. During Mahashivratri festival, thousands of people throng to this place and worship Lord Shiva with devotion.
The history of the Bhimashankar temple goes back to 13th century which is an exquisitely carved Nagra style. There is a mention in the literature that Saint Gyaneshwar had visit this temple in the 13th Century. The temple was erected over a self emanated Shivaling. Nana Phadnavis, a diplomat of the Peshwas has built this temple. There is a well trodden trail which begins right behind the temple that leads deep into the forest to Gupt Bheema, the origin of the river Bhima which is identified by a waterfall gushes over a stone lingam to mark the exact spot of Gupt Bhima.
Jyotirlingas
Jyotirlingas are the 12 special shrines dedicated to Shiva. Bhimashankar temple is one amongst the 12 shrines which are Somnath, Shri Sailam, Mahakaleshwar, Omkareshwar, Kedarnath, Varanasi, Trimbakeshwar, Vaidyanath, Nageshwar, Rameshwaram, Grishneshwar and Bhimashankar. Incidentally, three jyotirlings namely Trayambakeshwar, Ghrushneswar and Bhimshankar are located in Mahrastra only.The story behind Bhimashankar jyotirlinga
Once there lived a demon named Karkati with her son Bhima in the dense forests of Dakini. Bhima was very ruthless and cruel and he never showed any compassion and mercy on anybody which made everyone scared of him. He was the son of Kumbakarna . Having come to known about his father's death during Ramayn through his mother, the aversion on Lord Vishnu made him to vow avenge
his father's death. (Image source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bhimashankar.jpg)
He started a great penance and Lord Brahma was pleased to this and gave him lot of supernatural powers which later proved to be wrong. The pious activities of the saints and Rishis were disturbed and created havoc everywhere. The dethronement of Indra from heaven angered all the gods who in turn went to Lord Shiva for help. Meanwhile Bhima also defeated a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva - Kamarupeshwar, and ordered him worship him instead of shivalinga which he denied. The demon's anger reached to the peak and he raised his sword to strike the Shivalinga, to which king Kamarupeshwar was doing abhishek and pooja. The moment Bhima raised his sword, Lord Shiva appeared before him and a terrible war took place. The ferocious face of Lord Shiva was terrifying and all the gods requested to put an end to this war. Lord Shiva reduced the evil demon to ashes and thus concluded the saga of tyranny. Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of the Bhimashankar Jyotirlingam at this palce at the request of the holy sages and all the gods to make this place his abode.
People believe that the drops of sweat from Lord Shiva's body after the battle formed the Bhima river and poured into the valley. Another story says that Shiva took the form of Bhima to kill the Demon Tripurasura and the sweat that dropped from his body after the war emerged as River Bhimarathi. The source of river Bhimarathi merges with River Krishna. The lingam here is 'SWAYMBOO". A huge bell inside the temple premises exist which belonged to the Portuguese era.
Bhimashankar Forest
'Shekru' - the giant squirrel is very oftenly seen in the dense forests of Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuary and this sanctuary plays host also to a variety of plants and animal species. There are wild boars, barking deer, porcupines and even leopards. In monsoons one can spot bioluminous fungus on the trees which gives a faint shimmering glow to the tree trunks in the darkness of night.
A thing of beauty a joy for ever for nature's lovers
For Punites and other city dwellers of Maharastra, Bhimashankar is the place to come to, to enjoy the beauties and bounties of nature against the backdrop of a rich Sahyadri Wildlife Sanctuary.
People fond of trekking prefer to visit this place and enjoy trekking through two main trekking trails in Bhimashankar; the Machan trail and the Bhima trail. The Machan trail is very short and it originates right behind the MTDC resort leading through a narrow passage broadening into huge tree laden hills where a small path leads to a small temple dedicated to forest goddess Bhagadevi. Bhima trail leads to an open area with enchanting views of the valley and this trail makes the trekker to enjoy the wide spread mesmerizing beauty of the Sahyadri hill ranges.
Other places to visit
Dimbhe Dam, which is a picnic spot and known for its surrounding scintillating beauty, is very few Kilometers away from this famous Holy place. Dimbhe Dam is a major water source for the surrounding villages like Shinoli, Ghodegaon, Manchar and other villages as well.Wrap up
Thus a visit to Bhimashankar gives a sigh of religious fervor and devotion and also promotes the pilgrims to have the snap shots of the bi-diversity hot spot. The wild life sanctuary where one can spot leopards, barking deer, sambar and hyena would be a scintillating experiences, particularly, the trekkers.
Wonderful description about The famous jyothirlinga Bhimshankra. I have seen this place. This is really good place of India. We feel there like very near to nature.This place keeps a mythological importance for all Indians.I would like to go again there.