7 Most Famous Temples in Pune for Spiritual Explorers

India, the mystical land of spiritual awakening, attracts millions of tourists and devotees to its majestic temples with great reverence and significance. The breathtaking architecture and awe-inspiring stories behind these temples remain at the heart of spirituality.

The temples in India are built on four essential principles that also summarize human life as per Hindu Vedas: -

Artha – Wealth & Prosperity

Kama – Sex & Pleasure

Dharma – Moral life & Values

Moksha – Self Knowledge & Realization

The city of Pune in the state of Maharashtra is a great reflection of spiritualism.

Popular as a sprawling IT hub that also houses the largest automobile and manufacturing plants in India, Pune attracts millions of students and professionals in their material pursuit. At the same time, Pune is also home to many ancient and magnificent temples in India.

Let’s explore the 7 most famous temples in Pune: -

Swami Narayan Temple, Pune

BAPS Swaminarayan temple is one the most beautiful temples in Pune. It is located on the outskirts of Pune in Nanhe, Ambegaon Khurd. Surrounded by the hills of Ambegaon and spread extravagantly across 32 acres, it has ample parking space for public vehicles. The temple attracts many devotees and worshippers daily and offers a variety of activities in and outside the temple.

The brilliant architecture by Sri Swaminarayan Sansthan showcases exquisite carvings and intricately crafted idols of many deities, and is carefully maintained by the Sansthan with a beautiful lush garden surrounding the main mandir.

With a mesmerizing lighting show in the evening and a space filled with tranquility and strong positive vibes, the experience simply leaves you asking for more.

Besides the daily prasadam offered by the priests, the canteen inside the temple offers delicious sattvik food and is open from 9:30 AM to 9 PM.

Touted as one of the most beautiful temples of the 21st century, it needs no further reasons for you to pay a visit as soon as possible.

Timings – 7:30 AM – 12 Noon & 4 PM – 9 PM

Entry – Free

Address - Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway 4, Ambe Gaon – Narhe, Pune, Maharashtra 411046 India

Balaji Temple, Pune

Southeast of Pune, 45km outside the city, resides Balaji Temple at Ketkawale, near Narayanpur. It is also known as Prati Balaji Temple, where Prati comes from Tirupati, a small district in the state of Andhra Pradesh that is home to the main Balaji Temple in India - Tirupati Balaji.

Balaji Temple, one of the topmost visited temple in Pune, is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara and attracts many devotees every year. Set up quietly in the lap of nature, surrounded by lush greenery, it is a magnificent work of art that took seven years (1996-2003) to complete.

The place has ample parking space, devoid of irksome beggars, and not overcrowded, making it a perfect place for a divine rendezvous.

Timings - 5 AM - 8 PM

Entry - Free

Address - Ward No. 8, Aundh Gaon, Aundh, Pune, Maharashtra, 411027, India

Dagdusheth Ganpati, Pune

One of the most famous temples in Pune, popularly known as Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpathi temple, is just 4 km away from Pune junction, situated at Budhwar pet near Shaniwar Vada in Pune City.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesha and was built in the late 19th century by a sweet seller – Dagdusheth Halwai, out of sheer reverence for Lord Ganesha. However, it has been said that he and his wife went into depression after losing their child to a plague epidemic and later built the temple for healing. The faith keeps on building, and today this temple hosts thousands of pilgrims coming from across the country to celebrate the daily offerings and seek blessings. The 10-days Ganesha festival every year witnesses several pilgrims and worshippers seek blessings and bask in the presence of a 7.5 feet tall and 4 feet wide Ganesha idol.

Amongst the best places to visit in Pune, the aura of the temple is sure to fill you with instant peace, calmness, and hope.

Timings – 6 AM - 11 PM

Entry – Free.

Address – Ganpati Bhavan, 250, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road, Budhwar Peth, Pune, Maharashtra.

Bhuleshwar Temple, Pune

Bhuleshwar, one of the 108 names of Lord Shiva, this temple is committed to the devotional services of Lord Shiva. The temple is perched on top of a small hill and can easily be reached through a motorable road.

Around 50 km away from the Pune city, 11 km from Pune-Solapur highway and only 3 km away from Malshira village connected by buses from Sawargate stand and Saswad stand in Pune.

