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The twelve (12 ) Jyotirlingas, famous pilgrimage centers of Hindus in India:

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According to Hindu mythology Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (Shiva), collectively known as Trimurti or Tridev are the three main Hindu Gods, believed to be self-manifested, who control the universe’s creation, sustenance, and destruction respectively. Hence Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the administrator and Mahesh is the destroyer as per Hindu mythology. As per a myth Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma were debating that who is supreme. Lord Shiva (Mahesh) appeared as a column of light and asked them to find it’s both ends. Brahma moved to know the upper end and Vishnu moved to know the lower end of this column of light which later on known as Jyotirlinga. After a long time both appeared in front of Shiva and Vishnu accepted his failure to find the end but Brahma tell lie that he found the end of that light. This angered Lord Shiva because both were unsuccessful and due to which Lord Shiva cursed Brahma that he will not be worshipped by anyone despite he is the creator of the Universe. It is believed that the jyotirlingas are existing at the places where these columns of light fell. As per Shiva Purana there such 64 jyotirlinga shrines in India out of which 12 are the most sacred as believed to be ‘Swayambhu’, means they were created themselves without human involvement, though different myths are also associated with each of these Jyotirlingas. The temples of these Jyotirlingas are considered very auspicious as the supreme powers of Shiva by devotees. These 12 Jyotirlingas are as under:

1.Kedarnath Temple (Uttarakhand), 2.VishwanathTemple,Varanasi(Uttar Pradesh), 3.Mahakaleswar Temple, Ujjain(Madhya Pradesh), 4.Omkareshwar Temple, Khandwa( Madhya Pradesh), 5.Somnath Temple, Veraval ( Gujarat),      6.Nageshvara Temple,  Dwarka(Gujarat), 7.Rameshwaram Temple, Rameshwaram(Tamil Nadu), 8.Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam( Andhra Pradesh), 9.Vaidyanath or Baijnath Temple, Deogarh( Jharkhand), 10. Bhimashankar Temple,near Pune( Maharashtra), 11. Trimbakeshwar Temple, Nashik( Maharashtra), 12. Ghrishneshwar Temple, Aurangabad( Maharashtra).

Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand, India (1) :

Kedarnath temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas” of Lord Shiva, located at an altitude of 3,580 meters near Chorabari glacier, the source of the Mandakini river is the most revered temple of Hindus and is a part of Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. This temple located in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India is about 150 miles from Hardwar. This temple having an aura of peace and purity around is considered to be more than a thousand years old.  It is said that by visiting this temple the unholy become holy and the holy becomes holier.  It is believed that praying at this temple fulfills the all desire of devotees. As per tradition of pilgrimage to Kedarnath devotees first collects holy water from Yamunotri and Gangotri to offer at Kedarnath. When the Kedarnath temple remains closed in winters, the worship of God Kedarnath ji is done at Ukhimath.

It is a myth that considered that after the great battle of Kurukshetra, the Pandavas felt guilty of having killed their own kith and kin, so they needed the blessing of Lord Shiva for their redemption. But Lord Shiva was not willing and so eluded the Pandavas repeatedly and took refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a Bull and dived into the ground due to followed by Pandavas, leaving his hump on the surface.

 The remaining portions of Lord Shiva reappeared at other four places, the locks with the head at Kalpeshwar, the face at Rudranath, the arms at Tungnath and the stomach(nabhi) at Madmaheshwar, so they are worshipped there as signs of Lord Shiva.

Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India (2) :

Vishwanath Temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas” of Lord Shiva, located in the crowded area of holy city Banaras (Varanasi) on the bank of holy river Ganga in Uttar Pardesh state of India. It is believed that this site is where the first Jyotirlinga proved its supremacy over other gods as vishwanath means the ruler of universe. As per Hindu myth the person who dies here achieve liberation and it is believed that Shiva himself resided here. The city Varanasi is also known by other names i.e. Banaras and/or Kashi. As per myth Lord Brahma performed severe penance here due to which Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati visited him. Lord Brahma sang hymns to praise Lord Shiva but by mistake he mispronounced one of the hymns.  This angered Lord Shiva and he severed Brahma’s head but it (Brahma’s head) was stuck on Shiva’s back which was falloff only when Shiva went to Varanasi.

Mahakaleswar Temple, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India (3) :

Mahakaleshwar Temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas” of Lord Shiva, is located in Ujjain city on the banks of the river Kshipra in Madhya Pradesh state of India. This lingam on the banks of Rudra Sagar lake is consider to be Swayambhu and believed that it derives powers from Shakti within. The temple complex houses more than hundred small shrines and remains crowded mostly. This only south facing lingam known as “Mahakala” is one among the seven “Mukti-Sthal”, the place that can liberate a human.

Following myths are associated with Mahakaleshwar (Mahakala) Temple:

  1.    A Shiva devotee King Chandrasena was the ruler of Ujjain  and due to his devotion Lord Shiva appeared in his Mahakal form to defeat his enemies. Lord Shiva agreed to reside in Ujjain to take care of the city after conquered the enemies of King Chandrasena.

