Vishnu and Brahma split their ways to downwards and upwards respectively to find the end of the light in either direction. Brahma lied that he found out the end, while Vishnu conceded his defeat. This lie of Brahma angered Shiva making him curse Brahma that even though he is the creator of the universe he would not be worshipped. The jyotirlinga is the Supreme Shiva, partless reality, out of which Shiva appeared in another form, Lingodbhava. The jyotirlinga shrines are temples where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.
Originally there were believed to be 64 jyotirlingas while twelve of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy. Each of the twelve jyotirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity, each considered a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is lingam representing the beginning less and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva.
As per Hindu belief, Lord Shiva is regarded as Supreme God and creator of the universe. Legend has it that ages ago, Lord Brahma and Vishnu went to war in a bid to establish supremacy over the other. Shiva emerged in front of them in a form of a huge pillar of light. In order to find the ends of this radiant pillar, Brahma went upwards and Vishnu went downwards. Vishnu accepted defeat on not being able to find the end whereas Brahma chose to lie. Shiva emerged from the pillar and cursed Brahma that he won’t be worshipped till the end of eternity and blessed Vishnu for his piousness. This pillar of radiance is called ‘Jyotirling’. The Indian saint Adi Shankaracharya who revived Hinduism in 800 CE, has mentioned 12 most important Jyotirlings in his Dwadasha Jyotirling Strotram situated in different locations of India. Here is the complete guide on the 12 Jyotirling Temples of Shiva.
The twelve jyotirlingas are:
Somnath in Gir Somnath, Gujarat
Somnath located near Veraval , Gujarat is considered first and foremost of all Jyotirlings. It is named after the Moon (Soma) who worshipped Shiva to get rid of a curse put on him by his father-in-law, Daksha.
Mallikarjuna in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
The second jyotirling of Shiva , named Mallikarjuna Swamy is located in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh, also termed as Kashi of the South. It is located at a distance of around 215 kms from Hyderabad in Nallamala hill forests.
Mahakaleswar in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar Jyothirling and Temple is the most important temple in Ujjain. The Jyothirling here is Dakshinmurti Swayambhu “self manifested” which derives power within itself unlike others where lingas are installed.
Omkareshwar in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh
Omkareshwar Jyotirling is situated in an Om-shaped island called Mandhata on Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh which is around 80 kms from Indore.
Kedarnath in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
Kedarnath is the highest and farthest among all jyotirlings. This temple is name after King Kedar who ruled here in Satyuga.
Bhimashankar in Maharashtra
Bhimashankar is the sixth jyotirling of Shiva situated on the hills of Sahyadri Range in Maharasthtra, 110 kms away from Pune.
Vishwanath in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
This jyotirling is situated in the holy city of Kashi (Varanasi). Even though this jyotirling is ninth on the Dwadasha Jyotlirling Strotram, it is arguably, the most important jyotirling.
Trimbakeshwar in Nashik, Maharashtra
Trimbakeshwar is a pious temple-town located on the banks of river Godavari, near Nasik, Maharashtra. It is among the four Hindu cities where the Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years.
Baidyanath in Deoghar, Jharkhand
This is the most disputed jyotirling as there are three places in India whose natives claim that their temple houses this jyotirling. During a severe penance, Ravana offered his heads to Shiva.
Nageshwara in Dwarka, Gujarat
Nageshwar Jyotirling Temple is located at a distance of 18 kms from Dwarka in Gujarat which is one of the top seven Hindu holy cities of India.
Ramanathaswamy in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
Rameshwaram is a small town situated in the Pamban island in 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.
Grishneshwar in Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Grishneshwar Temple is situated in the Verul village near Ellora Caves , 11 kms from Daulatabad and 30 kms from Aurangabad , Maharashtra. According to a legend, Shiva, pleased by the selfless devotion of Ghushma.
