The Bhimashankar temple trust and Ghodегaon police have clarified that neither temple darshan timings nor vehicle access arrangements are changing, rejecting a viral message claiming that vehicles will be barred from entering after 9 am from Monday, November 16.
The message has been circulating on social media as large numbers of devotees travel to the temple during the holiday period. The trust and police said it was misleading and that no official decision had been issued to alter access arrangements.
Bhimashankar temple will continue to remain open for darshan from 5 am to 9.30 pm, according to trust chairman Suresh Kaudare. He also said there had been no new decision to stop vehicles at Dimbhe, a location used for managing access to the pilgrimage site.
Assistant Police Inspector Sagar Pawar of Ghodегаon police station said the district administration had not issued any official communication regarding a change in darshan timings or a vehicle restriction after 9 am. He said any such decision would be communicated only after an official instruction was received.
The clarification comes as devotees from across India are visiting Bhimashankar in large numbers during the holiday period. Officials said the circulation of unverified messages was creating confusion among visitors about when they could enter the temple and how far they could travel by vehicle.
The episode highlights the operational importance of official communication at high-footfall religious destinations, where sudden changes to traffic management can affect travel planning, parking arrangements and crowd movement. In this case, the authorities have asked devotees to rely on official updates rather than social media messages.
The temple trust and Ghodегаon police have appealed to devotees to visit as usual and not believe rumours about revised timings or vehicle restrictions. Any future change, they said, will be announced after an official instruction from the district administration.
