Bhimashankar Temple to reopens on May 31

Pune: The Bhimashankar Temple will reopen for devotees on May 31 after being closed for nearly four months for conservation and infrastructure works, district authorities said on Saturday."The majority of the conservation work of the temple is in the final phase. It will be completed before the deadline," Jitendra Dudi, Pune district collector, told TOI.The temple had been closed since the first week of Jan to facilitate uninterrupted restoration and development work under the Bhimashankar master plan.According to Vilas Wahane, the assistant conservator of the state archeological department, the shutdown was necessary to execute extensive conservation and crowd-management projects at the shrine, which witnesses lakhs of devotees annually.The works included repair and strengthening of pilgrimage pathways, development of viewing corridors, expansion of amenities such as rest areas and facility centres and overall upgradation of the temple surroundings.Officials said the administration is also preparing for a likely surge in pilgrims ahead of the Nashik Kumbh Mela 2027. To support the long-term expansion plan, the administration has proposed acquisition of an additional 13 acres around the temple precinct.Authorities have identified a land parcel around 500 metres from the shrine for the rehabilitation of 103 local families likely to be affected by the development project."We have identified a land plot barely 500 metres away from the temple where 103 families of the village will be rehabilitated. They have been taken into confidence," Dudi said.Officials said the redevelopment aims to balance heritage conservation with improved pilgrim facilities while preserving the ecological sensitivity of the Bhimashankar region, which lies within a protected forest belt in the Western Ghats.