The Asura Tripura was terrorizing the earth. Shiva appeared as Bhimashankar and killed the demon. The Jyotirlinga stands at the site of their battle.
Bhimashankar is one of the Dwadasa Jyotirlingas. It is situated on a hill in the Sahyadri range in the western state of Maharashtra. It is about 110 kilometers from the important city of Pune by road.
The Temple
The temple is small in size and comprises the ancient shrine as well as a partly restored newer building. The floor of the garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum is at a level much lower than the outside ground, a feature common to many Shiva temples. The Jyotirlinga projects from the floor at the center of the garbhagriha. It is a practice to have the Linga always under flowing water. A pot that hangs over the Linga with water pouring from holes made on its underside provides this.
The worship to the deity is performed thrice daily. The first prayer takes place in the morning. The main worship is at noon when food offerings are placed before the deity. The last worship is performed at four in the afternoon. The rituals are very simple in keeping with the modest nature of the shrine. The main festival is that of Mahashivratri, which attracts hundreds of pilgrims. It lasts over three days.
The Legend
The temple is at the site of the battle between Shiva and the demon Tripura. Tripura undertook severe penance for centuries and, as a result, acquired immense power. He launched his campaign to conquer the universe by defeating Indra and taking over the three kingdoms of heaven, earth and hell. He let loose a reign of lawlessness the likes of which was never seen before. Indra then pleaded with Shiva to vanquish Tripura. Shiva asked Indra to undertake penance in front of his Jyotirlinga in the Sahyadri hills. Pleased with Indra’s compliance Shiva descended on earth in his gigantic or ‘bhima’ form and hence this avatar has come to be known as Bhimashankar. Shankar is an epithet of Shiva.
Shiva and Tripura then engaged in a furious battle. The earth shook violently and was bathed in blood. Tripura had been given a boon by Brahma that he could not be killed until a single missile destroyed his three flying cities. Shiva ultimately hurled his trident on the cities destroying all three simultaneously. He then opened his third eye and the emanating flames consumed the demon. Shiva, tired from the battle, sat down on the hill in the Sahyadri range. The Devas requested that he permanently reside there. Shiva agreed and therefore the shrine has come to be known as Bhimashankar. The sweat falling from Shiva’s body formed the holy river of Bhimarathi, which has many other pilgrimage centers on its banks.
The History
Though the Jyotirlinga has existed there since time immemorial, it was rediscovered around 1350 AD. A woodcutter once struck a tree there and it began to spout blood. He brought his cow to that spot and milked it. When the milk fell on the cut tree the bleeding stopped. Next day a Shiva Linga appeared where the tree stood. The woodcutter erected a small shrine over the Linga and devotees began to flock to worship there.
The oldest part of the present temple was built around 1750 AD. The major patrons were two famous bankers from Pune. Peshwas, the ruling family of Pune, continued the patronage by keeping up the construction work as and when required. Earlier the Maratha emperor Shivaji had given a village to the temple. The revenue from the village was used to meet the operating costs.
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