Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with
Among the 12 sacred shrines of Lord Shiva known as the
Jyotirlingams, the one nearest to me was the one which eluded me the longest!
The 11 others are located all over India. The one I visited first was the
farthest –Kedarnath, which is over 2000 Km away! Bhimashankar is barely 200 Km from
Mumbai, and yet I had to wait for years.
Bhimashankar gets its name from the two things that define
its existence – the river Bhima, which originates here, and the temple of
Shankar, or Shiva, which gives it importance.
As with most temples, there are plenty of legends associated
with this one too. While some speak of Lord Shiva vanquishing the asura (demon)
Tripura here, there are others which speak of the demon Bhima (not to be
confused with the heroic Bheema of the Mahabharata). It is said that Bhima was
the son of Kumbhakarna, the brother of Ravana. Bhima was brought up amidst
these mountains by his mother, who kept her son ignorant of his lineage. When
Bhima at last learnt of his father’s death at the hands of Rama, he was
consumed by hatred for Lord Vishnu, and sought to kill the Lord. He prayed to
Brahma and obtained boons which made him invincible; and wreaked havoc on earth
and heaven alike. At last, gods and mortals begged Lord Shiva for help, who
defeated the demon after a long and arduous battle. Bhima repented for his
actions as he drew his last breath, and Shiva blessed him by staying on at this
place, and joining the demon’s name to His. It is also said that the sweat of
the Lord flowed as a river, and thus, the river Bhima was born.
An ancient Deepasthamb - a pillar to light lamps on |
The temple is a simple and modest one, first constructed
sometime in the 13th century. However, most of the present temple
dates back to the 18th century when it was reconstructed by the
Peshwas.
A newer Deepasthamb |
The village of Bhimashankar is situated at a higher level,
and to reach the temple, we have to climb down a long flight of stairs.
While the temple pillars and spire lack the intricate
details seen in many other temples of the same period, there are quite a few
detailed figures in stone all around the outer walls of the temple, representing
both divine and human beings.
There are also figures depicting saints, probably
representing some of the great ones who visited this temple in ancient times.
Bhimashankar is most known as a place of pilgrimage, but its
location amidst the dense Western Ghats makes it an ideal place for nature
lovers as well as trekking enthusiasts. There are many trails around the
temple, easy as well as tough. The trail leading to the origin of the Bhima
river is a popular one, as is the one leading to the highest point of these
hills, affording a wonderful view of the hills and valleys.
We, however, could not try either of these, since I am not
in any condition to trek. We did however; explore a little, taking the path to
the place where the Bhimashankar lingam was originally found, at a spot on the
banks of the Bhima, near its origin. This place is called ‘Gupt Bhimashankar’,
or the secret Bhimashankar, and the trek is a reasonably easy one, taking us
through the dense forests of the Bhimashankar Wildlife sanctuary. These forests are home to the Malabar Giant Squirrels, but we were unable to spot any. If you go, tread quietly and keep an eye out for them!
There is no shrine here, but simply a small Shiva Lingam on
the rocks smoothed by the passage of water over the centuries.
A little way further is a small shrine, to Lord Ganesh, who
is called Sakshi Vinayak – the one who bears witness to our visit to this
shrine!
What I loved the most about Bhimashankar was the proximity
of the temple to the forest. The village housing the temple is tiny, and most
people who work at the shrine and in the shops around, are villagers, coming
from even smaller villages located somewhere within these jungles. Our guide to
Gupt Bhimashankar was one such woman, who sells medicinal herbs near the
temple, and lives in a village somewhere near the foothills. She was an old
woman, but walking through these forests was such a regular part of her life,
she barely looked at the ground she was stepping on. We, on the other hand, had
to frequently stop and clamber over some fallen tree trunk, pick our way up or
down a steep incline or side step some manure! However, walking with her
through that dense forest made this trip more interesting and memorable than
just another temple visit!
The visit to Bhimashankar was indeed memorable in more ways
than one. The walk to Gupt Bhimashankar was a wonderful tryst with nature, but
on the way, the journey somewhere turned spiritual when we met these people
walking barefoot, carrying water on their shoulders....
