Mahashivratri 2027 falls on Saturday, 6 March 2027. For families in Pune, that means a Saturday drive to the sixth Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva on one of the days when Bhimashankar draws its largest gatherings of the year. If you plan to go, start early and keep plenty of time at the temple.
Before you set out, phone the temple trust on 02135 222 880 or check its website, shreebhimashankar.com, for any notice about festival-day arrangements.
The first Mahashivratri since the temple reopened
Bhimashankar was closed to the public from 9 January 2026 while a new sabhamandap and stairway were built. Mahashivratri 2026 fell on 15 February, in the middle of that closure. Devotees could not go in, though the rituals continued inside. The temple reopened for darshan on 15 June 2026.
That makes 6 March 2027 the first Mahashivratri with public darshan since the reopening. Families who could not go in 2026 may well plan for this one, so allow for a large gathering.
Peak days in 2027
| Date | Occasion | Crowd level |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 6 March | Mahashivratri | Peak festival day |
| Monday, 9 August | First Shravan Monday | Peak festival day |
| Monday, 16 August | Second Shravan Monday | Peak festival day |
| Monday, 23 August | Third Shravan Monday | Peak festival day |
| Monday, 30 August | Fourth Shravan Monday | Peak festival day |
| Any other Monday | Lord Shiva’s weekly day | Very busy |
| Tuesday to Sunday | Ordinary day | Busy |
The Shravan dates follow the amanta calendar used in Maharashtra, where Shravan 2027 runs from 3 to 31 August. If someone in your family goes by a North Indian calendar, its Sawan Mondays begin on 19 July, two weeks earlier.
Shravan also falls in the monsoon. The ghat road up to Bhimashankar is slower in heavy rain, and in July 2026 it was shut for a time after landslides. Check the weather and the road before a Shravan Monday trip.
For a quieter darshan, choose another day. A weekday close to Mahashivratri, or a Tuesday to Friday in Shravan, is usually calmer than the dates in the table.
What changes on a peak day
On an ordinary day the darshan line can take about two hours. On Mahashivratri and the Shravan Mondays it can run to several hours, and the whole hill fills with devotees. Three things follow from that.
Start before 5:30 AM. Our usual pickup is 5:30 AM, which brings you to the temple at about 8:30 AM on a normal day. On a peak day the line is already long by then, and the last stretch is a narrow ghat road that moves slowly when traffic is heavy. Ask for an earlier pickup when you book. Our 2-day trip, which goes on to Trimbakeshwar, already leaves Pune at 4:30 AM.
Expect to get home later. On a normal day you are back in Pune at about 4:30 PM. On a peak day, plan for the evening instead, and tell anyone waiting at home.
Plan the climb. The temple sits below road level, so darshan means a staircase down to the sanctum and the same climb back up, with no lift. The stairway was rebuilt in the 2026 works. On a crowded day you may stand on it for a long time, so elderly yatris should carry water and take it slowly. Anyone who finds steps hard can wait at the top while the rest of the group goes down.
Why the day plan keeps four hours at the temple
Our one-day Bhimashankar trip from Pune keeps four full hours at the temple, from arrival to the start of the drive home. We plan it this way because the length of the line is the one thing nobody can predict.
- On an ordinary day, two of those hours can go on the line alone.
- Most groups go slowly on the stairway, more so with older parents.
- If the line moves quickly, there is time for the walk to Hanuman Lake or Gupt Bhimashankar, or to sit for a while among the trees of the wildlife sanctuary around the temple.
On Mahashivratri and the Shravan Mondays, all four hours can go on the line. That is why the earlier start matters.
The car and the fare
We run Bhimashankar trips in the Toyota Innova Hycross, a petrol-electric hybrid with six passenger seats. It suits a family group of up to six, with room for elders to sit comfortably on the ghat road.
| Trip from Pune | Car | Fixed fare | Per head for 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bhimashankar, 1 day | Innova Hycross | ₹7,499 | about ₹1,250 |
| Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar and Shirdi, 2 days | Innova Hycross | ₹17,999 | about ₹3,000 |
The fare is for the whole car, not per person, and it stays the same on festival days. Fuel, tolls, parking and the driver’s allowance are included. Food, darshan passes, poojas, offerings and any doli (palanquin) charges are paid by you. On the 2-day trip, you book your own stay in Nashik.
If you want a second Jyotirlinga, the 2-day Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar and Shirdi package starts at Bhimashankar in the morning and goes on to Trimbakeshwar and Shri Sai Baba’s samadhi mandir at Shirdi.
Sources for the dates: Drik Panchang, Maha Shivaratri 2027 and Shravan Somwar 2027 pages (amanta calendar), checked 27 October 2026. Closure and reopening dates as reported in 2026 by Punekar News, the Free Press Journal and Dainik Prabhat, and the July 2026 road closure by News18 Marathi.