Bhimashankar

Bhimashankar is a Jyotirlinga in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra, listed sixth in the common enumeration. It is one of three Jyotirlingas the tradition itself disputes in terms of location. Alongside Vaidyanath and Nageshwar, more than one site claims to be the true Bhimashankar, and some followers point to places in Assam and Uttarakhand. The Maharashtra shrine near the source of the Bhima river is the one most widely visited in western India.

The Shiva Purana-based tale is that of a powerful asura named Bhima, said to be a son of Ravana's brother Kumbhakarna, who oppressed the world and imprisoned a devout king. Shiva, answering the king's worship, is said to have destroyed Bhima and then settled in the place as Bhimashankar. Local lore links the river that rises in these hills with the god's exertion, though this reflects regional storytelling rather than scripture.

In regional religion the temple is part of a Marathi Shaiva landscape that also includes Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar, so Maharashtra holds three of the twelve. The setting in a forested ghat region gives it a quieter, trek-oriented character than urban shrines. Shravan and Mahashivaratri are the times tradition links with larger crowds. Pilgrims who know the dispute over the site usually visit it with an open mind, treating it as one honoured claim among several rather than a settled matter of fact.