Panchganga Temple Unique Place to Visit in Mahabaleshwar for Travelers

Shri Panchganga Temple ar Kshetra Mahabaleshwar

Among all the tourist places to visit in Mahabaleshwar, I found the Panchganga temple is a unique type of tourist place for travelers to visit in Mahabaleshwar. Panchganga Mandir situated near the Mahabaleshwar temple permiss.

There are three main Hindu religious tourist places in the old Mahabaleshwar that are Mahabaleshwar Temple, Panchganga Mandir, and Krishnabai Temple. Old Mahabaleshwar is locally known as Kshetra Mahabaleshwar that is about 6 km far away from the main Mahabaleshwar bus stand in Satara city.

Panchaganga Mandir is built at the point where five holy rivers confluence at a point. These rivers are considered similar to the holy River Ganga in Maharashtra that's why this temple is called Panchganga Temple.

At Panchganga temple you can see the five rivers meet at one place and then all five rivers water flow out as a single stream through the mouth of a stone statue cow. This stone cow statue is known as Gaumukhi. The name of these five rivers is Koyna, Krishna, Venna, Savitri, and Gayatri.

Every year thousands of devotees come here to Shri Kshetra Mahabaleshwar and visited Panch Ganga Mandir. They take this water and take a sip as Prasad of the temple. They also carry the water of all these rivers water bottles for religious activities.

Panchganga Temple History

The exact history of the Panch Ganga Mandir is not found someone says its 5000 years old some say it 4500 years old. Its building constructed in the 13th century by that time ruling Yadava king Singhandeo.

Later temples building improvement records found in the 16th and 17th centuries. Further temple restoration work is done by Chandra Rao More and Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Panchganga Mandir Mythologies

As per Hindu mythological stories, there is a story found behind this Panchganga temple origin. Once the Trinity Gods, Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Lord Shiva had to perform a ritual Yagna at Mahabaleshwar place. As per Hindu religious rule, during the ritual Yagna, husband, and wife both should be present. That time Goddess Savitri was not present at the time.

At that time Goddess Saraswati(Savitri) was waiting for the other Goddess such as Laxmi, Parwati, Indrani, etc. Here there was going delay in the Yagna due to Goddess Saraswati. The Lord Bramha said to Indra please arrange a good girl to complete the Yagna.

Indra arranged a local maiden milkmaid girl named Gayatri who was holy. Priests and God test Gayatri's purity and certified him to fit for Yagna. Then Lord Bramha married Gayatri. For completing the Yagna, Gayatri sits with Lord Brahma with the pot of Amrit. Both Lord Brahma and Gayatri give Ahuti and completing the Yagna.

When Goddess Savitri reached the Yagna place at Mahabaleshwar she found, Gayatri was sitting with the Lord Brahma. That place was her and he had to sit there with Lord Brahma. Goddess Savitri gets very angry and her fury converts Trinity into rivers. Gayatri converts into the watercourse.

Thus since then here Brahma was known as Venna River, Lord Vishnu as Krishna River and Lord Shiva as Konyana River. Savitri and Gayatri rivers are known as with the same names.

There is another legend, it is believed actually there are seven rivers flow in the Panchganga temple but only five rivers flow continuously and two other rivers Saraswati and Bhagirathi flow at different time intervals. It is said Saraswati flows after every 12 years and Bhagirathi River flows after 60 years.

Architecture of Panchganga Mandir

Inner View of Panchganga Temple Mahabaleshwar

Panchganga temple architecture so good and it shows our great Indian architecture style. Temple's maximum part is open and has two marbles ponds that were filled with water.

For the construction of the temple, black stones were used similarly to the Mahabaleshwar temple. Temple's roof is supported by stone pillars. Temple stones have carvings but are bland.

There are two water tanks known as Kund. The first Kund has a stone cow sculpture that has a continuous flow of water. The second Kund is also a stone cow sculpture but water does not flow continuously. Second Kund receives water from the first tank when the first tank goes overflows.

The ponds are not so deep and there are only 8 stairs downwards. Both ponds are similar in design but the first one has a cow sculpture that continuously gives water from his mouth. So-called Gawmukh gives all five holy rivers water continuously.

