The 12 Jyotirlingas

Here is a detailed description of all the 12 Jyotirlingas:

Somnath

The Somnath Jyotirlinga is situated in Veraval in (Prabhas Kshetra) Kathaiwad district. It is said that Chandra Devan worshipped Siva here to free himself of the curse of Daksha and hence built a temple here and name came upon to be Somnathar. According to the Shiva Purana, Daksha Prajapati had 27 daughters who were all wedded to Chandra Devan. Amongst all his wives, he deeply loved Rohini, one of the daughters of Dakshan. Seeing this partiality and negligence of the other daughters Daksha cursed Chandra that will diminish in power and beauty, as moon without beauty will make the whole world lifeless. When Chandra asked for forgiveness, Dakshan said that only Lord Shiva could free him from this curse. So Chandra started praying. Pleased by this devotion Lord shiva blessed him of immortality. He blessed him that he would undergo waxing and waning accordingly in a month. On the request of Chandra Devan and other Gods Lord Shiva assumed the name of Somchandra (Jyotirlinga) and dwelled there forever. In this temple there is a small cave in which a lamp burns continuously.

Mallikarjuna

Shri Mallikarjuna is situated on the mountain Sahila by the banks of River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. It is popularly known as the Kailash of the south. It is said that if a person simply sees the tip of the mountain he will be freed of all his sins and worries. He will also be freed from the cycle of life and death. The architecture of this temple where this Jyotirlinga is situated is very beautiful with delicate structural design. The story behind the Jyotirlinga is very famous. When Shri Ganesha got married before Kartikeya, Kartikeya got very angry and went away to the Kraunch Mountain. All gods including Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati tried to console and bring back Kartikeya. But all in vain. At last Shiv-Parvati themselves went to the mountain. Hearing that his parents are coming he went even further away. Eventually Lord Shiva assumed the form of a Jyotirlinga and resided on the mountain by the name of Mallikarjuna. Mallika means Parvati while Arjuna is another name of Lord Shiva.

Mahakaleshwar

Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is situated in Ujjain. It is a very important religious place for Lord Shiva devotees. There are numerous stories associated with this Jyotirlinga in Ujjain. The temple of Lord Mahakaleshwar is very big, beautiful and grand. The Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is situated below the ground in a Garbha Griha. This Jyotirlinga is big in size and is encircled by a silver snake. On one side of the Shiv Linga there's the idol of Lord Ganesha and on the other side the idol of Parvati and Kartikeya. There are many stories behind this Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga.According to one story, a five-year-old boy Shrikar was spellbound seeing the devotion of King Chandrasena of Ujjain towards Lord Shiva. He took a stone and by considering it a lingam started worshipping it every day. Many made fun of him, but everything in vain. On the contrary the devotion of Shrikar increased day by day. Pleased by the boy's immense devotion Lord Shiva took the form of Jyotirlinga and stayed in the Mahakal forest.

Omkareshwar

Shri Omkareshwar is situated in Madhya Pradesh near the river Narmada. The Puranas speak quite highly of the greatness of Omkareshwar and Mammaleshwar. One has to pass through two rooms before entering the temple. The Jyotirlinga of Omkareshwar is not fixed to the ground, but is naturally set up there. There is always water surrounding it. The significance of this Jyotirlinga is that it is not situated below the dome. The idol of Lord Shiva is put on the top of the temple. Every year on Kartik Poornima a huge fair is organized. This Jyotirlinga is situated by the banks of Narmada river in the Malva area. Gods of all the Gods Lord Shiva's Omkareshwar linga is situated on the mountain Mandhata. The Shiv Purana speaks of the greatness of Omkareshwar and Mammaleshwar. The 2 sons of the sun dynasty Mandhata (Ambarish and Muchukunda), practiced severe penance and austerities here pleased Lord Shiva. They had also performed great religious sacrifices here, because of this the mountain is named Mandhata.

