Pune: Bhimashankar Temple Sees Massive Pilgrim Rush on Second Monday of Shravan

Pune, 25th August 2026: The Bhimashankar temple and surrounding area witnessed a heavy influx of devotees on the second Monday of the holy Shravan month on August 24, amid dense fog, intermittent rain and chilly weather.

The temple was opened for devotees after the Maha Pooja shortly after 5 am. The chants of “Bhimashankar Maharaj Ki Jai” echoed through the temple premises as around 2.5 lakh devotees visited the shrine and offered prayers at the sacred Shivling.

The temple witnessed a huge rush over the weekend due to the Saturday-Sunday holidays, with around one lakh devotees visiting over the two days. A large crowd continued to arrive on Monday.

Devotees from the Konkan region have also been reaching Bhimashankar on foot via Karjat and Khandaj, using the Bailgadi Ghat and Ganpati Ghat routes. Despite the slippery pathways in the ghats due to rain, pilgrims have continued their trek to the temple.

Bhimashankar is one of the prominent pilgrimage sites among the 12 Jyotirlingas and is also a popular tourist destination. The number of visitors rises sharply during Shravan. Devotees have continued to visit despite rain, dense fog and cold weather.

The temple administration has facilitated darshan through a mukh darshan facility and passes to help manage the crowds.

For devotees’ safety, police personnel from the Ghodegaon and Khed police stations were deployed. The security arrangement included one police inspector, three assistant police inspectors, nine police sub-inspectors and 102 male and female police personnel.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) operated a shuttle service between the parking area and bus stand using 40 large buses, under the supervision of traffic controller Maruti Khaladkar.