Bileshwar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Incredible India lists Porbandar Airport (PBD) as the main airport for the temple. The airport is in Porbandar.

• By train

  Porbandar railway station links the town with major cities in Gujarat and across India.

• By road

  National Highway 27 connects Porbandar with Rajkot and Ahmedabad.

Why devotees come here

Bileshwar Temple is a Shiva shrine listed in Bhilleshwar village, Ranavav taluka, Porbandar district, Gujarat. Local legend says Krishna installed Shiva here and named him Bilvadakeshvar, a name that over time became Bileshwar.

Bileshwar Temple is a fine Shiva shrine of some antiquity, and it is in excellent preservation. It remains a strong centre of devotion through changing times.

Local legends say the temple has stood on this site since the 11th century AD. Porbandar State once endowed the shrine with land. Inside, the stone walls are finely carved, and the sacred lingam sits in the shrine. The village lies east of Barda hill, on the banks of the Bhilleshvari river.

Three fairs are held here each year. One falls on the night of Maha Shivratri, the fourteenth day of the dark half of Maha. Another is on the eighth day of the dark half of Shravan, when hundreds of people gather to worship Mahadev. The third is on the last day of the dark half of Shraavana, in August.

Festivals

• Fourteenth day of the dark half of MahaMaha Shivratri

  Devotees chant and sing at the temple, which is especially busy on the night of Shivratri.

• Last day of the dark half of Shraavana, in AugustShravan fair

  A fair is held at the temple on that day.

• Eighth day of the dark half of ShravanShravan fair, eighth day

  Hundreds of people gather here to worship Mahadev.

Tips for your visit

• Plan a visit for Shivratri night, when devotees chant and sing at the temple.
• Kirti Mandir, Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace in Porbandar, is a nearby place to learn about his life.

Questions people ask