Jyotirlinga

800km
500miles

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Location of the Jyotirlings.

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Somnath

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Mallikarjuna

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Mahakaleshwar

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Omkareshwar

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Baidyanath

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Bhimashankar

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Rameshwaram

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Nageshwar

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Vishwanath

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Trimbakeshwar

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Kedarnath

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Grishneshwar

A Jyotirlinga (Sanskrit: ज्योतिर्लिङ्ग, romanized: Jyotirliṅga, lit. 'lingam of light') or Jyotirlingam is a devotional representation of the Hindu god Shiva. The word is a Sanskrit compound of jyotis ('radiance') and linga ('sign'). The Śiva Mahāpurāṇam (also Shiva Purana) mentions 64 original jyotirlinga shrines in India.

Hinduism

Legend

According to a Shiva legend from the Shiva Purana, once, Brahma (the god of creation) and Vishnu (the god of preservation) had an argument over their supremacy. To settle the debate, Shiva pierced the three worlds, appearing as a huge, infinite pillar of light, the jyotirlinga. Brahma and Vishnu decided to ascend and descend across a pillar of light respectively, to find the end of the light in either direction. According to some iterations, Vishnu assumed his Varaha avatar to achieve this task, while Brahma rode a hamsa (swan). Brahma lied that he had discovered the end of the light, producing a ketakī flower as proof, while Vishnu admitted that he could not find the end of the light from his journey. The dishonesty of Brahma angered Shiva, causing him to curse the creator deity that he would not be worshipped; he also declared that Vishnu would be eternally worshipped for his honesty. The jyotirlinga shrines are regarded to be the temples where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.

Original 64

Originally, there were believed to have been 64 jyotirlingas of which twelve are considered to be very auspicious and holy. The twelve jyotirlinga sites take the names of their respective presiding deity, and each is considered a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is lingam, representing the beginningless and endless stambha (pillar), symbolising the infinite nature of Shiva.

Sanskrit shlokas

The following shloka (द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिंग स्तोत्रम् Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga Stotram) describes the 12 jyotirlingas:

Sanskrit	IAST	English
सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम्।	Saurāṣṭre Somanāthaṃ cha Śrīśaile Mallikārjunam	Somnath in Saurashtra and Sri Mallikarjuna in Srisailam;
उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोङ्कारममलेश्वरम्॥	Ujjayinyāṃ Mahākālam Omkāram Amaleśwaram	Mahakala (Mahakaleshwara) in Ujjain, Omkareshwara in (Khandwa);
परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशङ्करम्।	paralyam Vaidyanāthaṃ cha Ḍākinyāṃ Bhīmaśaṅkaram	Vaijanath in Parli or Baidyanath in Jharkhand and Bhimashankara in Dakinya;
सेतुबन्धे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने॥	Setubandhe tu Rāmeśaṃ Nāgeśaṃ Dārukāvane	Ramesham (Rameshwara) in Sethubandh, (Nagesham) Naganath in Daruka-Vana;
वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बकं गौतमीतटे।	Vārāṇasyāṃ tu Viśveśaṃ Tryambakaṃ Gautamītaṭe	Vishwesham (Vishweshwara) in Varanasi, Tryambakam (Trayambakeshwara) at bank of the river Gautami (Godavari);
हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये॥	Himālaye tu Kedāraṃ Ghuśmeśaṃ ca Śivālaye	Kedar (Kedarnath) in the Himalayas and Ghushmesh in Shivalay, (Grishneshwar / Ghushmeshwar )
एतानि ज्योतिर्लिङ्गानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः।	etāni jyotirliṅgāni sāyaṃ prātaḥ paṭhennaraḥ	One who recites these jyotirlingas every evening and morning
सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति॥	saptajanmakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ smaraṇena vinaśyati	is relieved of all sins committed in past seven lives.
एतेषां दर्शनादेव पातकं नैव तिष्ठति।	eteṣāṃ darśanādeva pātakaṃ naiva tiṣṭhati	One who visits these, gets all his wishes fulfilled
कर्मक्षयो भवेत्तस्य यस्य तुष्टो महेश्वराः॥:	karmakṣayo bhavettasya yasya tuṣṭo maheśvarāḥ	and one's karma gets eliminated as Maheshwara gets satisfied to the worship.

Twelve most sacred sites

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 (not in order) are:

#	Jyotirlinga	Image	State	Location	Description
1	Somnath		Gujarat	Veraval	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, 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. 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.
3	Mahakaleshwar		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	Omkareshwar		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	Baidyanath		Jharkhand	Deoghar	Baidyanath Temple also known as Baba Baidyanath Dham, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is located in Deoghar, in the Santhal Parganas division of the Indian state of Jharkhand. The temple complex comprises the central shrine of Baba Baidyanath along with 21 additional temples. It is significant to the Hindu sects of Shaivism as this temple is referred to as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
6	Bhimashankar		Maharashtra	Pune	Bhimashankar temple is situated in Bhimashankar village of Maharashtra, where the Bhima river originates. The Bhimashankar forest is known as Dakini Vana.
7	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 (God of Rama) pillar. It is also one of the Padal petra stalam of Pandya Naadu mentioned in Tevaram.
8	Nageshwar		Gujarat	Dwarka	Nageshwar 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)
9	Vishwanath		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.
10	Trimbakeshwar		Maharashtra	Nashik	The Trimbakeshwar Temple, near Nashik in Maharashtra, is a jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari River.
11	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.
12	Grishneshwar		Maharashtra	Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar	Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple, referred to as the Grishneshwar temple in Shiva Purana, is one of the 12 jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana. According to Shiv Puran, Grishneshwar is one of the Shiva Jyotirlinga which is situated near Ellora village, less than a kilometer from UNESCO site Ellora Caves in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar District of Maharashtra.

References

Works cited

• Chakravarti, Mahadev (1994). The Concept of Rudra-Śiva Through The Ages (Second Revised ed.). Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 81-208-0053-2.
• Chaturvedi, B. K. (2006). Shiv Purana (First ed.). New Delhi: Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. ISBN 81-7182-721-7.
• Eck, Diana L. (1999). Banaras, city of light (First ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11447-8.
• Gangashetty, Ramesh (30 October 2019). Thirtha Yatra: A Guide to Holy Temples and Thirtha Kshetras in India. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-68466-134-3.
• Gwynne, Paul (2009). World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publication. ISBN 978-1-4051-6702-4.
• Harding, Elizabeth U. (1998). "God, the Father". Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 156–157. ISBN 978-81-208-1450-9.
• Kumar, Naresh (2003). Encyclopaedia of Folklore and Folktales of South Asia. Anmol Publications. ISBN 978-81-261-1400-9.
• Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. Rosen Publishing Group. p. 122. ISBN 0-8239-3179-X.
• Pattanaik, Devdutt (7 May 2017). Devlok 2: 2. Random House Publishers India Pvt. Limited. ISBN 978-93-86495-15-0.
• "Dwadasa Jyotirlinga Stotram". Vaidika Vignanam (in Sanskrit). n.d.
• Venugopalam, R. (2003). Meditation: Any Time Any Where (First ed.). Delhi: B. Jain Publishers (P) Ltd. ISBN 81-8056-373-1.
• Vivekananda, Swami. "The Paris Congress of the History of Religions". The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Vol. 4.
• "Jyotirlinga, Jyotirliṅga, Jyotis-linga, Jyotirlimga: 5 definitions". Wisdom Library. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2022.

External links

• Jyotirlingas on Google Maps
• Media related to Jyotirlingas at Wikimedia Commons