Bhīmeśvara, also known as Bhīmaśaṅkara, is the sixth of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas, the self-arisen liṅgas of light of Śiva (a liṅga is Śiva’s sacred sign or form). It stands in the Sahyādri hills of Maharashtra.

Its story is about the asura Bhīma (Bhīmāsura), the son of Kumbhakarṇa and the rākshasī Karkaṭī. Bhīmāsura did tapas (intense spiritual discipline) to Brahmā and won boons of great power. He used them to terrorise the three worlds and to capture Sudarśana, the king of Kāmarūpa, a devotee of Śiva, along with his people. In prison, Sudarśana offered pūjā to a pārthiva liṅga (a liṅga made of earth) with such sincere devotion that Śiva burst out of it and destroyed Bhīmāsura. Śiva then made this place his lasting home as the Bhīmeśvara Jyotirliṅga.

Location

Bhīmaśaṅkara lies in the Bhīmaśaṅkara Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Sahyādri (Western Ghats) hills of Pune district, Maharashtra. The Bhīmā River begins near this temple.

The Story of Its Origin

Bhīmāsura’s Birth and Power

Bhīmāsura was the son of Kumbhakarṇa, the giant brother of Rāvaṇa, and the rākshasī Karkaṭī. After Śrī Rāma killed Kumbhakarṇa in battle, Karkaṭī went into the forest, where she gave birth to Bhīmāsura. The child grew up in the forest, raised on stories of his father’s great strength and of how Rāma had killed him. Burning for revenge against Rāma and Vishṇu, Bhīmāsura did fierce tapas to Brahmā and gained huge boons of strength, invincibility and power.

Terror in the Three Worlds

With these boons, Bhīmāsura conquered the three worlds. He drove the devas from their places, broke up yajñas (sacred fire offerings) and Vedic practice, and forced all beings to worship him. Among his cruel acts, he captured Sudarśana, the devoted king of Kāmarūpa (in present-day Assam), with his family and people, and threw them into prison. Sudarśana’s kingdom was known for the pūjā of Śiva by everyone, and Bhīmāsura set out to destroy exactly that.

Sudarśana’s Pūjā in Prison

Even in prison, King Sudarśana did not give up his devotion to Śiva. Using what he could find in his cell, he made a pārthiva liṅga and offered daily pūjā with deep devotion. His people in the prison followed his example. Bhīmāsura mocked this pūjā and swore that he would destroy both the devotee and the liṅga.

Śiva Appears as Bhīmeśvara

As Bhīmāsura raised his weapon to smash the pārthiva liṅga and Sudarśana, the liṅga burst open. Parameśvara came out in his fierce battle form, blazing with divine fire. In a swift and terrible fight, Śiva destroyed Bhīmāsura. The devas rained flowers from the sky.

The devas, ṛshis and devotees gathered there begged Śiva to stay at this place for ever. Śiva agreed and made his home there as Bhīmeśvara, the Īśvara whose appearing destroyed Bhīma(sura).

Why It Matters

The story of Bhīmeśvara is one of the clearest pictures of what the Jyotirliṅgas teach: Śiva comes forth directly from the pārthiva liṅga to protect his devotee. King Sudarśana’s prison becomes the place of freedom. A Jyotirliṅga does not need a grand temple or long ritual preparation. A sincere liṅga made from earth in a prison cell is enough to call forth the living presence of Śiva.

Sources

Śiva Purāṇa, Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapters 20–21