The Maharashtra jyotirlinga circuit from Mumbai covers around 1,300 km over four to five days. Five of the twelve jyotirlingas are in Maharashtra: Trimbakeshwar, Bhimashankar, Grishneshwar, Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath.
This page is about doing them together as one trip. If you only want one temple, we have separate pages for Trimbakeshwar, Bhimashankar and Grishneshwar with the distance, timing and vehicle detail for each.
The drive itself
01
205 km5 h
Mumbai to Trimbakeshwar via Nashik. Arrive afternoon, darshan, night halt at Nashik or Trimbakeshwar.
02
240 km6 h
Trimbakeshwar to Grishneshwar via Aurangabad. Long driving day on good roads.
03
220 km5 h 30 m
Grishneshwar darshan and Ellora Caves. Then on towards Aundha Nagnath.
04
290 km7 h
Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath. The longest driving day of the circuit.
05
345 km8 h 30 m
Parli to Bhimashankar or direct to Mumbai, depending on the order you pick.
Google Maps assumes a car on an empty road. Our vehicles are speed limited to 80 km per hour as RTO rules require, they carry a full load, and they halt on the way. Plan for roughly 10 to 15 per cent more distance than the map says, an hour more on trips up to five hours, and two hours more beyond that.
Some venues and rural roads on this route cannot take a large vehicle. Send us the exact pickup and drop addresses, including any unpaved or monsoon affected stretches, and we will confirm access before you book rather than on the day.
Matching the fleet to your group
How many are travelling?
17people
Group size
The right answer for most circuit bookings
| Group size | We suggest | Why on this route | Trip shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 to 13 | 14 seater Tempo Traveller | Sofa-cum-bed row matters on a five day circuit | 4 to 5 days |
| 9 to 16 | 16 seater Force Urbania | Softer suspension, but limited luggage for five days | 4 to 5 days |
| 13 to 20 | Maharaja Tempo TravellerPopular pick | The right answer for most circuit bookings | 4 to 5 days |
| 14 to 26 | Tempo Traveller | Best cost per seat for a society group | 4 to 5 days |
| 19 to 33 | Mini Bus | Larger mandal groups | 4 to 5 days |
| 45 and above | Luxury AC Bus | Not suitable for the Bhimashankar leg | 4 to 5 days |
The bigger the vehicle, the less each person pays. A 13 seater on a Lonavala day trip works out around ₹615 a head. A 49 seater on the same trip works out around ₹367. If your group sits close to the next size up, going up usually costs less per person.
Travelling with elderly passengers or small children? Book one size above your headcount. The spare row means somebody can put their feet up and lie down, or the children have somewhere to play.
The Bhimashankar ghat is the constraint on this circuit. A 49 seater coach cannot do it comfortably, so if Bhimashankar is in your itinerary the vehicle size is decided by that leg rather than by your group size. We will tell you this before you book rather than after.
Planning the day
Our recommendation Five days covers all five Maharashtra jyotirlingas without rushing. Four days works if you drop Bhimashankar, which also removes the vehicle size constraint and lets a larger group travel together.
Recommended
The other way
Before you go
The year on this road
October to March.
Monsoon makes the Bhimashankar leg genuinely difficult.
Basic near most temples.
Aurangabad and Nashik are the two places with proper hotel options.
Five for all five Maharashtra jyotirlingas.
Four if you drop Bhimashankar. Fewer than four means more driving than darshan.
Doing them in geographic order rather than religious order saves around 200 km.
We plan the route, you choose the temples.
The two furthest and least visited.
They are the reason the circuit takes five days rather than three.
Its ghat limits vehicle size for the whole trip.
Decide early whether it is in or out.
Before you ask about price
Five days for all five Maharashtra jyotirlingas, covering around 1,300 km. Four days works if you drop Bhimashankar. Anything shorter and you spend the trip in the vehicle rather than at the temples.
Five of the twelve: Trimbakeshwar near Nashik, Bhimashankar in the sanctuary, Grishneshwar beside Ellora, Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath in the Marathwada region.
Yes, and many groups do. We have separate pages for Trimbakeshwar, Bhimashankar and Grishneshwar with the distance, timing and vehicle detail for each single trip.
A Maharaja tempo traveller for most groups, because wider seats matter over five days. If Bhimashankar is in the itinerary, that ghat decides the maximum vehicle size regardless of group size.
For four of the five temples, yes. Not for Bhimashankar. If you have a large group and want all five, we would plan a smaller vehicle for that leg rather than pretend a coach can do it.
As an outstation package with a minimum, covering vehicle, fuel, permits and driver allowance. Driver food and night halt apply on multi day trips, and state taxes where the route crosses a border. We can quote it all inclusive if you prefer one figure.
From the Circuit