Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga, Sambhajinagar (Verul)
- Stotram list
- No. 12
- Season
- Oct to Mar
- Railhead
- Aurangabad (AWB)
- Not checked yet
- Airport
- Aurangabad (IXU)
- about 40 km
Official website: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district administration (chhatrapatisambhajinagar.maharashtra.gov.in)
The emblem here is our own drawing. We found no trust website or logo for Grishneshwar, so the official link is the district page.
The map loads when it scrolls into view.
The story of Grishneshwar
At Verul, near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, built in red volcanic rock in the Hemadpanti style and the twelfth of the twelve. The state tourism page gives a five-tiered shikhara and a court hall on 24 pillars, with the sanctum facing east.
The state tourism page records mentions in the Shiva Purana and the Skanda Purana, destruction in the 13th and 14th centuries under the Delhi Sultanate, a 16th century reconstruction by Maloji Bhosale, the grandfather of Shivaji Maharaj, and the 18th century restoration by Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore.
Pilgrims come for the Panchamrut Pujan, the Rudra Abhishek and the Mahamrityunjay Jaap, and the state page prints the temple's own rule that male devotees enter the inner sanctum bare-chested as a mark of humility.
- Maharashtra Tourism, Ghrishneshwar temple page, state tourism, read 19 Oct 2026
Darshan at Grishneshwar
Grishneshwar is an active temple with a daily ritual schedule, not a monument. The free queue is the default: it costs nothing and on a normal weekday it moves well. Paid darshan, if the trust offers one, buys a shorter line rather than a different view of the linga. On festival days the paid line is often suspended entirely.
Aarti is the part worth planning around. Slots are limited, some are booked days ahead, and walk-ins are turned away once the hall is full.Data check pending
Darshan is a short, single-sanctum visit, and the state page puts the best months as October to March, with Mahashivratri usually in February or March as the big day.
No source read so far describes the festival queue at this temple, so this site does not describe it either.
- Maharashtra Tourism, Ghrishneshwar temple page, state tourism, read 19 Oct 2026
When the crowds arrive
Two periods are heavy at every one of the twelve: Mahashivratri and the month of Shravan. What is specific to Grishneshwar is the part this site has not sourced yet.Data check pending
What Mahashivratri changes at all twelve →Where to stay
Three ways people stay at Grishneshwar, cheapest and closest first.
What is around Grishneshwar
Ellora caves are about 1 km away. Most visitors give the temple a few hours and leave the same day, which is a miss: the places worth half a day sit within a short drive, and going early or late avoids the crowd that arrives with the coaches.
What to see here, with the distance and the time it needs, is being written per temple.Data check pending
Rules and practicalities
Phones and cameras are not allowed inside the sanctum area at any of the twelve. Lockers and deposit counters sit at or near the gate.
Male devotees enter the inner sanctum bare-chested, which the state tourism page gives as the temple rule here.
Wheelchair access, the length of the barefoot stretch and the shoe stand are checked at the gate rather than assumed.Data check pending
Grishneshwar on Mahashivratri and during Shravan runs on a different schedule with far longer queues. See the festival pages for what changes.
Sources for this temple: maharashtratourism.gov.in. What each one covers, and the date it was read, is on the darshan and booking page.
Common questions about Grishneshwar
What are the Grishneshwar temple timings?
How do I reach Grishneshwar?
Where should I stay near Grishneshwar?
When is the best time to visit Grishneshwar?
Also in the West group
The other temples in the West group, the gujarat coast and the maharashtra hills.