12 JYOTIRLINGAS IN INDIA (LORD SHIVA)

Shiva(auspicious one),one of the main deities of Hinduism, whom Shaivites worship as the supreme God, is the lord of Divine Energy , Meditation, Arts, Yoga, Time, Destruction, Dance and also Lord of Devas(Gods). He is considered as “Devon ke Dev, Mahadev”.

We worship Jyotirlinga as a devotional representation of the Lord Shiva.”Jyoti” means”Radiance” and “linga” means “Image or Sign” of Shiva.

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Photo: Google search image, eduavow

Thus, it is called as Jyotirlinga or Jyotirlingam. Actually represent the Radiant sign of The Almighty Shiva.

It is believed that there are 64 Jyotirlingas ,where 12 of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy.

Here are the 12 Jyotirlingas in India.

In below I have mentioned about the 12 jyotirlingas of them.

#12 JYOTIRLINGAS ARE:

1.Somnath Jyotirlinga at Gir Somnath in Gujrat

2.Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh

3.Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh

4.Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga at Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh

5.Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga at Deoghar in Jharkhand

6.Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga at Pune in Maharashtra

7.Rameshwar Jyotirlinga at Rameshwaram Island in Tamilnadu

8.Nageshwar Jyotirlinga at Darukavanam in Gujarat

9.Kashi Vishwanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh

10.Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga at Nasik in Maharashtra

11.Kedarnath Jyotirlinga at Kedarnath in Uttarakhand

12.Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga at Aurangabad in Maharashtra

#1.SOMNATH JYOTIRLINGA :

Somanath jyotirlinga captured the #1st place of the list.Somnath Jyotirlinga is regarded as the 1st among the 12 Aadi Jyotirlingas in India. It is the most worshiped pilgrimage site in the country.

The temple architecture resembles Chalukya style and Lord Shiva is believed to appeared in his Shrine, as a sizzling column of light.

According to Shiva Purana, God Chandra (The Moon) was married to 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati, out of which he loved Rohini the most.

Seeing his negligence towards other wives, Daksha Prajapati cursed him that it wood lose all its radiance.

After the curse, The Moon along with his wife Rohini came to Somnath and worshiped the sparsa lingam ; after which he was blessed by Shiva to regain his lost beauty and shine.

On the request by the Moon Lord SHIVA assumed the name “SOMCHANDRA” and resided there eternally.

Located in Kathiawar region, Somnath Jyotirlinga temple was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The present temple was constructed in Chalukya Style on Hindu temple architecture and completed.

Again the reconstruction was made under the orders of Home Minister of India Vallabh bhai Patel in 1951 and completed after his death.

Other spots in the temple are Shri Kapardi Vinayak and Shri Hanuman temple in addition to Vallabh Ghat. Vallabh Ghat is also known as the prabhas patan in Gujurat. Vallabh Ghat is a beautiful sunset point. Thousands of visitors visit here to see the golden sunset. This temple is illuminated every evening.

The temple is mostly pleasantest during the sound and light show of “JAY SOMNATH” every night, which allows the pilgrims an ethereal experience in the background of grand somnath temple and the holy sounds of the ocean.

#2. MALLIKARJUNA JYOTIRLINGA :

One of the 12 Jyotirlinga, Shri Mallikarjun Swamy Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is situated on the top of Nallamala Hills with Krishna river(known as Patalganga) flowing on its right side, presenting a breathtaking scenic beauty as well.

It is known to be in existence since ancient times, but it is also mentioned that Chalukyas kingdom(AD 624-848) and Kakatiyas (AD953-1323) have contributed in the development of Mallikarjun temple.

Chhatrapati Shivaji as well as Mughals, Nawabs and Britishers also helped in the development of the temple.

HOW IT BECAME MALLIKARJUNA ?

There is a very interesting story behind the name of Mallikarjuna temple.

According to Indian Mythology, The younger son, Kumar Kartikeya of Lord Shiva got angry and came to Kronch Hills from Kailash.

After him, Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati came here and stayed with on with the name “ARJUN” and ‘MALLIKA’.

Thus this temple is called Mallikarjuna.

As per Hindu legend,the presiding deity in the form of linga (an iconic form of Shiva) was worshiped with Jasmine (locally called MALLIKA), leading to the name of presiding deity as “MALLIKARJUN”.

Mallikarjuna temple is significant to the Hindu sects of both SHIVAM and SHAKTAM as this temple is referred to as one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and one of the 18 Shakti Peethas of Goddess Parvathi.

Lord Shiva is worshiped as Mallikarjuna and is represented by the Lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as BRAHMARAMBA.

It is one of the only three temples in India in which both Jyotirlinga and Shakti Peetha is revered.

