A first-hand October 2026 family journey combining Jyotirlingas, Shakti worship, historic Shiva temples, Ajanta and Ellora.
Our road pilgrimage began on 3 October 2026. We remember the booked package as approximately nine days and eight nights, with the final return date unconfirmed. The package cost ₹118,000 for two adults and two children, including the car, hotels and breakfast only. It brought together Jyotirlinga temples, other sacred stops and heritage walking at Ajanta and Ellora.
Journey stages, not day numbers or a geographic map. We stayed in Parli after Ellora, visited Ambajogai before Parli Vaijnath and Aundha Nagnath, and returned to the same Parli hotel. The return to Mumbai was via Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Before you go
Our Mumbai-to-Mumbai circuit combined five Shiva temples with Shirdi, Saptashrungi, Shani Shingnapur, Ajanta and Ellora. It was a mixed family pilgrimage and heritage trip, rather than a timed temple-only challenge.
Our order was Mumbai → Bhimashankar → Nashik / Trimbakeshwar → Saptashrungi → Shirdi → Shani Shingnapur → Sambhajinagar → Ajanta → Grishneshwar / Ellora → Parli overnight → Ambajogai → Parli Vaijnath → Aundha Nagnath → the same Parli hotel, then back via Sambhajinagar to Mumbai. This records our chosen circuit, not a claim that it is the shortest route.
Maharashtra Tourism’s Jyotirlinga leaflet lists Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar as the state’s three, and includes Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath as other prominent Shiva temples often visited with them. Other local traditions identify the latter two with the Jyotirlingas. Our five-temple circuit includes all five without claiming to settle those traditions.
Our account does not demonstrate a three-day circuit: we remember a package of approximately nine days and eight nights, including two cave visits and additional temples. If you have less time, first decide whether you want the three-temple route or all five, then remove optional stops and check each road leg. We would not copy our busy Day 3 into every family’s itinerary.
We visited Saptashrungi, Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur on Day 3 before reaching Sambhajinagar. On Day 5 we paired Grishneshwar with Ellora. These combinations worked on our trip, but the first was a long day and the second involved substantial walking in the heat.
Our family-of-four package cost ₹118,000 for the car, hotels and breakfast only, for about nine days and eight nights as remembered. When comparing packages, check the full route, kilometre allowance, tolls, parking, driver allowance and overtime, then add excluded meals, rituals, local transfers and cave tickets. Lunch, dinner and any separately paid visits or rituals need their own budget; we have not established a complete all-in total. At Aundha we remember paying about ₹1,200 for Rudrabhishek; the ₹2,500 at Grishneshwar was a quote for a different ritual, not our payment.
First-hand journeyOur October 2026 experience
We arrived in Mumbai on 30 September 2026 at about 16:00, after flying Zurich → Delhi → Mumbai, and stayed for two nights with family or friends.
On 2 October we visited Siddhivinayak Temple and Mahalaxmi Temple. Our photographs record Siddhivinayak’s busy, decorated covered approach and the front of Mahalaxmi Temple. These were our pre-tour Mumbai visits; the road pilgrimage began on 3 October.
These are the temples we visited on our Maharashtra pilgrimage route, rather than a definitive statement about differing Jyotirlinga traditions.
Our October 2026 journey
Sparsh Darshan on our first visit, then an early return for Rudrabhishek.
Our October 2026 journey
Abhishek after Ambajogai, using Parli as our base for two nights.
Hill worship, other sacred stops and a scenic break gave the journey its variety.
Our October 2026 journey
The hill temple, reached by inclined transport with our daughters.
Ajanta and Ellora were major parts of the journey alongside the temple visits.
