The three Jyotirlingas of Maharashtra in one unhurried circuit — Bhimashankar in the Sahyadri hills, Trimbakeshwar where the Godavari rises, and Grishneshwar beside the Ellora caves — with Shirdi on the way.
Of the twelve Jyotirlingas, three stand within a single comfortable loop in Maharashtra: Bhimashankar, high in the Sahyadri hills inside a wildlife sanctuary; Trimbakeshwar below Brahmagiri near Nashik, where the Godavari rises; and Grishneshwar, a short walk from the Ellora caves. Shirdi sits on the road between the first two, so most pilgrims include it.
We drive the whole circuit in one direction — Pune in, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar out — so no day is spent retracing the previous one. One private chauffeur-driven car throughout, darshan planned around the temple’s own timings on your dates, and an honest word from us about where the walking and the queues actually are.
Not sure which circuit suits your time? Compare all seven Jyotirlinga circuits — days, hotel bases and driving, side by side — or read our guide to the twelve Jyotirlingas and where they are.
Distances and drive times below are approximate and confirmed on your final itinerary. Temple timings are checked with each temple for your dates rather than copied from a page.
We meet you at Pune airport or station and drive up into the Sahyadris. The last stretch is a narrow ghat road that climbs steadily, so we set off early and keep the day unhurried.
Darshan at the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga. There are steps down to the temple from the road head; we tell you how many before you travel so you can plan for them.
A quiet evening at the temple village. The surrounding forest is a wildlife sanctuary and the home of the Indian giant squirrel, Maharashtra’s state animal.
An early darshan if you wish, then down out of the hills and north across the plains.
Arrive at Shirdi and rest before darshan. Shirdi is not a Jyotirlinga — it is the samadhi of Sai Baba — and it is included because it sits on this road. Say the word and we drop it.
Darshan and the evening aarti, with the queue timed as well as it can be on the day.
Drive to Nashik on the Godavari, one of the four cities of the Kumbh Mela, and on another 30 km to Trimbakeshwar.
Darshan at the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga, below Brahmagiri hill. The Godavari rises here at Kushavarta kund, in the heart of the town.
Back to Nashik for the Ramkund ghats at dusk — or, if you would rather, an hour at one of the vineyards on the edge of town.
A relaxed start and the drive east to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the town formerly called Aurangabad and the base for Ellora.
Check in and rest. This is the easiest afternoon of the trip, deliberately placed before the cave day.
If you have the energy, Bibi ka Maqbara or the Panchakki water mill; otherwise, nothing at all.
Out to Ellora village for darshan at the Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga, the last of the three, and the one nearest to a World Heritage Site.
The Ellora caves, a few minutes away — Buddhist, Hindu and Jain excavations side by side, and the Kailasa temple, cut downward out of a single rock.
Back to town and your onward flight or train from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. If you would rather end at Mumbai or Pune, we build in the extra drive and an extra night.
Every itinerary above is available in the comfort level that suits you.
Clean 3★ stays & homestays, smart pacing.
Boutique 4★ hotels with the best views.
Premium resorts, private guides & experiences.
Iconic retreats & bespoke touches throughout.
Tuned for couples or families — rooms, pace & extras.
Three are covered by almost every Maharashtra Jyotirlinga tour: Bhimashankar in the Sahyadri hills near Pune, Trimbakeshwar near Nashik, and Grishneshwar beside the Ellora caves. Two more are claimed by different traditions — Parli Vaijnath in Beed district is held by many in Maharashtra to be the Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga, while Deoghar in Jharkhand is the other claimant; and Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli is regarded by many as the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, while Dwarka in Gujarat is the other claimant. We can add either or both to this route if you would like to include them.
Five days and four nights covers the three shrines at a comfortable pace from Pune. Three days is possible but means long drives and rushed darshan. If you want to add Parli Vaijnath and Aundha Nagnath, allow seven to eight days.
It starts at Pune and ends at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), which keeps the driving in one direction rather than doubling back. We can reverse it, or run it as a round trip returning to Pune or Mumbai.
Yes. Starting from Mumbai adds a longer first-day drive to Bhimashankar, and we confirm the exact distance and drive time on your itinerary before you book. Many guests flying into Mumbai prefer to take the train or a private car to Pune and begin there.
Yes, on the second day, because it sits naturally on the road between Bhimashankar and Nashik. Shirdi is not a Jyotirlinga — it is the samadhi of Sai Baba — so if you would rather keep the trip purely to the Jyotirlingas we will drop it and shorten that day.
Timings, aarti slots and special-darshan arrangements change, and they change more often than most websites update. We confirm each temple’s current timings with the temple before your travel dates rather than printing a number here that may be out of date by the time you travel.
Plainly: simple. What is available close to the temple is basic pilgrim accommodation, not a hotel. The comfortable alternative is to stay further away and drive in early, which we will lay out for you with the trade-off in drive time, so you can choose. We would rather tell you this now than surprise you on the day.
Mostly, yes — the driving is on good roads and the pace is gentle. But both Bhimashankar and Trimbakeshwar involve steps and walking, and queues at any Jyotirlinga can be long, especially at weekends and during Shravan. We plan rest time around each darshan and tell you honestly where the walking is. We do not promise to skip queues.
October to March is the most comfortable, with cool, dry driving weather. The monsoon between June and September makes the Sahyadris around Bhimashankar beautifully green but the roads slower, and the month of Shravan brings very large crowds to every Shiva temple in Maharashtra.
Ellora is already on this route — Grishneshwar temple stands beside it, so you see both on the same day. Ajanta is a separate full day out from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and we are glad to add it. Both cave sites have a weekly closing day, so we schedule them on a day they are open and confirm this before your dates.
No. Every journey we run is private and built around your dates, group size and choice of hotel tier, so we quote after we know those. The quote is itemised, has no hidden charges, and comes with a proper GST invoice.
The useful airports are Pune (PNQ), Mumbai (BOM) and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (IXU). Dress modestly at every temple — shoulders and knees covered — and expect to leave shoes outside. Phones and cameras are often not allowed inside the sanctum, and a few temples place restrictions on who may enter the inner sanctum; we tell you what applies at each one before you arrive rather than letting you find out at the gate. We arrange an English-speaking driver and guides throughout.
Tell us your dates and how you love to travel. Your personal designer will send a tailored itinerary and quote within one working day — no obligation, no hidden charges.