I wrote about them earlier, on Spice Flair, but it’s been a
while now, and their story of faith is well worth repetition. These are
Kanwariyas – who bring water from sacred rivers to be offered to Lord Shiva.
This is a common practice all over India, and Kanwariyas are most commonly seen
in the north, where they carry water from the Ganga to shrines near their
homes. They walk barefoot, wear simple clothes, mostly saffron in colour, and
carry the water pots on their head or on their shoulders. They rest little
during the journey, since they will not place the pot on the ground. The man we
met was from a village on the foothills – he was an educated man, who toiled in
a factory for a living, and worked as a priest in his spare time. Twice a year,
however, he donned saffron robes and dropped all other work to carry water for
the Lord – from the point of origin of the Bhima River, to the temple of
Bhimashankar. This offering symbolised the very reason the temple existed – the
victory of Shiva over the demon, and Bhima offering himself to the Lord.
Exactly at noon, their offering reached the Lord, and their
devout shouts resounded all over the mountains – Har Har Mahadev! Such is faith
indeed. And it was then that the thought struck me – the Lord indeed had a
reason for making me wait so long before calling me to visit this abode of His.
He obviously wanted me to experience Him in a different light – not as an idol
in stone, but as an entity who lives in the midst of nature, who lives in those
who believe!
Information:
- Location: Bhimashankar is about 250 Km from Mumbai, and 100 Km from Pune
- How to Reach:
- By Air: The nearest airport is at Pune, though the international airport at Mumbai might be more convenient.
- By Train: The nearest railway station is at Pune, which is well connected to all parts of India
- By Road: The best way to visit Bhimashankar is to hire a car from Mumbai or Pune. MSRTC runs buses from both cities, however, buses aren’t very convenient because of the location of the temple. They take too long a time to traverse the distance, and the frequency is not too good.
- If you like to trek, it is easier and better to take a train to Karjat, and hike to the temple. There are two routes, both well used, but it is still advised to hire locals as guides.
- Where to stay : There is absolutely no provision for accommodation at Bhimashankar, unless you are able to persuade the priests or locals to allow you to stay in their houses. It is better to stay at Mumbai or Pune and make a day trip to the temple.
- The only interesting accommodation nearby is the Blue Mormon Resort. It is located slightly away from the main road, so is approachable only if you have your own vehicle. The resort is located about 2 Km away from the temple, though it is a good place to relax and explore the Wildlife sanctuary
Thanks for sharing Anuradha!
ReplyDeleteIts a pleasure, Aabha!
DeleteWonderful comprehensive account!
ReplyDeletecomprehensive, is the right word, Deepak! thought of cutting it down, but couldnt!!! glad u liked it though!
DeleteAnu jee
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures and description. I believe It is when Lord calls we reach his abode , otherwise whatever try we do to get there does not help. For me it was one of the best posts. My first jyotirling was Bhimashankar and that too by trek . I visited around 4 years ago when I didn 't know anything about bhakti much .
Thanks a lot for sharing.
Thanks so much, Vishal! I completely agree.. we can never visit any temple until he calls us! i have yet to trek to the temple, but have a son who wants to... who knows, if He calls again, and makes me walk, well!
DeleteVery nice!! From the pictures, it looks like the crowds that we see in other Jyothirlingas are absent.
ReplyDeleteThanks Aravind, it was crowded, but not packed with people. and I tried my best to click, avoiding the people :D there were quite a lot of people even at Gupt Bhimashankar, though there it was easier to click avoiding them :D
DeleteOne of the most famous jyotirlinga in India ..... Dedicated to Lord Shiv...
ReplyDeleteThanks
Property in NCR
Very informative post... Thank you
ReplyDeleteDear Anuradha Madam, When you have visited Bhimashankar? I mean, the date??
ReplyDeleteYesterday, I have visited Bhimashankar along with my family and the rush was very heavy (Due to Shravan month), continuous rains and we could see Bhagawan's Mukh Darshan only.
It will be a good idea to inform your blog followers about the time of your visit so that we can take as much pleasure and blessings as possible. Kind Regards. Sai Prashanth Hariharan. Mumbai
Hi, kindly tell us about sanitation facilities please. I plan to take my elderly parents there in next few months.
ReplyDelete