2.   A rakshasa (demons) named Dushana threatened the four Brahmanas to kill, if they will not their practice of reading Vedas. When these Brahmanas were attacked by the demons they pray to Shiva. Lord Shiva appeared and killed  Dushana and his soldiers, hence Lord Shiva is known as Mahakala.       

Omkareshwar Temple, Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India (4) :

The Omkareshwar Temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas” of Lord Shiva, is located at Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh on an island called Shivapuri in the Narmada River. The shape of the lingam in this temple is like ‘Om and Omkareshwar means “Lord of Omkara (Sound of Om)”.

Following myths are associated with Omkareshwar Temple:

  1. As per a Hindu myth, once upon a time, when Devtas(Gods) were defeated by Danavas (Demons) Lord Shiva emerged in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and defeated the Danavas (Demons) on the pray of Devtas (Gods) hence this temple is considered as highly sacred by the Hindus.
  2. As per Shiva Purana, when Narada visited the Vindhyas mountains he claimed that Mount Sumeru mountain is superior than the Vindhyas due to Lord Shiva present there always despite Vindhyas is the highest peak. Due to this Vindhyas prayed and Lord Shiva appeared before the Vindhya mountains causing the Omkareshwar temple existence.

Somnath Temple, Veraval, Gujarat, India (5) :

The Somnath Temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas ” and  one of the highly venerated Shiva shrines is located at Veraval in Gujarat state of India. As per myth the moon was married to 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati representing the 27 Nakhshatras but moon loved his wife Rohini the most out of his 27 wives. Due to this indifference Daksha Prajapati cursed moon that it would lose all its radiance. The disappointed moon visited this place with his wife Rohini and worshipped the Sparsh Lingam to get rid of the curse. Lord Shiva pleased with his devotion blessed him to regain his lost beauty and shine and thereafter on the request of moon Lord Shiva assumed the name Somchandra and resided here eternally, so the place is known as Somnath. This Somnath temple was built around the 9th century CE and was destroyed by Muslim invaders from time to time and Mahmud Ghazni had plundered the temple in the 11th century. So this temple has been rebuilt many times in history and after independence of India this temple was reconstructed by demolishing the ruins on the orders of Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India, but can be completed after his death. The Maru-Gurjara architecture also called Chaulukya or Solanki style of this temple makes it a picturesque pilgrimage spot. This temple is an important Hindu pilgrimage place and must visit tourist site.

Nageshvara Temple,  Dwarka, Gujarat, India (6) :

The Nageshwar Temple,, finds its mention in Shiva Purana as one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas ” of Lord Shiva  is located near Dwarka on the coast of Saurashtra in Gujarat state of India. It is believed that worship at this temple denotes protection from all types of poison and devotees who worship at this temple become free of all poisons.  As per myth this ocean was ruled by the demon Daruka and he (demon Daruka) used to imprison and kill those who traversed through the sea. The said demon also do same with Supriya, a Shiva devotee, who started chanting “Om Namah Shivaya” and Lord Shiva gave him (Supriya) a divine weapon called “Pashupata” to kill the demon and his army. Hence Nageshwar Shivling was established as Nageshwar means king of nags (snakes).

Rameshwaram Temple, Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, India (7) :

The Rameshwaram Temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas ” of Lord Shiva  is located  on seashore in the Rameshwaram island of Tamil Nadu state of India near Ram Shetu. This southernmost “Jyotirlingas”  temple is associated with Ramayana and Lord Ram’s victorious return from Sri Lanka. It is believed that when Lord Ram stopped at here on his way to Sri Lanka and was about to drinking water on this seashore a celestial edict was heard by him that ‘you are drinking water without worshipping me’. On hearing it Lord Ram made a Shiv-linga of sand and worshipped it. The Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati appeared and blessed him to defeat Ravana.  The Lord Shiva on request of Lord Rama resided here as a Jyotirlinga.

Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh, India (8) :

The Mallikarjuna Temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas ” of Lord Shiva  is located  at the banks of the Krishna River on the Shri Shaila Mountain (Srisailam) in Andhra Pradesh state of India.  This temple, one of the greatest Shaivite shrines in India, is also known as “Kailash of the South” being presiding deities at this temple are Mallikarjuna (Shiva) and Bhramaramba (Devi) and this large fort like temple as known as ‘Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple’.

As per this myth in Shiva Purana Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati arranged a competition among their both sons, Kartikeya and Ganesha to decide who should get married first. As per this task who will complete the round the word first will be winner so on hearing it Kartikeya started his journey by sitting on his peacock but  Lord Ganesha went in circles around his parents considering that they are the world for him. It is believed that taking the circumvent of  parents is equivalent to taking the circumvent of  the world. This pleased the Lord Shiva and Godess Parvati  and they  married Ganesha to Siddhi (spiritual powers) aprosperity). As per other myth  Buddhi (the intellect)  is also believed to be the wife of Ganesha.

