3 DAY TRIP FROM PUNE | SHIRDI - NASHIK - BHIMSHANKAR

At a distance of 72 km from Shirdi and 44 km from Ahmednagar, Shani Shingnapur or Sonai is a village in Nevasa taluka of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. The village is known for its popular temple of Shani Mahadev, the Hindu god associated with the planet (graha) Saturn. This is one of the most popular Shani temples in India and also among the famous pilgrimage places to visit near Pune.

The idol of Lord Shanidev at the Shingnapur temple is swayambhu and the temple is believed to be a jagrut devasthan, meaning that a deity still resides in the temple. The idol is personified in the form of a black stone which is five and a half feet high installed on an open air platform. There is a trishul alongside the stone as well as a Nandi on its south. In front are the small images of Shiva and Hanuman. An east facing multi deity temple was built west of the Shani idol later. The premises also contain a tomb of Saint Udasi Baba and a temple dedicated .....

At a distance of 600 m from Shirdi Bus Stand, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple is situated in the center of Shirdi town. It is one of the most famous shrines of pilgrimage in India and also prime place to visit in Shirdi.

The Shirdi temple is dedicated to Sri Sai Baba and he is revered as one of the greatest saints ever seen in India, endowed with unprecedented powers and is worshipped as a incarnations of god. Baba first made his appearance in Shirdi as a youth and remained there until his death in 1918. He transformed the lives of those who met him and continuously is doing so even after his Samadhi for those who pray him for his blessings.

The temple complex of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba is spread in approximately 200 square meters. Samadhi Mandir is the main temple in the complex and is the mausoleum where Baba's mortal remains lay preserved. Samadhi Mandir was constructed under the patronage of a millionaire from Nagour, who was an ardent devotee of Sai Baba. The Sai devotee, Shreemant .....

At a distance of 9 km from Nashik Central Bus Station, Muktidham is a marble temple complex located at Deolali Gaon on the suburbs of Nashik. It is one of the popular tourist attractions in the city of Nashik.

Muktidham Temple complex was built by Late Sri JayramBhai Bytco in 1971. An abode of most of the gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion, this splendid shrine displays the replica of all the 12 Jyotirlingas of India. It is believed that a holy darshan of this shrine provides as much virtue as a visit to four holy places, which makes this magnificent shrine a crowded pilgrim center.

It is a magnificent piece of architecture, made with white marble from Makran in Rajasthan. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna in the Muktidham complex. The walls of Krishna temple have paintings depicting scenes from life of Krishna and Mahabharata. These were painted by a noted painter Raghubir Mulgaonkar. Unique to this temple are eighteen chapters of Bhagavad-Gita written on the .....

At a distance of 2 km from Nashik Central Bus Station, Ramkund is the most important sacred bathing tank in Panchavati area of Nashik City. This is one of the popular Nashik tourist places to visit during Kumbh Mela.

Ram Kund, measuring 27 x 12 sq. m was built by Chitrarao Khatarkar in 1696 AD. According to the legend, this sacred bathing tank on the bank of river Godavari is believed to be the spot where lord Rama had taken his bath during their exile. It is also said that the Lord Rama have performed his father's funeral rites in this Kund and hence Ram Kund is also known as Asthi Vilaya Tirtha (Bone Immersion Tank).

Ram Kund is a holy place for Hindus. Devotees believe that a dip in this tank will fulfill their wishes and also free from their sins. There is a popular belief that salvation to the soul of the dead person is easily achieved by immersing their ashes in the holy waters of this tank. Ashes of prominent personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira .....

At a distance of 2.7 km from Nashik Central Bus Station, Sita Gumpha or Sita Gufaa is situated near Kalaram Temple in Panchavati area of Nashik. It is one of the top pilgrimage places to visit in Nashik.

Sita Gumpha is believed to be the place where Sita worshipped Lord Shiva during their exile. The cave, containing the idols of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshmana, can be accessible only through the help of a narrow staircase. The ancient Shivlinga still exists in the cave and is visited by large number of devotees every day. Devotees believed to be the place where Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, abducted Sita.

Outside the cave is a large grove of 5 very old Banyan trees, after which the area is named, Panchavati means 'a garden of five banyan trees'. These trees are said to have been there during the exile of Lord Rama. There is a place called Tapovan where Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, cut off the nose of Surpanakha, the sister of Ravana. The entire Aranya Kanda of Ramayana is .....

At a distance of 28 km from Nashik, Trimbakeshwar or Tryambakeswar is a small pilgrimage town located on the banks of River Godavari at the foothills of Brahmagiri Mountains in Nasik district of Maharashtra. Trimbakeshwar is famous for Trimbakeshwar Temple which is one among the 12 Jyotirlinga temples of Lord Shiva and is also one of the most popular Maharashtra places to visit.

Trimbakeshwar Temple is built by Sri Nana Saheb Peshwa in 1755-1786 AD. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Shiva as Trimbakeshwar. The extraordinary feature of the Jyotirlinga located here is its three faces embodying Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Rudra. A crown studded with precious stones rests on top of this Linga, which is said to be from the age of Pandavas. This crown is decorated with various precious stones like emeralds, diamonds and many other varieties. The crown is displayed every Monday from 4 PM - 5 PM.

The temple is built of .....

At a distance of 30 km from Nashik, Sinnar is a town and a municipal council in Sinnar taluka of Nashik district in Maharashtra. Sinnar is mainly famous for Sri Gondeshwar Temple and Gargoti Museum.

Gondeshwar Temple is situated about 2 km from Sinnar Bus Station and it represents the best example of the Hemadpanti style of architecture. The structure was constructed using the locally available black basalt stone and lime. The temple's origin dates back to 12 - 13th century during Yadava dynasty. Some sources claim that Raj Govinda of Yadava dynasty built this great temple. Yet another tradition assigns the building to Govindaraja, another Yadava king who ruled about the beginning of the twelfth century AD.

It is a Shaiva Panchayatan, or a group of five temples within a large enclosure. The central shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the remaining four temples dedicated to goddess Parvati, Sri Ganapathi, Surya Bhagwan and Lord Vishnu. This is the largest, most complete and .....

At a distance of 111 km from Pune, 124 km from Lonavala, 210 km from Nashik and 224 km from Mumbai, Bhimashankar Temple is ancient pilgrimage center located near Karjat in the Ghat region of Sahyadri hills in Maharashtra. This is one of the top places of pilgrimage in Maharashtra and also one of the best pilgrimage places to visit in Pune.

Bhimashankar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered as one of the 12 holy Jyotirlinga shrines in India, and five in Maharashtra. The other Jyotirlinga shrines in Maharashtra are Vaidyanath near Parli, Trimbakeshwara near Nashik, Grishneshwar near Aurangabad and Aundha Nagnath Temple in Hingoli. Bhimashankar is also the source of the river Bhima, which flows southeast and merges with the Krishna River near Raichur.

It is believed that the original temple of Bhimashankar was built in 12th century CE. However, there is no evidence remains dating to that period have been found. The temple was renovated by Chimaji Antaji Bhide Naik .....