The "12 Jyotirlinga temple"of Lord Shiva
The "12 Jyotirlinga" are considered to be the most sacred shrines dedicated
to Lord Shiva and are spread across India. According to Hindu mythology,
Lord Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light at these places and thus, these
shrines are considered to be the manifestation of Lord Shiva's divine power.
The 12 Jyotirlingas are:
1) Somnath in Gujarat,
2)Mallikarjuna in Andhra
Pradesh,
3) Mahakaleshwar in
Madhya Pradesh,
4)Omkareshwar in Madhya
Pradesh,
5) Kedarnath in
Uttarakhand,
6) Bhimashankar in Maharashtra,
7)Viswanath in Uttar
Pradesh,
8)Triambakeshwar in
Maharashtra,
9)Vaidyanath in
Jharkhand,
10) Nageshvara in
Gujarat,
11)Rameshwaram in Tamil
Nadu, and
12)Grishneshwar in
Maharashtra.
1) Somnath in Gujarat,
Somnath Jyotirlinga is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the town of Prabhas Patan near Veraval in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, India. According to Hindu mythology, Somnath was the first among the 12 Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple has been destroyed and reconstructed several times throughout history and is considered to be a symbol of national pride for India. It is a popular pilgrimage destination for Hindus and attracts a large number of tourists and devotees every year.
2)Mallikarjuna in Andhra
Pradesh,
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the town of Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light at this place. The temple is situated on a hill called Srisailam, which is surrounded by the Nallamala hills. It is a popular pilgrimage destination for Hindus and attracts a large number of tourists and devotees every year. The temple complex also houses several other shrines dedicated to different Hindu gods and goddesses.
3) Mahakaleshwar in
Madhya Pradesh,
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light at this place. The temple is situated near the Rudra Sagar lake and is considered to be one of the five holiest places in Hinduism, known as the Pancha Kedar. It is a famous pilgrimage destination for Hindus and attracts a large number of tourists and devotees every year. The temple complex also houses several other shrines dedicated to different Hindu gods and goddesses.
4)Vaidyanath in Jharkhand,
This is the most disputed jyotirlinga as there are three places in India whose natives claim that their temple houses this jyotirlinga. During a severe penance, Ravana offered his head to Shiva. When he is about to cut off his tenth head, Shiva appears before him and offers him a jyotirlinga which he can take to Lanka but without placing it on the ground anywhere on the way. However, he is tricked by Ganesha and the linga is installed in the same place. The first one is at Deoghar, Bihar which has a huge complex with twenty-two temples of different deities among which Shiva is one. The nearest railway station is Jaisidih, seven km away on the Patna Howrah route. Parli-Vaijanath near Latur, Maharashtra, is the second one that was constructed by Rani Ahilya Bai Holkar in typical Maratha style architecture and this explains its fort-like appearance. The third one made in Nagara style is a 1000-year-old temple in Baijnath town situated in the Dhauladhar range of Western Himalaya in Himachal Pradesh. Take the heritage toy train from Pathankot if you love panoramic hilly landscapes. As a mark of respect to Ravana, the people of Baijnath don’t celebrate Dusshera.
5)Omkareshwar in Madhya
Pradesh,
Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga Temple is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, located on an island in the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light at this place. The temple is situated in the shape of the Hindu symbol "Om" and is considered to be one of the holiest places in Hinduism. It is a famous pilgrimage destination for Hindus and attracts a large number of tourists and devotees every year. The temple complex also houses several other shrines dedicated to different Hindu gods and goddesses.
6) Bhimashankar in Maharashtra,
Bhimashankar is the sixth jyotirlinga of Shiva situated on the hills of Sahyadri Range in Maharashtra, 110 km away from Pune. This is also the place where the Bhima river, the largest tributary of the Krishna river, originates. The Maratha-styled temple is made of black stones. Everyone is allowed to enter the sanctorum and touch the jyotirlinga. The story behind this jyotirlinga goes thus: Shiva took a ferocious form and reduced the oppressive demon Bhima, the son of Kumbhakarna, to ashes and remained here in the form of a jyotirlinga. The area is very scenic and offers breathtaking beauty, especially the neighboring peak called Nagfani. Connectivity is not a problem with many state buses plying from Pune every half an hour. The other eight km route from Khandas village near Karjat is a trekker’s paradise.