Kedarnath

Shri Kedarnath or Kedareshwar Jyotirlinga is situated on the Himalayas on Kedar hills. Before Kedarnath Jyotirlinga, on the banks of the Alakanada Badrinarayana is situated. Nar Narayan the incarnation of Lord Vishnu had performed severe penance in Badrikashraya of Bharat Khand. He would habitually pray to the Shivlinga and Lord Shiva used to be present there in the lingam. After some time Lord Ashutush appeared infront of Nar Narayan pleased with his unwavering faith and devotion, gave Nar Narayan the permission to ask for a boon for himself. Nar Narayan, asked Lord Shiva to reside there eternally so that all people could worship and get the blessings of Lord Shiva. Granting the boon, Lord Shiva took the form of a linga and was put in Kedar Mountain. After that Nar Narayan worshipped him with complete devotion and this Jyotirlinga was thereafter named Kedareshwar. By praying to Kedareshwar, one can get all his wishes fulfilled.

Bhimashankar

The Bhimshankar Jyotirlinga is situated in the north of Pune by the banks of river Bhima. This Jyotirlinga is situated on the top of the Sahyadri hill. The temple here is very old and the structure is not very large. It is said that Lord Shiva is supposed to be taking rest here after the Trpurantaka samharam. The sweat drops of Lord Shiva got converted as steam and is now running as Bhimarati. The Bhimashankarar Lingam measures around one and a half feet and is quite narrow. The goddess that is worshipped in this temple is Kamalaja. The story behind this Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is that once upon a time in the place called Kamrup a great devotee of Lord Shiva by the name of King Kamrupeshwar resided. He would spend hours and days in the worship of lord Shiva. During one of these days a demon named Bhima appeared and started troubling the people.

Vishwanath

Shri Vishweshwarnath Jyotirlinga is situated in Kashi and is popular by the name of Shiv Vishwanath. The original Jyotirlinga of Kashi Vishwanath is no more available. It was destroyed as a result of the Mughal invasion and Aurangazeb built a mosque in place of it. The ancient idol of Vishweshwar is situated in Jnana-Vapi. Queen Ahilyabai of Indore built the new temple. Kashi is amongst the most significant holy spots of the Hindus. It is said that if a person visits Kashi once in his lifetime, he’ll attain salvation and get rid of all his sins. The scriptures say that Kashi was destroyed forever when the earth was submerged below water. But lord Shiva holds this place with his trishul. The Shiv lingam in Kashi is placed in a square shaped brass-plated pit. Devotees can offer their prayers here. There are also smaller shrines around the main shrine. The head of each of the ghats has a Shiv Linga shrine. Lord Shiva has been put on a pedestal at every location in the city.

Tryambakeshwar

Shri Trimbarkeshwar Jyotirlinga is situated in Nasik in the state of Maharashtra. This temple is constructed in the Indo Aryan style. This temple is near to the mountain Brahmagiri which is near the river Godavari. Thousands of devotees every year take bath in the holy river of Godavari and then take the blessings of Shri Trimbarkeshwar. Accordingly to the Shiv Purana it is because of the humble request of Godavari, Gautam Rishi and other gods that Lord Shiva agreed to reside here and assumed the famous name Trimbakeshwar. Once there lived a sage Gautam with his wife Ahilya. The aim of their life was sacrament and good of others. Once there came a drought. Unselfish Gautam Rishi made a pit and filled it with water by pacifying God Varuna. Seeing this, the wives of other sages felt jealous. They made a conspiracy to drive Gautam Rishi and his wife out of the vicinity. All the sages came together and started worshipping Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha was pleased with their devotion assumed form and being told the boon to be granted discouraged the sages from doing so. But when the sages did not agree he blessed them accordingly and disappeared. After that Lord Ganesha assumed the form of a cow and entered the courtyard of Gautam Rishi's house and started eating grass and plants. Rishi Gautam saw this and started hitting the cow with a stick. As soon as the stick touched the cow, the cow dropped down dead. At that moment the other evil sages came there and criticized Gautam Rishi for his cruelty. They told him to leave this place and go away. Gaumtam Rishi humbly accepted the decision. The sages suggested that Gaumtam Rishi should circumambulate the earth thrice, the Mountain Brahmagiri 100 times, holy bath in the Ganges and worshipping of 1 crore Shivalingas. After performing this penance, Lord Shiva appeared before them. Sage Gautam asked to be freed from the crime. Lord Shiva told Sage Gautam that he was innocent and pure. The other sages had planned a conspiracy against him.

