Bhimashankar

The shrine is linked to the legendary asura known as Tripura. The story goes that Tripura did penance, and Brahma, delighted with Tripura's penance, manifests and grants him three wishes. Tripura demanded that he be invulnerable to the gods, devils, yakshas, and gandharvas. His three "puras" should be unbreakable, and he should be able to travel anywhere in the universe. All his desires were fulfilled. Tripura embarked on a conquest to subjugate three Loka. Indra, the deity associated with the heavens, was also vanquished. Indra made the decision to seek blessings from the deity Shiva and performed penance. Shiva made a vow to annihilate Tripura. On the peak of the Sahyadri hills, it is said that Shiva assumed the form of "Bhīmā Shankara" at the behest of the gods, and the sweat that spilled from his body after the battle is said to have formed the Bhimarathi river.

Shiva, also known as Mahadeva and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism.

Read more about [Shiva](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva).

The architectural style of Bhimashankar is characterised by the use of the Nagara style, which is commonly found in northern India. The building style has some similarities to the Hemadpanthi style, which is common in the Deccan region. It is claimed that the old temple was built on a Swayambhu Shiva Linga. Furthermore, it can be seen that the Ling is located precisely in the center of the Garbhagriha (Sanctum sanctorum) of the temple. The garbhagriha and antarala are constructed using indigenous stone in the Indo-Aryan architectural style, which is also commonly found in Jain temples. The pillars and door frames of the temple are covered with intricate carvings of deities and human figures. In the 18th century, Nāna Phadnavis built the Sabhamandap; he also designed and built the shikhara. The Maratha King Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj endowed this temple to facilitate religious ceremonies.

Located in: Pune, Maharashtra.