Banej Mahadev Gir Timings: Hours, Permits and How to Visit

Banej Mahadev is a Shiva temple hidden deep in the core of the Gir forest, one of the most remote and atmospheric shrines in all of Gujarat, reached only through the wildlife sanctuary that is the last home of the Asiatic lion. Because it sits inside the protected jungle, its visiting hours are set entirely by the forest department, so knowing the correct Banej Mahadev Gir timings is the first step in planning a visit. This guide, from the team behind Somnath Dwarka Tour Package, a unit of Experience My India, sets out the timings, the mandatory permit, the monsoon closure, the night driving rules and how to reach the temple.

Banej Mahadev Gir timings

Banej Mahadev Temple is located deep within the core area of Gir National Park, which means its visiting hours are completely regulated by the forest department's strict sanctuary timing rules. You can only access the temple during daylight hours, split into two specific windows and you must be out of the forest check-post before sunset. The timings are:

These two windows, a morning session and an afternoon session with a midday break, mirror the way the whole sanctuary operates and the overriding rule is the sunset exit, as no one is allowed to remain in the forest after dark. It is best to set out early in the morning window so your visit is unhurried and you clear the forest in good time. For how the wider park schedule and safari slots work, see our Gir National Park timings guide.

What is the Banej Mahadev Temple?

Banej Mahadev is an ancient Shiva temple set deep in the heart of the Gir forest, in a beautiful, secluded spot where seasonal streams meet, surrounded on all sides by dense jungle and the wildlife of the sanctuary. The shrine houses a Shiva lingam and has been a place of worship for generations, drawing devotees who are willing to make the journey through the forest to seek the blessings of Mahadev in one of the wildest settings imaginable. The setting is the whole character of the place, a small, peaceful temple complex ringed by the same forest that shelters lions, leopards and the Asiatic lion's prey, where the sound of the jungle replaces the noise of the world. For many pilgrims, the remoteness and the wildness are exactly what make Banej Mahadev so special, a darshan earned by a journey into the heart of the forest.

Banej Mahadev at a glance

Forest permits are required for Banej Mahadev

You cannot simply drive to the Banej Mahadev Temple on your own. Because it lies inside the core sanctuary, you must acquire a dedicated forest entry permit or book a guided temple safari, before you can enter. Official registration is done through the Gir Lion online permit booking system of the Gujarat forest department or in person at the Sasan Gir reception and the permit is checked at the forest check-post, so carry it with the original photo ID of everyone in your group. The permit for a forest temple visit is separate from the regular lion safari permit and the fees sit in the same family as the park's other charges, which you can read about in our Gir safari ticket price guide. Because slots are capped to protect the forest, it is wise to arrange the permit in advance, especially on Mondays and festival days sacred to Shiva, when devotee numbers rise. A tour operator can handle the permit and the vehicle for you.

Annual monsoon closure

Like the rest of Gir, the route to the Banej Mahadev Temple is completely closed every year from 16 June to 15 October, during the monsoon and the wildlife breeding season. In these months the forest is given over to the rains and the regeneration of the sanctuary, the tracks become impassable and no visitors are allowed inside, so the temple is effectively unreachable. The forest and the temple route reopen from mid-October and stay open through to mid-June. This means you must plan your Banej Mahadev visit for the open season and the cooler winter months are both the most comfortable for the forest drive and the best for the chance of wildlife along the way, as covered in our best time to visit Gir guide. If your Gujarat trip falls in the monsoon, Banej Mahadev will not be accessible.

No night driving or overnight stays

Driving inside the Gir sanctuary after sunset is strictly prohibited for safety reasons, because of roaming wildlife such as the Asiatic lions and leopards that become active after dark. This is why the timings require every visitor to be out of the forest check-post by 5:00 to 6:00 PM, well before nightfall. Night halts at the temple complex are also not allowed, except when special permissions are granted for particular festivals, so you cannot plan to stay overnight at the shrine. The whole visit must therefore be a daytime trip, completed within the open windows, with your exit from the forest timed carefully. These rules exist to keep both visitors and wildlife safe and they are strictly enforced by the forest department, so plan your day around them rather than hoping for an exception.

