Visit Jivdani Temple: The Temple on a Hill in Virar, Maharashtra (2024)
The Jivdani Temple is one of the few temples in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that are on a hill. The temple is in dedication to Jivdani Mata, a Hindu Goddess. It is in Virar, the suburb of Mumbai, and is more than 1500 feet above sea level. Therefore, the visit to the Jivdani temple is a medium difficulty trek, quite like the Haji Malang dargah in Kalyan.
The Jivdani Temple Experience
The way to Jivdani Temple is picturesque. It is surreal to see the temple on the top of a hill and the various commercial shops and establishments at the foot. The temple is mostly orange in color. The main entrance has some intricately carved pillars. The number of steps from the entrance of the temple to the top is about 1500.
The entire area of the steps has an overhead shelter, and there is a lot of greenery all around. You will see shops selling various religious items all along the path to the Jivdani Temple. Climbing the steps might be strenuous, but it is a completely safe activity, unlike the cliffs we see while trekking to a fort.
One unique experience here is the ropeway, which is a cable car that takes you to the top of the hill in about fifteen minutes. If you do not want to go by the ropeway, you can climb the steps.
The main sanctum sanctorum, where the idol of the Devi resides, is in an enclosure. The Jivdani Temple has a crowd at all times of the day, so you must plan your visit carefully.
In the temple, you see a rock with seemingly magnetic properties, and coins stick to it. All around the Jivdani Temple, you will see several vendors sell items about religion as well as snacks and tea.
The Jivdani Temple is one of the many temples that are well organized and must handle many crowds every day. So, make sure that you are ready to interact with several people throughout the day.
When you are descending from the temple, you see a beautiful view of Virar. Because the Jivdani temple is so high, locals say that the temple is visible from almost any spot in Virar.
Keeping in mind that you must climb at least 1500 steps and the amount of time you will spend in the temple itself; you can easily spend about two hours at the Jivdani temple.
Many of the temples in the suburbs and metros are not only a religious experience, but a cultural experience as well. It is a vibrant, colorful scene, seeing people from all walks of life showing their devotion, giving you a serenity that is unlike everything you have experienced.
If you are visiting a religious place, make sure that you dress conservatively, and this goes for both men as well as women. Also, many religious places do not allow videography or photography, so make sure of that if you plan to shoot a vlog or photos. The best time to visit Virar and Jivdani temple is early in the morning.
How to Reach Jivdani Temple?
One pro tip for reaching Virar, the trains are very crowded all through the day. So, it makes complete sense to travel to Virar by road. In some cases, you will find the trains going to Virar crowded even early in the morning.
Technically, though, the simplest way to reach Virar is by train. Virar is the furthermost suburb of Mumbai, so you need to board a passenger train towards the last Railway Station in Mumbai on the Western Railway side, Virar. From Virar station, you can either hire an autorickshaw or check which bus plies on this route. The autorickshaw drops you at the base of the hill, and you need to begin your climb from here.
Address: Public Registration No. A/397, Shree Jivdani Marg, Virar East, Virar, Maharashtra 401305.
Ph: 0250 252 1777
Places Near Jivdani Temple
Credit- Atanu Maity Image Source
Virar has some other places that might interest the tourist in you. For example, it has the Arnala beach, one of the most beautiful and scenic beaches in and around Mumbai. There are several resorts here as well, so you can decide to stay at one of those resorts for the night.
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Near to the Arnala beach is the Arnala fort, one of the few remnants of Mumbai’s history. You can spend around an hour at the fort, looking at all the artifacts that have survived.
Other than that, there’s the Great Escape Water Park in Virar, one of the first water parks in the Mumbai area that you can visit., However, the Great Escape Water Park is a full day’s outing as well. So, plan to visit the Water Park only if you are out for a weekend.
