12 Jyotirlingas And Its Locations In India

12 Jyotirlingas And Its Locations In India

 Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Linga by the Hindus. In Sanskrit, lingam means symbol and Shiva lingam means a symbol of Shiva. It is the most sacred symbol of the shaivaites.



 According to Shiva Mahapuran, Lord Shiva appears as a Jyotirlinga- a column of light during  night of Ardra nakshatra. Once, when Brahma and Vishnu had an argument over their supremacy of their powers, Lord Shiva appeared as a pillar of flame. Shiva told them that whoever could find the beginning or the end of the flame, would be considered superior.

 Thus, Brahma became a swan and flew upwards to find the beginning of the flame. Vishnu took the guise of a boar and dug deep into the earth to find the end of the flame. They tried hard but finally surrendered to Shiva relinquishing their ego and seeking forgiveness. They realised the infinity and omnipresence of Godhood. Lord Shiva came out of the flame and blessed them and he was called, ' Lingodbhava '.

 Lord Shiva appeared as fiery column of light in 64 places, say the Puranas. But the most famous among them in India are 12 Jyotirlingas.

 It is strongly believed by the Hindus that those who take darshan of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the month of Shravan (Jul- Aug) will accrue immense merit and all their sins are washed away. Lord Shiva blesses them with fulfilment of desires.

 The 12 Jyotirlingas are:

1. The Somnath Jyotirlinga in Saurashtra in Gujarat 
2.  The Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh 
3.  The Mahakaleswar Jyotirlinga at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh 
4. The Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Madhya Pradesh 
5. The Kedareshwar Jyotirlinga in Kedarnath in Himalayas
6. The Bhīma Shankar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
7. The Viswanath Jyotirlinga at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh 
8. The Tryambakeshwar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra 
9. The Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga at Deogarh in Jharkhand
10.  The Nageswar Jyotirlinga at Dwarka in Gujarat
11. The Rameshwar Jyotirlinga at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu
12. The Grishneshwar at Ellora in Aurangabad district Maharashtra.