Vaidyanath

Believed to have divine healing powers of all diseases, is situated in the south west of Keeul Station on the Patna-Calcutta railway route 150 km away is Vaijnatheshwar. There is a very well known story behind this famous Jyotirlinga. The demon Lord Ravana from the Ramayana meditated with all his devotion in hope to make Lord Shiva come over to Sri Lanka so that his city would become unbeatables. Ravana even attempted to lift the holy mountain, Mount Kailash that is Lord Shiva’s abode. But Lord Shiva crushed him with his finger and Ravana begged for forgivenes. Lord Shiva had mercy on him and gave one of the twelve Jyotirlingas to Ravana on the condition that if it is placed on the ground it will take root immediately. So Ravana had to take the Jyotirlinga back with him. But on the way Ravana had to stop for sometime and he asked a young lad passing by to hold the Jyotirlinga. And the young boy placed the Jyotirlinga on the ground to which it became rooted. Ravana was very disappointed and offered severe penances to Lord Shiva and cut off his nine heads. Lord Shiva revived him and joined the heads to the body like a physician or Vaidya and hence the Jyotirlinga got he name Vaidyanath. If one worships Vaijnath Jyotirlinga a person can eliminate all his/her worries and miseries It is also a giver of Moksha and all types of happiness. Devotees carry ‘Kanwars’ on their shoulders and complete their travel here.

Nageshwar

Shri Nageshwarnath Jyotirlinga is situated near Dwaraka, on the way to Beti Dwaraka. According to Puranas, there once lived a demon Daruka, who used to torture and bother the people of that place. One day Supriya who was a merchant reached Darukavanam. He was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Daruka and his wife Daruki tried to kill Supriya who was now acting as a savior to these people. Supriya however had full faith is his devotion to the Lord and was unmoved by any torture. Lord Shiva was pleased by Supriya's devotion and appeared and killed the demon Daruka. Daruki, Daruka's wife, now started giving even more trouble than her husband. Shiva didn't take any mercy on her and vanquished her too and gives darshan to his devotees at this place as Nageshwar. The Nageswara Jyotirlingam is supposed to exist in 3 places in Dwaraka, in Audhgram, near Almora in Uttar Pradesh. The Shivalingam is facing South, with the Gomugam facing East. There is a story behind this position. A Lord Shiva devotee named Naamdev was singing bhajans in front of the Lord. Other devotees annoyed asked him to stand aside and not hide the Lord. To this Naamdev asked them to suggest one direction in which the Lord does not exist, so that he could stand there. The furious devotees took him and left him on the south side. To their surprise, they found that the Jyotirlinga was now facing South with the Gomugam facing East.

Rameshwaram

Rameshvaram Jyotirlinga is situated on the peninsular tip of Rameshvaram. Lord Rama put up this Jyotirlinga when he was on his way to attack Ravana. It is said that when Lord Rama was drinking water by the seashore he heard a voice saying that he should pay offerings to Lord Shiva. Listening to this Lord Rama made a linga of sand and worshipped it and asked the blessings of Lord Shiva to destroy Ravana. Lord Shiva, happy by his devotion blessed him accordingly. Lord Rama also requested Lord Shiva to reside here forever and bless the entire mankind. Lord Shiva from that time lives in this Jyotirlinga. Those who go to Rameshwar Jyotirlinga and seek Lord Shiva's blessings always live in Shivaloka (abode of Lord Shiva). The temple of Rameshwar is very big and grand. There are many other idols of Shiva and other gods other than the main lingam. There is a big idol of Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva.

Ghrishneshwar

Shri Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga is situated at Devagiri near Ellora. This Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva is known by many names here like Kusumeswarar, Ghushmeswara, Grushmeswara, and Grishneswara. The story behind this Jyotirlinga is as follows. There once lived a devout Brahmin & his wife. He was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Unfortunately he was not blessed with a son. At the advice of his family, he got married to Kusuma, in order to give him a son. Kusuma was an even greater devotee of Lord Shiva. Everyday she would make one Shiva Linga, worship it and then immerse it in the temple tank. Soon she was blessed with boy baby. The first wife was very jealousy & ill-treated Kusuma. Putting all her faith in the Lord, Kusuma accepted all the sufferings humbly. When the boy grew older, they planned his wedding. The first wife took an opportunity and killed the boy. Kusuma was deeply mournful, yet did not stop her daily worship of Lord Shiva. She continued to make the Lingam, worshipped & immersed it in the tank. To the surprise of one and all, her son rose out of the water one day, coming back to life. This Jyotirlinga is supposed to exist in two places, one at Devagiri near Ellora & the other at the Kailasa temple at Ellora.

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