Jyotirlinga

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Nageshwara

Somnath

Mallikarjuna

Mahakaleshwara

Omkareshwara

Baidyanath

Bhimashankara

Rameshwaram

Kashi Vishwanath

Trayambakeshwara

Kedarnath

Grishneshwara

Location of Jyotirlinga Temples with name of Jyotirlinga as label.

A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirlingam, is a devotional representation of the Hindu god Shiva. The word is a Sanskrit compound of jyotis 'radiance' and linga. Śiva Mahāpurāṇa (also called Shiva Purana) mentions 64 original Jyotirlinga shrines in India, 12 of which are most sacred and they are called the Maha Jyotirlingam (The Great Jyotirlingas).

Shiva Purana[]

The legend of Jyotirlinga[]

According to Śiva Mahāpurāṇa, once Brahma (the god of creation) and Vishnu (the form of God during preservation) had an argument over supremacy of creation.^[1] To settle the debate, Supreme God Shiva pierced the three worlds appearing as a huge infinite pillar of light, the Jyotirlinga which later cooled into the holy mountain Annamalai (on which the Temple of Arunachaleshwara is located).^{[citation needed]}

Vishnu and Brahma split their ways to downwards and upwards respectively to find the end of the light in either direction. Brahma lied that he found out the end, while Vishnu conceded his defeat. This lie of Brahma angered Shiva making him curse Brahma that even though he is the creator of the universe he would not be worshipped. The jyotirlinga is the Supreme Shiva, partless reality, out of which Shiva appeared in another form, Lingodbhava. The jyotirlinga shrines are temples where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.^[2][3]

64 original jyotirlingas[]

Originally there were believed to be 64 jyotirlingas while twelve of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy.^[1] Each of the twelve jyotirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity, each considered a different manifestation of Shiva.^[4] At all these sites, the primary image is lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolising the infinite nature of Shiva.^[4][5][6]

Shiva Purana's sanskrit shloka about 12 Maha Jyotirlingas[]

The following shloka (द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिंग स्तोत्रम् Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga Stotram) describes the 12 Jyotirlingas:^{[7][citation needed]}

List of most sacred 12 Maha Jyotirlingas[]

The names and the locations of 12 Jyotirlingas' are mentioned in the Shiva Purana (Śatarudra Saṁhitā, Ch.42/2-4). The detailed stories are given in Kotirudra Saṁhitā, chapters 14 to 33. These temples are:

