Temples of Lord Shiva: Know where are the 12 Jyotirlingas in India

Lord Shiva is one of the most worshipped deities in the country. There are many temples dedicated to worship Shiva. Within these temples are the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, which make these temples the most auspicious pilgrim destinations for all Shiva devotees. 

 

A Jyotirlinga is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a fiery column of light. There is a ‘Jyoti’ which means ‘radiance’ and there is a ‘Lingam’ which means the Shiva Lingam, implying the sign of the Lord or the phallus symbol. The 12 Jyotirlingas symbolise the supreme power of Lord Shiva. 

 

 

 

Located in Saurashtra, Gujarat, the Somnath temple is a major pilgrim site. It is extremely popular among Shiva devotees as it is located close a Triveni Sangam that refers to three rivers, namely Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati. 

 

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The Mallikarjunaswamy temple is quite popular in South India because of the Mallikarjun jyotirlinga, which is one of the 275 Paadal Petra Sthalams that are amongst the greatest Shiva temples in Asia. 

 

 

Located beside the Rudra Sagar lake, the Mahakaleshwar temple welcomes a huge number of devotees every day. The temple is also a popular tourist attracted due to the jyotirlinga here. This Jyotirlinga is believed to be swayambhu (born of itself) deriving currents from within itself. 

 

 

The Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is present on the banks of river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh. The term ‘Omkareshwar’ is based on the shape of the holy island of Omkareshwar, which looks like the shape of ‘Om’. 

 

 

The Baidyanath temple, which is also known as the Baba Baidyanath Dham is situated in Deoghar, Jharkhand. The Jyotirlinga here is called as Vaidhya, which means doctor. This comes from the belief that Lord Shiva cured the demon king – Ravana as he was the greatest worshipper of Lord Shiva.

 

 

Situated near Dwarka, Gujarat, the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga temple is believed to be the oldest shrine of its kind. As per the Shiva Purana, the Jyotirlinga is in Darukavana, which was a city inhabited by sea snakes and demons. It was ruled by the old demon Daruka who disappeared after Shiva came here and resided as the Jyotirlinga. 

 

 

Kedarnath is counted as one of the char dham pilgrimage which is considered auspicious for Hindus. It is located in the mountains of Uttarakhand and is considered to be the most difficult to be visited. Placed at a height of 3,583 m from Rishikesh, reaching the Jyotirlinga is a challenging task.

 

 

The Tryambakeshwar is another popular pilgrim destination among the devotees of Lord Shiva. This religious spot is situated in Trimbak. 

 

 

The Rameswaram temple and the jyotirlinga inside it are increasingly popular among all Hindu devotees. The temple is visited by thousands of devotees every day, who come to witness the exquisite architecture and worship Lord Shiva. 

 

 

The Bhimshakar Jyotirlinga can be found near the city of Pune. The place is named after an evil demon named Bhim who was reduced to ashes after a war with Lord Shiva. As per legend, the ancient shrine was erected overa Swayambhu Linga (self-emanated shiva linga)

 

 

The Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi is known for holding grand aartis during major festivals. One of the holiest of Shiva temples, this place welcomes huge crowd on the occasion of Mahashivratri. The ghats are packed with Shiva devotees who gather from around the globe to worship the Lord. 

 

 

The Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga temple is known to be the smallest Jyotirlinga temple of Lord Shiva. Situated in a small village in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, the Jyotirlinga temple is built of red rocks and composed of a five-tier shikhara.