Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Circuit

1) Bhimashankar — about 110 km from Pune, set deep in the Sahyadri rainforest at the source of the Bhima river, within a wildlife sanctuary that shelters the Malabar Giant Squirrel. The Shiva Purana tells that Shiva manifested here after slaying the demon Tripurasura; his sweat is said to have formed the Bhima. The Nagara-style temple, with later Maratha additions, sits amid mist and forest trails. 2) Trimbakeshwar — near Nashik at the source of the Godavari, the Dakshina Ganga. It is the only three-faced Jyotirlinga, the lingam bearing the faces of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, worn smooth by time. It is the one temple in India authorised for the Narayan Nagbali and Kalsarpa Shanti rites, and the Kushavarta Kund here is a Kumbh bathing site every twelve years.

3) Grishneshwar — about 30 km from Aurangabad and just 500 m from the Ellora Caves, the twelfth and final Jyotirlinga. Its legend is of the devotee Ghushma, whose unwavering faith in Shiva restored her son to life; the present red-stone temple was rebuilt by Ahilyabai Holkar in the 18th century. As the closing shrine of the all-India yatra, it is where pilgrims complete the full circle of the twelve. The circuit also passes Shirdi (the abode of Sai Baba, en route between the shrines), the UNESCO Ajanta Caves, the Nashik ghats and Sula’s vineyards — so the journey weaves Shiva darshan with some of India’s greatest natural and heritage wonders.