Cow sculpture is so beautiful. You can see water comes from his mouth and a small calf of the cow sucking milk.

There are five mini halls where each river's water comes and goes to cow's sculpture where all the five rives water mixed and flow with cow's mouth.

You can also see the Lord Vishnu statue in the mini hall of the temple where Krishna River water comes.

Best Time to Visit Panchganga Temple

The climate of the Mahabaleshwar town is pleasant throughout the year so you can go here any time of the year. But the best time to visit the Panchganga temple would be during the monsoon. So if possible then visit this place in the rainy season then only you will see the real beauty of this place. This temple is based on rivers and during the monsoon or rainy season, every river gets water.

You can visit this place after the rainy season from September to March. During summer water flow and the water level goes low and the area also not so much greenish.

Panchganga Temple Timing

Panchganga Mandir opens early morning daily at 06:00 am and closed in the late evening after 07:00 pm. You can go here at any time and see this beautiful place.

Panchganga Temple Trip Duration

Panch Ganga Temple is not so big so the visiting duration would not be more than one hour. It depends on you how much time you want to spend here. 

During festivals and peak season here there is a long queue of devotees and tourists visiting the temple and taking water from the Gaumukhi's mouth. Then you have to spend more time here.

Entry Fees for Panch Ganga Temple

There is no entry fee for the entrance inside the Panchganga temple but you have to pay some rupees for your footwear that you have to remove outside before entering the temple. They may take 5 or 10 rupees per set of slippers.

Facilities at Panchganga Mandir

Shri Kshetra Mahabaleshwar temple area where the Panchganga temple is situated is sufficiently developed that has many facilities for tourists and devotees who come here.

• A paid parking stand is there that takes normal charges for your two or four-wheel vehicles. 50 ₹ for large four-wheelers, 20 ₹ for small four-wheelers, and 10 ₹ for two-wheelers.
• Prasad shops are available for devotees so to offer sweets to their loving Gods.
• Snacks food stalls and all other types of food restaurants are also available here.
• Drinking water, washrooms are available at the temple campus area.

How to Reach Panchganga Temple

Panchganga Temple is just 100 meters from the ancient famous Mahabaleshwar temple in the old Mahabaleshwar.  You can get a direct taxi or bus for the old Mahabaleshwar bus stand of Satara city.

Mahabaleshwar MSRTC bus stand is well connected to various nearby cities such as Mahad, Sangli, Satara, and good connectivity between Mumbai and Pune.

The best to reach there you book a private taxi or tour operator available there. They can travel you other destinations also. They offer you a destinations package you have to select old Mahabaleshwar tourist place package.

If you went there in your own vehicle that will be the best option for visiting tourist places in Mahabaleshwar. Mahabaleshwar town is 120 km from Pune and 260 km from Mumbai.

Pune to Mahabaleshwar would be the best route for the tourist because it is the shortest and only takes 3 to 4 hours the journey by bus or private vehicle. I personally visited this place by the state-run MSRTC buses from the Mahad.

Mahabaleshwar's nearest railway station is in the Satara district and the nearest major railway junction is in Pune.

TouristBug’s Recommendations

• Photography is not allowed inside the temple. You may be fined for clicking the photos inside the temple. But can take lots of pictures in the surrounding area of the temple.
• I recommend you should take the water from the Gaumukhi for your religious activities here.
• Inside the temple footwears not allowed so, please remove your footwear before the entrance inside the temple.
• Entry inside the first water tank (Kund) is fully prohibited but you can go inside the second one.
• You can drink these five rivers Sangam water, it is cool and pure than normal water. You can also see thousands of devotees take this water and drink it.
• You can do shopping here but some items are overpriced.
• I recommend that you should taste and purchase strawberries from here. Mahabaleshwar is famous for its strawberries.

Nearby Tourist Places to Visit

Mahabaleshwar is full of tourist places and it is a hill town. You have lots of things to see here. Panchganga temple nearby tourist places to visit are Shri Mahabaleshwar Shiv temple, Atibaleshwar Vishnu temple, and Krishnabai Temple.