The month of Sawan is celebrated with great zest and vigour by all devotees of Lord Shiva. Many people observed the first Sawan Somvar vrat today.
As we celebrate the month of Sawan, let us take a look at the 12 jyotirlingas spread across India.
Before we read about the special shiva shrines, you should know the meaning of Jyotirlinaga or Jyotirlingam.
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A Jyotirlinga is a shrine where devotees worship Lord Shiva in the form of a fiery column of light. Interestingly, the term ‘Jyoti’ means radiance and ‘Lingam’ means Shiva Lingam, which stands as a sign of the Lord’s phallus.
Here are 12 Jyotirlingas in the country
Somnath Temple, Gujarat
The Somnath temple in Prabhas Patan, Gujarat is considered to be the first among all the Jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. According to popular belief, the temple was created by the Moon God himself. The holy spot has successfully overcome numerous attacks yet it stands strong.
Kashi Vishwanath, Uttar Pradesh
The Kashi Vishvanath Temple is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The term ‘Vishwanatha’ means the Ruler of the Universe. The temple is crowded at the time of Maha Shivaratri and Sawan.
Mahakaleshwar, Madhya Pradesh
Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is located in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. The idol in this temple is known to be dakshinamurti, that means it is facing the south. As per common belief, Shiva – who is the deity of time also has blessed the city of Ujjain.
Mallikarjuna, Andhra Pradesh
Sri Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Temple can be found in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh. Mallikarjuna is another name of Lord Shiva. Mahashivratri festival is celebrated with huge pomp and show at the Srisailam Mallikarjuna Swamy temple.
The Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is known to be one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams, which are amongst the greatest temples of Lord Shiva in Asia.
Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh
The Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is located at Mandhata, which is an island in Madhya Pradesh’s Narmada River. The name of the temple – Omkareshwar implies ‘Lord of Omkaara’ or the ‘Lord of the Om Sound’. The term Amareshwar implies ‘Immortal lord’
Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
Situated at a height of 3,583 m from Rishikesh, the Jyotirlinga temple is known to be the most difficult one to reach Lord Shiva. Devotees can reach the temple only for six months in a year.
Bhimashankar, Maharashtra
The Bhimashankar Temple is situated in Pune, Maharashtra. The temple is standing tall since the 18th century. It has been built in the Nagara style of architecture.
Baidyanath, Jharkhand
Baidyanath Temple, also known as Baba Baidyanath Dham and Baba Dham is a popular abode among Shiva devotees.
The temple is located in Deoghar, Jharkhand. As per common belief, the jyotirlinga was named ‘Vaidhya’ meaning ‘doctor’ as Lord Shiva cured Ravana.
Ramanathaswamy, Tamil Nadu
Devotees believe that the jyotirlingam at Ramanathaswamy temple has been made by Lord Rama himself to make amends of killing demon Ravana, who was a Brahmin.
Nageshvara, Gujarat
The Nageshvara Jyotirlinga temple is situated near Dwarka, Gujarat. As per the Shiva Purana, this jyotirlinga in ‘the Darukavana, an ancient name of a forest in India.
Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra
The Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple in Nashik, Maharashtra has another jyotirlinga. Based on Shiva Purana, Lord Shiva decided to reside as Trimbakeshwar at the request of the Godavari and Gautam Rishi.
The jyotirlinga in this temple has three faces – Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.
Grishneshwar, Maharashtra
Located in Auragabad, Maharashtra, the Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga at the Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga temple is known to be the twelfth Jyotirlinga (linga of light). It is also the smallest Jyotirlinga temple of Lord Shiva. The term Ghrneshwar means the ‘lord of compassion’.