There is a Sahasra(1000 lingas) believed to have been commissioned by Rama and five other lingas believed to have been commissioned by Pandas in the temple.

According to Mythology, the holy abodes of Adi Parashakti formed due to the falling of Sati Devi’s corpse when Shiva carried it and wondered. It is believed that Sati Devi’s upper lip has fallen in this Shakti Peetha.

#3. MAHAKALESHWAR JYOTIRLINGA :

Mahakaleswar jytirlinga which occupies the 3rd place of this list is located in the city of Ujjain, state of Madhya Pradesh, India.Mahakareswar jyotirlinga considered as the most powerful, sacred and worshiped jyotirlinga among all of them.

Mahakaleshwar jyotirlinga, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, Shines which one said to be most sacred abodes of lord Shiva .

The temple is believed to be SWAYAMBHU (self manifested) , obtaining currents of Shakti (Power) from within itself. It has a enchanting and holy environment .

Mahakaleshwar is also one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas in India.

The idol of Mahakaleshwar is known to be Dakshinmukhi as the idol the lingam faced towards south. This unique feature , uphold by tantric tradition to be founded only in Mahakaleshwar among the 12 Jyotirlingas .

In this temple the idol of Omkareshwar Shiva is consecrate in the sanctum above the Mahakaleshwar shrines you can find Ganesha in the west , Mata Parvati in the north and Kartikeya in the East of the sanctum sanctorum.

There is Nandi lived in the south of the temple. The idol of Nagchandreshwar on the third storey is open for Darshan only on the day of NAG PANCHAMI.

Mahashivaratri is celebrated in a very alamorous way, huge fair is held near the temple throughout the whole night.

The present structure of the temple was built the Maratha general Ranoji Shinde in 1734 CE and he was the commander of Peshwa Bajirao-I.

After Shinde further developments and managements was done by other members of his dynasty , including Mahadji Shinde (1730-12th february 1794) and Daulat Rao Shinde’s wife Baiza Bai (1827-1863) .

during the reign of Jayajirao Shinde(until 1886) major programs of state used to be hold at this temple. After Independence the Devasthan Trust took the responsibility of the temple and Nowadays it is under the control of the Ujjain District.

#4.OMKARESHWAR JYOTIRLINGA :

OMKARESHWAR JYOTIRLINGA is one of the most glorious holy place among the 12 jyotirlingas which falls in the 4th place of this list.It is located on an island called mandhah on shivpuri in the Narmada river.

The name Omkareshwar jyotirlinga says that it is the lord of “OMKARA”.

The island where the temple is built is shaped like the Hindu symbol OMM that is why it is called as Omkareshwar jyotirlinga.

It has two ancient shrines including Omkareshwar and Amareshwar. This holy place is located on the meeting point of Narmada and Kaveri river, making a multi-visit pilgrimage destination for the devotees of Lord Shiva.

According to Indian Mythology when Narad, the great prophet visited to the God of Vindhya mountains, he was quite raging after knowing that there was no dwelling for Lord Shiva and so, the God of the mountains referred himself to very strict non indulgences.

Lord Shiva was very delighted when the deity of the mountain said that he would make Omkareshwar one of his homes. So the entire area is bordered by mountains, making an enchanting view for travelers.

It is also believed that Lord Shiva come here for relaxation and to sleep. For him every night ‘Shayan Aarti’ performed with special dedication.

5.Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga :

#12 jyotirlinga of India, lord Shiva, vadyanath jyotirlina

Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga temple is also known as Vaidyanath Dham which is in the 5th place among the 12 Jyotirlingas located in Deoghar in the state of Jharkhand, India.

There are 21 temples here except the main temple of Baba Vaidyanath. There is a specialty in the temple that the wishes of the devotees come here fulfilled and that is why this Jyotirlinga is otherwise known as “Kamna Lingam”.

Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga is located at Prajwalika Nidhanam in the north-eastern part of the country.Deoghar is also called as “Chidabhoomi” that indicates , in the previous times this place was famous for funeral place.

This place could have been a center of Tantric cults like Bhairava where Lord Shiva is worshiped as SMASAN VASIN or Sava Bhasma Bhushita (smearing body with ashes of burnt bodies) .

This shrine of Vaidyanath is considered as one of the 51 Shakti peethas, where ‘HEART’ of Sati Devi fell after being broken apart by the Sudarshana Chakra of Lord Vishnu.

In this place Sati Devi is worshiped as Jayaa Durga and Lord Bhairava as Vaidyanath or Baidyanath.

According to Mythology,it is said that Ravana,the demon king meditated and prayed to Lord Shiva at the site of the temple. He offered his 9 heads to impress the Lord.

