The Bhuleshwar Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, situated around 45 kilometres from

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

and 10 km from Pune Solapur highway from Yawat in

Maharashtra, India Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivi ...

. The temple is situated on a hill and was built in the 8th century. There are classical

carvings Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and ...

on the walls. It has been declared as a protected monument. The temple is also known for the folk-tale about it, when a bowl of sweet (''

pedha Peda () or Pera is a sweet dish hailing from the Indian subcontinent. It originated from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. Usually prepared in thick, semi-soft, its main ingredients are khoa, sugar and traditional flavorings including cardamom see ...

s'') is offered to the

Shiva Ling A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional i ...

, one or more of the sweets disappear. Actor-travel writer

Milind Gunaji Milind Gunaji (born 23 July 1961) is an Indian actor, model, television presenter, writer and author, most known for his roles in Marathi and Hindi cinema. He made his first film appearance in 1993's ''Papeeha'' and has since performed in over ...

writes about his experience with this in his book ''Mystical, Magical Maharashtra''. Lord Ganesha, Shiva and Kartikeya in female form

The temple also has an idol of

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

in female attire. It is popular as Ganeshwari or Lambodari or Ganeshyani. This temple is said to have been built in the 1200 century by King

Krishnadevaraya Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the g ...

Location and construction

According to the

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...

the temple was built by Panch

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...

. Also, another temple of king Bharata is built at Bhartgaon near Bhuleshwar temple. Jirnodhar of the Bhuleshwar temple was done during the period of 1230 AD during Yadava Rulers. The fort on which the temple is situated is called the ''Daulatmangal'' fort, also at times referred to as ''Mangalgad''. Black basalt (AA type) rock was brought to construct this temple which is different as compared to surrounding brownish color basalt which has high percentage of calcium (lime - Chuna). The fort was constructed in 1629 by

Adilshahi The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, was a Shia,Salma Ahmed Farooqui, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd., 2011), 174. and later Sunni Muslim,Muhammad Qasim Firishta's ...

general, Murar Jagdev Pandit who, in 1630, looted Pune. He then built the fort to keep a watch on the city. The composition of light here is an interesting phenomenon especially for artists and photographers. It is created by an aisle having ornamental scriptures on the surrounding walls of the Garbhagriha & Antarala on one side & Devkulikas-cells built for various other deities-on the other. There are many tourists who come to see these historical temples.

Surroundings

Many birds migrate here and to Narayanbet, which is fifteen kilometers from here, during summer. The spot is hence visited by many bird-watchers. There are many places to visit around Bhuleshwar Temple. Like Theur Ganapati Mandir, Ramdara Temple and Jejuri Temple.

Gallery

File:Bhuleshwar Temple 2016-1.jpg Indien2012 1058 Bhuleshwar.JPG, Bhuleshwar Temple: view from the foot of the hill File:Bhuleshwar Temple 2016-2.jpg Indien2012 1063 Bhuleshwar.JPG , Bhuleshwar Temple File:Bhuleshwar Temple 2016-9.jpg File:Bhuleshwar Temple 2016-11.jpg File:Bhuleshra.jpg Indien2012 1066 Bhuleshwar.JPG, Bhuleshwar Temple: detail Indien2012 1060 Bhuleshwar Nandi.JPG, Bhuleshwar Temple: Nandi

References

Hindu temples in Pune district {{india-hindu-temple-stub