Bhuleshwar Temple: History and Art Combined

Manasi Deshmukh
Oct 13, 2013
2 min read

The Bhuleshwar Temple is the temple of the Hindu God – Lord Shiva, believed to be built around the 13th century. There is a mysterious air about it yet spiritual at the same time. The journey from Pune will take you barely 1 ½ hours to reach the temple. The moment you enter the vicinity of the temple, the darkness and the stillness of the atmosphere will transport you into an ancient time altogether. Built with basaltic rock, the structure is beautiful and speaks of the battles in the past. It is believed that Aurangzeb, the Muslim invader, destroyed most of the intricate sculptures to show his disapproval for such structures and sculptures. Originally, there existed a fort named ‘Mangalgadh’ right at this location, built in order to keep a watch on the surroundings.

The sculptures on the first level of the temple include scenes from the Epic – Mahabharata. Beautiful Apsaras in various dancing postures adorn the walls. Another curious fact is a red Ganesh sculpture depicted in female form. The reason is unknown. A beautiful sculpture of the Nandi also exists here. Well-proportioned anatomy of the sculptures, is an important aspect when it comes to art because carving these figures in stone is extremely difficult. Anatomy is something artists struggle with even today when it comes to drawing things on paper! The sculptures indicate the talent that was abundant in an era when modern drawing tools were not even available easily

The architecture of the temple is designed to keep the corridors in darkness as the center portion receives natural sunlight. Cameras are allowed only to a certain point. These are prohibited at the main section of the temple where rests the Shivalinga, which is built at the center of the temple. Every passage around the Shivalinga is created in such a way that it brings a person back to the Shivalinga. The pillar structure is the same in appearance, so it does turn out to be a difficult task to find the correct paths. The Bhuleshwar temple thus has been given the name from the word – bhulna, which means in Hindi - to forget.

Interesting Facts

The second level of the temple, built by the Peshwas is structured differently from the rest of the temple. As you look closer at the photographs, you will notice a Mughal influence in the design. This was done to avoid any kind of resemblance to Hindu architecture which would ensure the sacred temple would not be damaged further due to vandalism.

Devotees also claim that one must place pedas or other offerings beneath the Shivaling. The Shivaling can be opened up so offerings can be placed underneath. The food need to be placed under a bowl. After 10-15 minutes, if the offerings are not found under the bowl, it signifies that the wishes will be fulfilled. Isn’t that an interesting story? Now, the truth behind this story is yet to be unfolded!

One word of warning to travelers – do carry your own food and water as the hotels or food outlets in this area are non-existing!

o forget.