When he was ready to immolate his 10th head, Lord Shiva came to him in a guise and the guise he adapted was a guise of a Vaidya(doctor) and abstinent his pain first. Therefore he is called as “VAIDYANATH” onwards.

6.Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga :

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga temple is an ancient shrine of Lord Shiva among the 12 jyotirlingas, which is located in the village of Bhorgiri on Sahyadri hills at the height of 3250 feet in the state of Maharashtra.

Although this temple is not famous as the Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar temple but the heavenly surrounding of this temple is strong enough to develop the spiritual thought inside you.

Bhimashankar temple is surrounded by hill with thick green rain-forests. This temple got its name according to the river Bhima, which was evaporated due to the generated war between Lord Shiva and the demon Tripurasura.

This temple was made by an eminent statesman of Maratha Empire, Nana Fadnis. The temple took both the architecture of the Nagra and Indo-Aryan, dating back to the 18th century.

12 JYOTIRLINGAS IN INDIA IN 1 LIST | FULL STORIES BEHIND OF EVERY JYOTIRLINGAS AND REASONS. How many jyotirlingas are there?

There are some other temples like Kamalaja(which is dedicated to Lord Parvati), a shani temple also found here. One type of special bell found here which is in Roman style in front of the temple,presented by Chimaji Appa (brother of Bajirao Peshwa I).

He gave it after the victory against the Portuguese from the Vasai fort. After all it is not only known for its holisticness but also for its rich environment like Hanuman lake, Gupt Bhimashankar, origin of river Bhima, Nag Phani, Bombay Point etc made this place so peaceful and enchanting.

It is a reserved forest area contains 130.78 miter square and declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1985. The murmuring sound of the birds, insects, the roar of wild animals and charming beauty of the thick forest attract the visitors to come here.

7. Rameshwar Jyotirlinga :

Rameshwar Jyotirlinga is situated in the Rameshwaram town on Pamban island. It is separated from the mainland of India By the Pamban channel whereas connected through the Pamban bridge.

The enchanting scenery of this place is stunning and beautiful and it is also famous because as it is the “Char Dham” pilgrimage for the Hindus to visit.

This place is popular as it connected with Lord Rama(the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu) during his journey to Sri Lanka to bring back Sita Mata whom the demon king Ravana kidnapped from Panchabati.

Lord Rama prayed and worshiped Lord Shiva to help him to built the Rama Setu, so, the place is dedicated to Lord Shiva attached with Lord Rama.

Taking a dip in the 23 theerthams (holy water bodies) in and around the holy temple is an integral part of washing away all sins.

It is believed that Sita bathed in the sea at the Agnitheertham and offered prayers to Lord Shiva. There is two Shiva lingas in this temple, one is brought by Hanuman from Kailash parvat and the other one was made by Lord Rama.

Ramanathaswamy temple is associated with the Khilji family as Alauddin Khilji came here and his general Malik Kafur, to mark his arrival, built the Alia al-din khalji mosque there.

There is also the childhood home of former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam situated here.

#8.Nageshwar Jyotirlinga :

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas which captured the 8th place and situated at Dwarka in Gujrat. The exact location of this root is between Gomati Dwarka and Bait Dwarka island on the coast of Saurashtra.

This temple is also known as Nagnath temple because those who pray at this temple become free from snake bite, all poisons and worldly attractions.

According to Shiva Purana, the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga describes the story of a demon of Daruka who attracted to a Shiva devotee Supriya. Supriya along with other girls were imprisoned by Daruka.

They were taken to a city which was located under the sea inhabited by sea snakes and demons.All of them prayed Lord Shiva to rescue them. Immediately Lord Shiva appeared and rescued them all.

After then Supriya created a Shiva Linga to dedicate Lord Shiva. The lingam that supriya had created was named “NAGESHA”, due to this the lingam was named as “NAGESHWAR JYOTIRLINGA“.

#9.Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga :

12 JYOTIRLINGAS IN INDIA, Kashi vishwanath jytirlinga

kashi Vishwanath temple, which has taken as a favorite place of Lord Shiva situated at Varanasi city, Uttar Pradesh. This temple stand on the western bank of holy river Ganga And it is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India.

The main deity of this temple is known by the name Vishwanatha or Vishveshwara meaning as the ruler of the Universe.

The ancient name of Varanasi was “kashi”, therefore the temple is known as Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

The temple is destroyed several times by the attackers for its richness but rebuilt as well as many times. The present temple was built in the 18th century by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore after the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the temple to built a mosque at this place.

According to Skanda Purana, it is the most popular Hindu pilgrim center of India for its uniqueness. The Jyotirlinga in Kashi Vishwanath has two sides on the lingam, On the right side there is a Mata Bhagwati and Lord Shiva at the left side with all their prettily.