How to reach Banej Mahadev

The Banej Mahadev Temple is reached through the Gir sanctuary, with the Banej area served by its own forest check-post deep in the jungle. The base for the journey is the Sasan Gir area, the main hub for all Gir travel, from where you arrange your permit and set out along the forest tracks. The roads inside are rough forest tracks rather than ordinary roads, so a sturdy, high-clearance vehicle and a driver who knows the way are important. For how Sasan Gir connects to the rest of Saurashtra, see our how to reach Gir guide and the Somnath to Gir distance guide, which cover the approach to the forest from the coast and the main towns. Once at Sasan Gir, the temple visit itself is arranged as a permitted forest trip within the daily timings.

The famous lone-voter polling booth at Banej

Banej Mahadev has become famous across India for something quite apart from its spirituality, its lone-voter polling booth. Because the temple lies so deep in the forest, far from any village, the Election Commission of India has for years set up a dedicated polling station here during elections for the single registered voter living at the shrine, the resident mahant who tends the temple. A full team of polling officials travels into the sanctuary so that this one forest-dwelling voter is not denied the right to vote, a remarkable illustration of the reach of Indian democracy. The story has drawn national and international attention over successive elections and has made Banej a byword for the lengths to which the system will go for a single citizen. For the visitor, it adds a layer of fascination to an already extraordinary place, a tiny Shiva shrine in the wild that is, for one day every few years, the most exclusive polling booth in the country.

Banej Mahadev and the Kankai Mata Temple

Banej Mahadev is not the only sacred site hidden in the Gir forest. The Kankai Mata Temple is another revered shrine deep in the sanctuary, dedicated to the Mother Goddess and set beside the Shingavada River, with its own permit, timings and vehicle rules. The two are different temples in different parts of the forest, Banej a Shiva shrine and Kankai a Devi shrine and each needs its own permitted forest trip, so a visitor who wants to see both should plan them separately, often across more than one day. Both visits run on the same sanctuary rules of daylight timings, mandatory permits and a sunset exit. Together they make Gir a place of pilgrimage as much as a wildlife destination, where the forest guards both the lions and the gods.

Tips for visiting Banej Mahadev

A few pointers help you plan the visit:

• Go in the early morning window, from 6:00 AM, so your darshan is unhurried and you clear the forest well before the sunset exit.

• Arrange the forest permit in advance, online through the Gir Lion system or at the Sasan Gir reception and carry original photo ID.

• Use a sturdy, high-clearance vehicle with a driver who knows the forest tracks, as the roads inside are rough jungle trails.

• Visit only in the open season, mid-October to mid-June, as the route closes completely through the monsoon.

• Never plan a night stay or after-dark drive, as both are prohibited for safety because of the roaming lions and leopards.

• Carry water and essentials, as there are no shops deep in the forest and keep the shrine and the sanctuary clean.

• Combine the trip with a lion safari or the Kankai Mata Temple for a fuller Gir pilgrimage, planning each as its own permitted visit.

Plan your Banej Mahadev visit

Experience My India can plan your Banej Mahadev visit, with the forest permit arranged, a suitable vehicle and experienced driver organised and the day timed around the morning and evening windows so you have a peaceful darshan and a safe exit before sunset. You can combine it with a lion safari, the Somnath temple and Dwarka, a stay at well-placed Somnath Dwarka hotels and let the Experience My India Somnath Dwarka tour packages or the wider Gujarat tour packages weave the forest Shiva shrine, the lions and the sacred coast into one journey. For the wildlife you may glimpse on the way, see the Gir National Park animals guide.

Related guides

To plan the rest of your Gir and Saurashtra trip, these related guides help:

Plan your visit

Experience My India can arrange your Banej Mahadev pilgrimage and wider Saurashtra journey. Browse more travel guides, message us on WhatsApp or call +91 73006 20809.