Pune: Bhimashankar Temple to Remain Closed During Mahashivratri
Pune, 8th February 2026 : In view of the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027 scheduled to be held at Nashik, and based on the experience of Maha Kumbh 2025 at Prayagraj, it is anticipated that lakhs of devotees visiting Nashik–Trimbakeshwar during the Kumbh Mela period are likely to visit Shri Kshetra Bhimashankar as well. Considering the possibility of nearly one lakh devotees visiting daily, the Government of Maharashtra has approved a Special Development Plan for the holistic development of Shri Kshetra Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple, which is one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas. The development plan is specifically designed for Kumbh Mela 2027 – Crowd Management and Devotee Facilities.
Under this development plan, multiple infrastructure projects have been undertaken to provide safe, systematic, and modern facilities for devotees. These include construction of a new grand assembly hall (Sabhamandap), development of safe entry and exit systems, improvement of the stairway access route, and establishment of essential crowd management facilities. The administration’s primary objective is to complete all required infrastructure works before the Kumbh Mela.
Considering the anticipated heavy footfall during the Kumbh Mela, the existing Sabhamandap was found to be inadequate in capacity. Therefore, construction of a new and larger Sabhamandap along with improvement of the stairway route has been undertaken. Since the main Sabhamandap has been completely dismantled, it is not feasible to carry out the construction work while simultaneously allowing daily darshan due to the large number of devotees visiting the temple regularly. Additionally, during the execution of the project, large quantities of construction material, heavy stones, and machinery have been placed within the temple premises. Given the nature of the construction work, geographical conditions of the area, and the large number of devotees, keeping the temple open during this period would pose serious safety risks.
To ensure the safety of devotees and to complete the development works within the stipulated time frame, a decision was earlier taken to temporarily close the temple for three months, excluding the Mahashivratri period.
However, after reviewing the current pace and scale of the ongoing construction work and reassessing safety concerns, it has been observed that large-scale stone masonry work is presently in progress and the construction material and heavy stones cannot be relocated. Therefore, it is not safe to open the temple for darshan even during the Mahashivratri period.
Shri Kshetra Bhimashankar is located in a region receiving extremely heavy rainfall during June to September, during which construction work cannot be carried out. Hence, it is essential to complete the development work within the limited available working period, making it necessary to accelerate the construction activities.
Considering all these aspects, the earlier decision to keep the temple open during Mahashivratri has been revised. Accordingly, Shri Kshetra Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple will remain closed for regular darshan from 12 February 2026 to 18 February 2026 (Mahashivratri period), clarified District Collector and District Magistrate, Pune, Jitendra Dudi.
Dudi has appealed to devotees and local citizens to understand the seriousness of this decision and extend full cooperation to the Temple Trust, District Administration, Police Administration, and Local Authorities.
