Bhimashankar Temple Guide: Timings, How to Reach and Best Time

By Teerthayan • October 2026

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is a Shiva temple in the Sahyadri hills of Pune district, Maharashtra, about 110 km by road from Pune and roughly five hours by road from Mumbai. It sits inside the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary at the source of the Bhima river, and the regular darshan day runs from 5 am to 9:30 pm. This Bhimashankar temple guide covers how to reach it, timings, the best season and what else to see nearby.

Why Bhimashankar matters

Bhimashankar is counted among the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva. The legend links it to the demon Bhima, son of Kumbhakarna, whom Shiva is said to have defeated here; the river that rises near the shrine carries the same name. The temple is built in the Nagara style from dark stone, with a tall shikhara and carved pillars, and much of the present structure is associated with Maratha-era patronage in the 18th century. If you are planning all twelve shrines, our 12 Jyotirlinga list and yatra guide shows where Bhimashankar fits in a Maharashtra circuit with Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar.

You will occasionally hear that the "real" Bhimashankar is in Assam or elsewhere. Several places claim the name, but the Sahyadri temple near Pune is the one most pilgrims and most Jyotirlinga lists treat as the sixth Jyotirlinga.

How to reach Bhimashankar

There is no railway station or airport at the temple. The last stretch is a winding ghat road through forest, so most pilgrims come by car or state transport bus.

Starting point	Route	Approx. road time
Pune	Via Rajgurunagar (Khed) and Manchar, about 110 km	3 to 3.5 hours
Mumbai	Via the Expressway and Pune, or via the Khed-Rajgurunagar route	4.5 to 5.5 hours
Nearest airports	Pune International Airport; Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai	Continue by road
Nearest railheads	Pune Junction; Mumbai terminals	Continue by road

MSRTC runs buses from Pune (Shivajinagar) to Bhimashankar, more frequently on Mondays and during Shravan. Fit walkers sometimes take the forest trail from Khandas village at the base of the hills, but this is a steep, full-day climb and best done with a local guide in dry weather, not in heavy monsoon rain.

Bhimashankar temple timings

The temple trust's published daily schedule is below. The main darshan hall can be busy, so arriving for the morning aarti or in the early afternoon usually means a shorter queue.

Time	What happens
5:00 am	Temple opens, morning aarti (5:00 to 5:30 am)
5:30 am to 12:00 pm	Darshan and abhishek
12:00 to 12:20 pm	Naivedya (bhog) puja
12:20 to 2:45 pm	Darshan and abhishek
2:45 to 3:20 pm	Madhyan aarti
3:20 to 7:30 pm	Darshan
7:30 to 8:00 pm	Evening aarti
8:00 to 9:30 pm	Darshan, temple closes at 9:30 pm

The temple was closed from January to May 2026 for construction of a new assembly hall and pilgrim facilities, and reopened in mid-June 2026 with shorter hours and, at first, an online pass for darshan. Arrangements have changed more than once since then, so check the current notice on the Shree Bhimashankar temple trust website before you travel, and carry a photo ID.

Best time to visit

October to February is the most comfortable season. The forest is still green after the rains, the ghat road is safer than in monsoon, and mornings are cool. The monsoon (June to September) is beautiful but foggy and slippery, and weekend traffic on the ghat can be heavy. The biggest crowds come on Mondays of Shravan and on Maha Shivratri, which falls on 6 March 2027; expect long queues and limited parking on those days.

What to see around the temple

• Kamalaja Devi Temple: a small shrine near the main temple, visited on the same walk.
• Gupt Bhimashankar and Hanuman Lake: a forest walk to the spot believed to mark where the Bhima river emerges.
• Nagphani: a rocky viewpoint shaped like a cobra's hood, with wide views over the Sahyadri ranges on a clear day.
• Shidi Ghat: an old stone stairway down the hillside with valley views.
• The sanctuary itself: Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary is home to the Indian giant squirrel (shekru), Maharashtra's state animal, and to hornbills and many other birds.

Practical tips for the visit

• Stay overnight at Bhimashankar if you can. It lets you attend the early morning aarti before day visitors arrive from Pune and Mumbai.
• Accommodation near the temple is simple lodges and guesthouses. Do not expect city hotels.
• Carry a light jacket from November to February; the hilltop is noticeably cooler than Pune.
• Abhishek and special puja are booked separately with the temple; they are not part of general darshan.
• Keep food out of sight on forest trails, and do not feed monkeys.
• Mobile signal can be weak in parts of the sanctuary, so save directions and contacts offline.

A simple 4-day plan from Mumbai

A relaxed way to combine darshan with the forest is two nights at Bhimashankar and one in Pune:

1. Day 1: Drive from Mumbai, check in, afternoon darshan, Kamalaja Devi Temple and Hanuman Lake, evening aarti.
2. Day 2: Dawn aarti, forest trail walk, Nagphani viewpoint and Shidi Ghat.
3. Day 3: Final darshan, drive to Pune for Shaniwar Wada, Dagdusheth Ganesh Temple and Lal Mahal.
4. Day 4: Return to Mumbai by the Expressway.

This is the route of our Bhimashankar Yatra from Mumbai, 4 Days / 3 Nights from ₹ 9,500, starting in Mumbai. It includes 3 nights accommodation (2 at Bhimashankar, 1 in Pune), daily breakfast and dinner, all road transfers by private AC vehicle, the sanctuary forest entry fee, the listed sightseeing, tolls and parking, and 24x7 travel assistance. GST, Shaniwar Wada entry, special puja charges, lunch and insurance are extra. If you are also visiting the Jyotirlinga near Nashik, see our Trimbakeshwar temple guide.