It is also called as “Mukti Marg” as its provides Mukti (nirvana) to the devotees. It is well known for necromancer. Baba Vishwanath worshiped in both a “Guru(teacher)” and “Raja(King)” form.

During the day time he is offered all the things like a Guru and in the night time Aati he is worshiped with all the ornamental view like a king. Therefore another name of Baba Vishwanath is also “Rajarajeshwari” here.

#10.Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga :

Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is another jyotirlinga dedicated to Lord Shiva and it is famous visit place in Maharashtra.

As every Jyotirlinga has some unique quality, Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga of Shiva has three faces that symbolize Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma.

The whole temple is built entirely by black stones and has a spire topped with golden trident. The temple was built by the Peshwa Balaji Bajirao(Nanasaheb).

It is also said that the crown over the linga made of gold and precious jewels was installed by Pandavas of Mahabharata.

An interesting fact about the temple is the related things of temple comes with the number “Three”.

As you can see the lingam has three faces, there is three hills nearby called as Brahmagiri (where the river Godavari river started to flow), Nilagiri, Kalagiri. Again there are three other bodies of water namely Bilva Teerth,Viswanathan and Mukund Teerth.

In the temple there are various types puja forms performed for fulfilling different types of wishes like Narayan Nagbali, Kal Sarpa Shanti, Tripindi Vidhi by the devotees.

There is a holy kund called as ‘Usabartha’, that is the flows of the river Godabari.

It is believed that River Godabari disappeared sometimes from Brahmagiri mountain,so solution to this problem, Rishi Gautam with the help of Usha tie the river in this kund.

From that day the “Ushabartha” kund is never dried up. Another speciality of this place is ‘Kumbh Mela’. It is organized here in every 12 year.

Devotees from different places come here to take part in this fair and take blessing of 33 crore Gods from this shrine.

#11.Kedarnath Jyotirlinga :

Kedarnath is an ancient and magnificent temple which is located in the Rudra Himalayan Range in the state of Uttarakhand.

It is one of the most beloved pilgrim site of India which contains best scenic city that offers the visitors its snow-white oaks, licious landscapes, green forests and vibrant rhododendrons.

One can see the Bhairava temple, Gandhi Sarovar or Chorabari lake (a beautiful glacial lake), Son Prayag and more.

The present temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya in the 18th century. The inner walls are full of figures of various deities and scenes from mythology.

According to the legends the Pandavas sought the blessing of Lord Shiva after the Mahabharata war to overcome their sin.

There are 5 kedar (Lord Shiva) temple at this place like Kedarnath, Rudranath, Kalpeshwar, Madhyameshwar and Tungnath.

That is why these temples are called as “Panch Kedar”. These temples opens six months in a year for the visitors. This place is the Sangham of five rivers such as Mandakini, MaduGanga, CheerGanga, Saraswati and Swarngauri.

Kedarnath temple has statues of the five Pandavas along with Draupadi, Lord Krishna, Nandi and Virabhadra.

Kedarnath came into the breaking news at the time it was mostly flooded by the river Mandakini. In this flood everything of the area was destroyed and more than 1,00,000 people affected directly and lost their homes.

But surprisingly when all over the temple site were destroyed, the main temple was not affected by the flood. A great stone automatically saved the temple and after that the big stone has been worshiped as ‘Bhim Shila’.

#12.Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga:

Among the 12 Jyotirlingas, Ghrishneshwar or Dhushmeshwar temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and it is the last Jyotirlinga on earth. The temple was destroyed several times and also rebuilt several times.

The present temple was built by Rani AhilyaBai Holkar of Indore in the 18th century after the downfall of Mughal Empire.

The temple is associated with traditional south Indian temple architectural style and exhibits on elaborately designed five-tier shikhara with the help of Red Rocks.

The term ‘Ghrishneshwar’ means “the lord of compassion”. Lord Shiva worshiped here and believed to take away all the sufferings of his devotees.

On the other hand the devotees believed that the act of worshiping the Jyotirlingas equals to worshiping all other Jyotirlingas.

once the lord Shiva came to this temple after getting upset with Devi Parvati ,so Devi Parvati came here in a form of a tribal girl to worship and please the lord .

On wards this temple was worship as one of the Jyotirlinga in India. It is near Ellora caves in Aurangabad district in Maharashtra ,India.

It is believed that the devotees who worshiped the Jyotirlinga ,will get the happiness of getting a child. The Jyotirlinga ,dazzling and prettily and of his temple is stunning and without the visit of this place it is incomplete to see Jyotirlinga’s beauty.

So, this is the sum of 12 jyotirlingas in india.

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