The Grishneshwar temple is situated in the tiny village of Verul in the Aurangabad district. Less than a kilometer away from the world-renowned Ellora Caves, the temple is easily accessible to tourists. Needless to say, it is among the most-visited places in Aurangabad.The Grishneshwar Temple, also known as Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga, is one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. It is located in Ellora, near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. This temple holds immense religious significance and is a popular pilgrimage site for devotees of Lord ShivaOne day, while worshipping, she saw her son standing at the edge of the lake. She then pleaded with the Lord to forgive her sister. Pleased with her purity, Lord Shiva had brought her son back to life and also manifested there in the form of a Jyotirlinga. As a result, the place came to be known as Grishneshwara.

grishneshwar shiva temple

Story has it that Maloji Bhosale, a staunch follower of Lord Shiva, found a treasure within a snake pit and devoted it to reconstruct the temple. This ancient site of pilgrimage features exquisite carvings of Gods and Goddesses in red stone.

The temple was destroyed in the 13th and 14th centuries amid attacks by Mughal invaders of the Delhi Sultanate. As a result, the temple saw several reconstructions take place to restore the integrity of the structure.

The first reconstruction took place in the 16th century, with Maloji Raje Bhosale, the grandfather of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, taking the initiative. Later, the temple was further restored in the 18th century by Rani Ahilyabhai Holkar, a Maratha princess who ruled Indore from 1765 to 1795.