| Apart from
these legends regarding the hill and the kshetra, the vicinity of the place is of great
antiquarian interest. It is on the same range of hills as the Bhima shankar or Manmoda
caves have been cut, the fort of Shivaneri erected. The whole area was inhabited by
Buddhist monks and the number of their chaityas and vihars is great. Bhimashankar is an
extremely small village situated in a spacious gorge of a lofty hill. The only inhabitants of the place are the Gurav pujaries and brahmin
attendants. It is seventy- four miles from Poona by road. State buses go there from Poona
twice a week: during the Mahasiva- ratri festival, when there is a great fair at the place
buses ply to and fro daily. The route from Poona occupies more than five hours of bus-
journey. The road upto Manchar, a half-way house, is the Poona- Nasik road, and is in an
excellent state, the bus gliding over it. But the latter half is through an extremely
rough terrain. For nearly twelve miles after branching off towards the West from Manchar,
it runs parallel to the river Ghodnadi.
Then comes the steep ascent of the Pokhari ghat. As the bus
winds its way through the pass the air becomes cooler and cooler and gradually the road
enters thick jungles. For the last nine to ten miles the journey is by a road lined by
trees and vines of all sorts, their green and reddish hues making for an appealing and
refreshing sight. |