Set up in the 13th century, the temple is the epitome of architectural brilliance. It has been listed as a protected monument, and the Archaeological Survey of India maintains it. With five shivlings consecrated in the sanctum and idols of Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi, and Lord Ganesha in the form of a female popularly known as Ganeshwari, the temple bestows peaceful and memorable sight to behold.

The legend has it that from the many sweets offered to Lord Shiva, few are bound to disappear. Don't believe it? Well, check for yourself!

Timings – 5 AM - 12 noon and 4 PM – 8 PM

Entry - Free

Address – Bhuleshwar road, Malshiras, Maharashtra – 412104.

Nilkantheshwar Temple, Pune

Set amidst the lush green valley of Panshet and Khadakwasla dam, it is one of the fascinating temples in Pune. Nilkantheshwar, one of the 108 names of Shiva, is rightfully dedicated to Lord Shiva. The uniqueness of this vastly spread temple is the number of idols and statues inside, with each depicting a mythological story from Hindu Vedas. It makes the place a must-visit for anyone looking for an offbeat spiritual sojourn.

At 39 km away from Pune city, starting from the Swargate Bus stand, it is ideally a one-day trip, given the road condition and time it takes to reach the temple. Also, as the temple is around a half-hour steep hike from the parking place, it is advisable to be pre-equipped with proper shoes, eatables, and water bottles.

The hike ends with a hilltop view, and a spellbound backdrop of Panshet and Lavasa dams makes the sight quite hard to forget. So don’t miss bringing your camera along. It is one of the most loved temples in Pune that will surely evoke your spiritual flame within.

Timings- 6 AM to 6 PM

Entry - Free

Address – Nilkantheshwar Mandir Road 1, Kondhur, Pune – 412107, Maharashtra

Mahabaleshwar Temple, Pune

6 km away from Mahabaleshwar city, it is one of the most popular Mahabaleshwar tourist places. The temple is dedicated to one of the most revered Hindu deities – Lord Shiva.

The inner and the outer part of the temple is dissected through a 5-feet wall. The sanctum has a 500 years old, 6 feet tall, self-originated Shivling known as Mahalingam. The Mahalingam is considered to have more religious value than 12 Jyotirlingas in India.

The serenity this shrine offers is undeniably blissful, and you can find thousands of devotees meditating on the premises. It is an absolute haven for spiritual seekers.

Mahabaleshwar hills, one of the best tourist place to visit near Pune, has many other sights- seeing in the vicinity of this temple like Elephant’s head-point, Dhobi waterfalls, etc.

The temple is open to the devotees every day of the year. But the months of June till December brings the most out of the hills of Mahabaleshwar.

Timings – 6 AM - 7 PM

Entry – Free

Address – State highway 34 KA, Ola Mahabaleshwar, Satara, Maharashtra 412806.

Omkareshwar Temple, Pune

Omkareshwar temple has a huge following amongst the city people, given its rich Maratha history, and is one of the largest temples in Pune. Situated on the banks of river Mutha, at Shaniwar Peth, it was built in the 17th century by a renowned Maratha commander Chimaji Appa.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, as the name suggests. It also held the samadhi of Chimaji Appa since his death in 1741. With a history of the Indian freedom movement when revolutionaries like Veer Savarkar and Lokmanya Tilak held meetings inside the temple to plan against the British moves, the temple also has a strong faith due to its survival from horrific floods in 1962, which tells about its strong foundation. Devotees across the country come every year to bow their heads in reverence and seek blessings.

The temple's architecture remains a masterpiece with sprawling verandahs, huge domes, and artistic carvings. The center of attraction is a ‘Jyotirling’ in the form of ‘Shivling’ and a giant Nandi idol, the companion of Lord Shiva.

Goes without saying, for all peace lovers, the temple remains an unforgettable experience so make sure it is included in your Pune tour package.

Timings – 5 AM – 12:30 PM and 4 PM – 10 PM

Entry - Free

Address – Balgandharva Bridge, 233, near Chandrashekhar Apte Road, Shaniwar Peth, Pune.

Within 100 km, a visit to these temples near Pune makes sure to create an everlasting impact on your spiritual side.

Temples are a worshipping place to upsurge your inner strengths, bring out the bliss within, and allows you to look at the world as one.

These are among the best temples of Pune that you can visit at any time of the year. However, if you're also a nature lover, visiting these naturally peaceful temples of Pune around the monsoon time of the year will guarantee an enthralling experience of a lifetime.