7)Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu,
Rameshwaram is a small town situated in Pamban island in the Tamil Nadu state of India. Lord Rama built a bridge starting from here right up to Sri Lanka to wage a war against Ravana after he abducted Sita. Dravidian-styled Ramanathaswamy Temple has two jyotirlingas; one made by Lord Rama and another brought by Hanuman from Kashi, this is a replica of the Kashi Vishwanath jyotirlinga. As per one of the traditions of the temple, devotees are expected to first bathe in twenty-two water bodies present in the temple complex and then pay reverence to the jyotirlinga. Another important landmark in Rameshwaram is the Kothandaramaswamy Temple where the first meeting of Rama and Vibhishana took place. There are a lot of mesmerizing places in Rameshwaram, such as Dhanushkodi, Agneeteertham, Gandhamathan Parvat, Rama Teerth, Lakshman Teerth, and Pamban Bridge. This island can be reached by road in addition to the direct trains from Chennai, Madurai, and Kanyakumari
8) Nageshvara in
Gujarat,
Nageshwar Jyotirling Temple is located at a distance of 18 km from Dwarka in Gujarat which is one of the top seven Hindu holy cities of India. There is a narration from Shiv Purana that Shiva in Nageshwar form (body full of serpents) defeated a demon named Daruka and his army to rescue his imprisoned devotee named Supriya. The temple is built with pink stone and the idol is Dakshinamurti. Devotees are allowed to go inside the sanctorum and perform Abhishek on this linga along with the local priest albeit only in traditional attire. There is a huge statue of a sitting Shiva in the temple complex which can be seen from a distance. An idol of Shani is also worshipped in the temple complex below a huge pipal tree. Apart from municipal sightseeing buses, auto rickshaws and cabs can be hired to visit this temple. Like Baijnath, this jyotirlinga is also disputed. There are two more temples; Jageshwar in Almora, Uttarakhand, and Nagnath in Aundha, Maharashtra which are said to be contenders as well.
9)Viswanath in Uttar Pradesh,
This jyotirlinga is situated in the holy city of Kashi (Varanasi). Even though this jyotirlinga is ninth on the Dwadasha Jyotlirling Strotram, it is arguably, the most important jyotirlinga. All the important saints such as Goswami Tulsidas, Adi Shankaracharya, Guru Nanak, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Swami Vivekanand, Sant Kabir, etc. have visited this temple. The temple has been raided many times by invaders but has been reconstructed time and again. The present Kashi Vishwanath Temple was renovated by Ahilyabai Holkar, the queen of Maheshwar. Raja Ranjit Singh covered the two domes of the temple with gold in the eighteenth century. The temple receives close to five thousand visitors per day and on some auspicious days like Mahashivratri, the count goes right up to two lakh. Security provisions are strict and one has to deposit mobile phones and cameras outside the temple. A walk to this temple would take you through the famous narrow lanes of Kashi, don’t miss the variety of food items and other knick-knacks that can be picked up as well.
Kashi Vishvanath Temple Varanasi India full detailed history of this temple link below
10)Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra,
Trimbakeshwar is a pious temple town located on the banks of the River Godavari, near Nasik, Maharashtra. It is among the four Hindu cities where the Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years. The legend of Trimbakeshwar states the entire pantheon of three crore Hindu deities including Shiva appeared to see the great penance of Gautam Rishi and his wife Ahilya. Shiva not only granted a jyotirlinga but also released a stream of Ganges from his hair locks, now known as Godavari or Ganga of the South. In addition to this, saint Nivruttinath took samadhi here. Guru Gorakhnath of the Nath Sect also meditated in a cave near the hills of Trimbakeshwar. A temple has also been constructed at the place where Rama is said to have performed the shraddha ceremony of his ancestors. In addition to the temple, one can visit Kushavarta, a big water tank located in the center of the town and an important landmark. Genuine Rudraksha is sold here as there are many trees in this vicinity. Buses are the best form of transport. They ply from the Nasik CBS bus stand every half an hour.
11) Kedarnath in
Uttarakhand,
Kedarnath Jyotirlinga Temple is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light at this place. The temple is situated in the beautiful Himalayan range and is considered to be one of the four sacred shrines known as the Char Dham. It is a famous pilgrimage destination for Hindus and attracts a large number of tourists and devotees every year, especially during the Char Dham Yatra. The temple is only accessible by foot and the journey to the temple is considered to be challenging due to its remote location and the difficult terrain.
12)Grishneshwar in
Maharashtra.
Grishneshwar Temple is a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, located near the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, India. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light at this place. The temple is considered to be one of the holiest places in Hinduism and is a popular pilgrimage destination for Hindus. The temple complex also houses several other shrines dedicated to other Hindu gods and goddesses. The temple is famous for its intricate carvings and architecture and attracts a large number of tourists and devotees every year. I will start the series of all jyotirlinga temple detail history.
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