12 Jyotirlinga Name and its Location: Sacred Temples of Lord Shiva in Incredible India

Growing up in India you might have heard about Jyotirlinga a lot of times. These sacred shrines are dedicated to Lord Shiva, one of the most powerful gods according to Hindu mythology. Every year, millions of devotees visit these shrines to show their dedication to Lord Shiva.

According to ancient scriptures, there are twelve Jyotirlingas spread across the country. These are considered powerful centres of pilgrimage and devotion. These sacred shrines are not just places of religious importance but also hold historical and architectural value. Go through this post to know various details about Jyotirlinga in India.

Dwadash Jyotirling Mantra

सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम्। उज्जयिन्यां महाकालं ओम्कारम् अमलेश्वरम्॥ परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशङ्करम्।

सेतुबन्धे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने॥ वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बकं गौतमीतटे। हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये॥ एतानि ज्योतिर्लिङ्गानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः।

List of All 12 Jyotirlinga in India

Details of Each Jyotirlinga in India

Here are details of the 12 jyotirlingas mentioned in the Shiva Purana.

Somnath Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम्।
• Translation – Somnath in Saurashtra and Sri Mallikarjuna in Srisailam;

Traditionally, Somnath is considered the first site of the Jyotirlinga pilgrimage. The Somnath temple has been destroyed and rebuilt sixteen times. Located at Prabhas Patan, Veraval in the Gujarat state of India, this temple showcases the rich tradition and history of India.

Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम्
• Translation – Sri Mallikarjuna in Srisailam

Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is also known as “Srisailam”. Located on a mountain in Kurnool district in Rayalaseema, this temple is architecturally and sculpturally rich. It is a special place where you can find Shakti Peetha and Jyotirlinga together. According to legends, Adi Shankara composed Shivananda Lahari at this temple. 

Check the List of 51 Shakti Peeths in India

 Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोङ्कारममलेश्वरम्॥
• Translation – Mahakala in Ujjain

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple is situated in Mahakal, Ujjain. It is the only Jyotirlinga facing the south direction. In this temple, you can find a Shree Rudra Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbhagriha. Both Shakti Peetha and Jyotirlinga are together here.     

Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – उज्जयिन्यां महाकालं_ॐकारममलेश्वरम् ॥
• Translation – At Ujjayini is the Mahakala and at Omkara is the Omkareshwara.

Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is a special place. This temple is located on the island of Mandhata in the Narmada River. It has a shape like “OM”. It is a major pilgrimage site with millions of visitors every year.

Baidyanath Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – वैद्यनाथं चिताभूमौ(/परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च) डाकिन्यां भीमशङ्करम्।
• Translation – Baidyanath in Chitha Bhumi and Bhimashankara in Dakinya

There is a very interesting story behind this Jyotirlinga. According to mythology, this Jyotirlinga was placed at Deoghar, Jharkhand by Lord Ganesha himself. He took Shivling from Ravana when he had to perform Sandhyavandanam. Lord Ganesha placed the Shivling on Earth and that place is now known as Vaidyanatheswar or Baba Baidyanath Temple.

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमाशंकरम् ।
• Translation – At Parli is the Vaidyanatha and at Dakini is the Bhimashankara.

Located in Maharashtra, this Jyotirlinga got its name based on River Bhima. This river was born as a result of the fight between Lord Shiva and Demon Tripurasura. During the mediaeval period, the Maratha king Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj endowed this temple to facilitate religious ceremonies.

Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – सेतुबन्धे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने॥
• Translation – Ramesham (Rameshwara) in Sethubandh, (Nagesham) and Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Dwarka or Naganath in Daruka-Vana

Situated in Tamil Nadu, Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga in Rameshwaram is the southernmost of all 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of India. This temple has a Ramesvara pillar. It is believed that Lord Rama Worshiped Lord Shiva here before starting his journey towards Lanka.

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – सेतुबंधे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने ॥
• Translation – At Setubandha is the Ramesha and at Darukavana is the Nagesha.

The architecture of Nageshwar Temple is special. It has a massive 80 feet tall statue of Lord Shiva. The Shivling present here is made up of stone known as “Dwarka Shila”. It is in the shape of 3 mukhi rudraksha and has small cracks on it.   

Kedarnath Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये॥
• Translation – Kedar (Kedarnath) in the Himalayas and Ghushmesh in Shivalay.

This magnificent shrine is situated in the Himalayan region in Uttarakhand, Kedarnath. It holds great significance in Hindu Mythology. It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites and attracts devotees from around the world.

Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यंबकं गौतमीतटे
• Translation – At Varanasi is the Vishwesha (Vishwanath)

Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is one of the Padal Petra Stalam of Vada Naadu mentioned in Thevaaram. This temple is situated in Varanasi, one of the holiest cities as per Hindu mythology. It is also one of the oldest cities in the world with a documented history of more than 3500 years.

Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बकं गौतमीतटे।
• Translation – Vishwesham (Vishweshwara) in Varanasi, Tryambakam (Trayambakeshwar) at the bank of the river Gautami (Godavari).

The Trimbakeshwar temple is situated around 30 km away from Nasik in Maharashtra. You can find it near the mountain named Brahmagiri. This temple is considered the origin of the river Godavari. This river is also known as “Gautami Ganga”.

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga

• Sanskrit Shloka Mentioned in Shiva Purana – हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये
• Translation – At Himalaya is the Kedara and at Shivalaya is the Ghushmeshwar

Grishneshwar Temple is also mentioned as one of the Jyotirlinga shrines in Shiva Purana. This temple is located less than a kilometre away from the UNESCO site Ellora Caves in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.

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