Bhimashankar Temple Drops Mandatory Entry Passes for Darshan

Pune, 18th June 1: In a major relief for devotees, the district administration has withdrawn its decision to make entry passes mandatory for darshan at the revered Bhimashankar Temple, one of India’s 12 Jyotirlingas. Devotees can now have direct access to the temple for darshan without an online pass or prior booking from Thursday (June 18).

The Bhimashankar Temple was reopened to devotees on June 15 after remaining closed due to ongoing development work in the temple precinct.

To ensure security and prevent disruptions to construction activities, the administration had initially restricted entry to devotees holding online passes. However, after assessing crowd movement over the past few days, authorities decided to relax the restrictions.

District Collector Jitendra Dudi announced on Wednesday that devotees would be allowed free entry to the temple between 7 am and 11 am every day. Development and renovation work will continue in the temple premises after darshan hours.

Dudi said the administration may consider extending darshan timings until 1 pm after reviewing footfall data over the next month.

“Based on the number of devotees visiting the shrine, we will take a decision on extending the darshan window,” he said.

Meanwhile, a paid ‘Tatkal Darshan’ facility, on the lines of the Trimbakeshwar Temple, will be introduced from June 22. Devotees opting for the fast-track service will be charged ₹2,500 per person and will be able to bypass regular queues for quicker access to the shrine.

According to the administration, bookings for the Tatkal Darshan facility will be available through the official website of the Shri Bhimashankar Devasthan Trust. The revenue generated through the service will be utilised for temple maintenance, repairs and ongoing development projects.

As part of the larger Bhimasha’nkar Heritage Township project, tenders for the proposed heritage settlement development will be floated on June 25, while work orders are expected to be issued by the end of July. Officials said the project would be executed using prefabrication technology to ensure faster completion.

In another significant change, the administration has redesigned the temple’s crowd management system. Earlier, devotees used the same route for entry and exit, often leading to congestion and raising concerns over crowd safety.

Under the new arrangement, devotees will follow a U-shaped movement pattern after darshan and exit through Bhimashankar village, reducing the risk of overcrowding and stampede-like situations.

Officials said the revised arrangements are aimed at balancing uninterrupted pilgrimage access with ongoing conservation and infrastructure development work in the temple area.