The angered Kartikeya, the elder son of Lord Shiva, decided to remain unmarried  and left his home due to decision of marriage of his younger brother Ganesha before him and came to Kraunch Mountain. All Gods of Hindu mythology came here  to console Kartikeya but remain unsuccessful then Shiva-Parvati themselves came but they were also turned away by Kartikeya.  Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were very hurt due to this state of Kartikeya and decided to resided on the mountain as Jyotirlinga  by the name of Mallikarujna (Mallika means Parvati&  while Arjuna means Shiva). It is believed that the person on seeing the tip of this mountain gets liberated from all sins and becomes free from the ferocious cycle of life and death. 

Vaidyanath or Baijnath Temple, Deogarh, Jharkhand, India (9) :

The Vaidyanath Temple also known as Baijnath or Vaijnath, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas” of Lord Shiva is located at Deogarh in the Santal Parganas region of Jharkhand state of India. It is believed that the sincere worship at this temple relieves the devotee from all his worries &miseries and he attains moksha or salvation. As per Hindu myth the Ravana, demon king of Lanka, prayed to Lord Shiva to make him invincible and  offered his ten heads as sacrifice.  The pleased Lord Shiva appeared and cured the injured Ravana which made Lord Shiva equivalent to a vaidya (doctor) so known as Vaidyanath. Ravana requested lord Shiva to reside in Lanka, on this request Lord Shiva said as a condition that if  the linga  was placed down anywhere that place will be  the site of the linga. When Ravana was carrying the linga to Lanka, the feared Gods send Lord Varuna (the Lord of the waters) to interrupt his wanting to relieve himself.   Ravana descended and handed the linga to a Brahmin believed to be Lord Vishnu. When Ravana came back after get relieved himself he found that the linga was placed on the ground and he got realized being tricked.  In this way this Jyotirlinga was get established here. There is also a disputed about actual Vaidyanath jyotirlinga amoung the three Lord Shiva’s famous temples as Vaidyanath in Deogarh, Jharkhand, Baijnath in Himachal Pradesh and Parli Vaijnath in Maharashtra.

Bhimashankar Temple, Maharashtra, India (10) :

The Bhimashankar Temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas ” of Lord Shiva, is located on  hills of Sahyadri Range at about 100 km from Pune in Maharashtra state of India. The Bhima River, one of largest tributaries of Krishna River, also originates from this place and visit to this temple is a trekker’s paradise due to its beautiful location with surroundings of Buddha style monuments of Amba-Ambika. As per myth associated to Ramayana time this Jyotirlinga is related to Kumbhakarna’s son Bhima, who get immense power after performed penance to please Lord Brahma. After that Bhima started creating destruction in the world and defeated Kamrupeshwar a devotee of Lord Shiva. This irritated the Devtas(Gods) who requested Lord Shiva to visit  Earth and put an end to this domination  and ultimate war between Lord Shiva and demon put the demon (Bhima) to ashes. Thereafter Devtas( Gods) requested Lord Shiva to make that place his abode and Lord Shiva manifested himself here as Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga. It is believed that the Bhima River came in existence from the sweat poured from Shiva’s body in this the battle. 

Trimbakeshwar Temple, Nashik, Maharashtra, India (11) :

The Trimbakeshwar Temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas ” of Lord Shiva, is located on the banks of river Godavari in Nashik in Maharashtra state of India where holy “Kumbha Mela (fare)” is organized  every 12 years. The premises of temple have a holy kunda (sacred pond) named Kusavarta filled with water of the Godavari River also known as “Gautami Ganga” the most sacred river in South India. As per the Shiva Purana lord Shiva decided to reside here as Trimbakeshwar on the  request of River Godavari, Gautam Rishi and all the other Devtas(Gods). As per myth Gautam Rishi get a well from which never-ending supply of grains and food can be obtained. This well was obtained as gift from God Varuna which created jealous among other other Gods and they send a cow to enter the granary. The said cow was killed by Gautam Rishi by mistake and due to this Gautam Rishi asked Lord Shiva to do something to purify the premises.Then on the request of Lord Shiva holy Ganga flow through the premises to make it pure. It is believed that the Lord Shiva along with Ganda resided in the form of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga on request of all so it is also believed that this Jyotirlinga fulfils everyone’s desires.

Ghrishneshwar Temple, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India (12) :

The Ghrishneshwar Temple, one of the twelve “Jyotirlingas ” of Lord Shiva, is located  at about 20 km from Daulatabad near Ajanta and Ellora caves  in Maharashtra state of India. As per myth an extremely devout woman named Kusuma was living here who used to immerse Shiva’s lingam in a tank daily as her daily prayer. The second wife of his husband killed her son due to jealousy but depressed Kusuma  continued worshipped Lord Shiva and when she dipped  the lingan into the tank her son  became alive miraculously and Lord Shiva appeared before Kusuma and the villagers. Thereafter on the request of Kusuma Lord Shiva manifested himself here as Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga. This temple is also known by other names as Kusumeswarar, Ghushmeswara, Grushmeswara and Grishneswara. The temple was destroyed by Mughals during conflicts with Marathas  and was  rebuilt in the 18th century by queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore who also rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi after the fall of the Mughal empire.

Amarnath Yatra (Tour), india :

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