Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga

The present temple is a compact but exquisitely detailed red-sandstone shrine, rebuilt in the 18th century by the great Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore — the same devout ruler who rebuilt Kashi Vishwanath at Varanasi and many other shrines across India. Its five-tier shikhara and richly carved walls depict scenes from the Puranas, dashavatara figures and graceful sculpture in the Hemadpanthi-influenced style. The site itself is far older, with earlier patronage attributed to the Rashtrakuta and Yadava dynasties whose artisans also carved the neighbouring Ellora caves.

The original ancient temple is believed to have been damaged during Malik Kafur’s invasion in the 14th century, before its 18th-century revival. Grishneshwar’s greatest distinction is its setting: barely a kilometre away stand the Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 34 Hindu, Buddhist and Jain rock-cut temples, crowned by the Kailasa temple (Cave 16) — the world’s largest monolithic excavation, carved top-down from a single basalt cliff. This makes Grishneshwar a rare pilgrimage-cum-heritage destination, often visited together with Daulatabad Fort, Bhadra Maruti and the murals of Ajanta.