#	Jyotirlinga	Image	State	Location	Description
1	Somnath		Gujarat	Veraval, Saurashtra	Somnath is traditionally considered the first pilgrimage site: the Dwadash Jyotirlinga pilgrimage begins with the Somnath Temple. The temple, that was destroyed and re-built sixteen times, is held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, tradition, and history. It is located at Prabhas Patan (Somnath - Veraval) in Saurashtra region of Gujarat state in western India.
2	Mallikārjuna		Andhra Pradesh	Srisailam	Mallikārjuna, also called Śrīśaila, is located on a mountain in Kurnool District in Rayalaseema.[8] It enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich. It is a place where Shakti Peetha and Jyotirlingam are together. Adi Shankara composed his Shivananda Lahari here.[citation needed].
3	Mahakaleshwara		Madhya Pradesh	Ujjain	Mahakal, Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Rudra Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbhagriha (where the Shiv Lingam sits). It is a place where Shakti Peetha and Jyotirlingam are together.
4	Omkareshwara		Madhya Pradesh	Khandwa	Omkareshwar is in Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada River and home to a Jyotirlinga shrine and the Mamaleshwar temple.
5	Kedarnath		Uttarakhand	Kedarnath	Kedarnath in Uttarakhand is revered as the northernmost and the closest Jyotirlinga to Lord Shiva's eternal abode of Mount Kailash. Kedarnath forms a part of the smaller Char Dham pilgrimage circuit of Hinduism. Kedarnath, nestled in the snow-clad Himalayas, is an ancient shrine, rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only for six months a year. It is also one of the Paadal Petra Sthalam of Vada Naadu mentioned in Thevaaram. Shiva assumed the form of wild boar and dived into the earth at Kedarnath to emerge at Doleshwor in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Pure ghee is applied at Kedarnath lingam as the boar was injured.
6	Bhimashankara		Maharashtra	Khed taluka, Pune	Khed taluka is also referred to as the Daakini country, hence this temple is also called Daakini temple,
7	Vishweshwara		Uttar Pradesh	Varanasi	The Kashi Vishwanath (Vishweshwar) Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is home to the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga shrine, which is perhaps the most sacred of Hindu shrines. It is also one of the Padal petra stalam of Vada Naadu mentioned in Thevaaram. The temple is situated in Varanasi, the holiest city for Hindus, where a Hindu is expected to make a pilgrimage at least once in his life, and if possible, also pour the remains of cremated ancestors on the River Ganges. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganges, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. In fact, it is a place where Shakti peeta and Jyotirlingam are together. It is the holiest of all Shiva temples. The main deity is known by the name Vishwanath or Vishweshwara meaning Ruler of the universe. The temple town, is considered the oldest living city in the world, with 3500 years of documented history, is also called Kashi.
8	Trayambakeshwara		Maharashtra	Trimbak, near Nashik	The Trayambakeshwar Temple, near Nashik in Maharashtra, is a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari River.
9	Nageshwara		Gujarat	Near Jamnagar	Nageshwara Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana and the Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga Stotram, says one of the jyotirlinga namely Nagesh is situated in Daruka-Vana and most probably the present day Dwarka region. Other claims to the Nagesh Jyotirlinga status come from - Aundha Naganath (Hingoli District of Maharashtra) and Jageshwar (Almora District of Uttarakhand)
10	Baidyanath		Jharkhand	Deoghar	Vaidyanatha Jyotirlinga temple, also known as Baba Baidyanath dham and Baidyanath dham is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand, India. It is a temple complex consisting of the main temple of Baba Baidyanath, where the Jyotirlinga is installed, and 21 other temples. According to Hindu scriptures, the demon king Ravana worshipped Shiva at the current site of the temple to get the boons that he later used to wreak havoc in the world. Ravana offered his ten heads one after another to Shiva as a sacrifice. Pleased with this, Shiva descended to cure Ravana who was injured. As he acted as a doctor, he is referred to as Vaidhya ("doctor"). From this aspect of Shiva, the temple derives its name. Kanwar Yatra (Devanagari: कांवड़ यात्रा) is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as Kānvarias(कावड़िया) or "Bhole" (भोले) to Hindu pilgrimage places of Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of Ganges River. Millions of participants gather sacred water from the Ganga and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in Baidyanath Temple in Jharkhand.
11	Rameshwaram		Tamil Nadu	Rameswaram	Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It enshrines the Rameśvara ("Lord of Rama") pillar.[8] It is also one of the Padal petra stalam of Pandya Naadu mentioned in Thevaaram.
12	Ghrishneshwara		Maharashtra	Ellora	Ghrishneshwar Temple, referred to as the Ghushmeshwar temple in Shiva Purana, is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana.

Other claims[]

Shri Vaijnath Temple (श्री वैजनाथ मंदिर ) is an ancient Shiva temple located at Parli Vaijnath in Beed district of Maharashtra state in India. The temple is claimed to be one of the jyotirlings but there has not been any notable evidence supporting the claim. It is built out of stone on a small hill and is surrounded by a wall that protects it from all sides. In addition to the a place of pilgrimage for Shiva devotees, it is also a meeting point for Harihara, which is a fused sattvika characterisation of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara). Lord Krishna's festivals too are celebrated along with Lord Shankara's festivals, with great festivity. Festivals of both Krishna and Shiva are celebrated here, as per the Indian Lunar Calendar.

See also[]

• Ardhanari
• Harihara, fused characterisation of Vishnu and Shiva
• Lingodbhava, iconic representation of the Shiva
• Parikrama, circumambulation in Hinduism
• Tridevi, feminine representation of the Hindu trinity
• Trimurti, male representation of the Hindu trinity
• Vaikuntha Kamalaja: composite form of Vishnu and Lakshmi
• Yatra, the hindu pilgrimage
  • Char Dham, holiest pilgrimage circuit of 4 sites viz. Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram.
  • Chota Char Dham, smaller pilgrimage circuit of 4 sites in Uttarakhand viz. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath
  • Sapta Puri, 7 holiest Hindu cities in India

References[]

Sources

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jyotirlingas.

• Jyotirlingas on Google Maps
• Jyotirlingas in India