A
Jyotirlinga or
Jyotirlingam, is a devotional representation of the Supreme God
Shiva.
Jyoti means 'radiance' and
lingam the 'Image or Sign' of Shiva;
Jyotir Lingam thus means the
Radiant Sign of The Almighty Shiva. There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in
India.
Legend
According to
Śiva Mahāpurāṇa, once
Brahma (the god of creation) and
Vishnu (the form of God during Preservation) had an argument over supremacy of creation.
[1] To settle the debate, Supreme God
Shiva pierced the three worlds appearing as a huge Infinite Pillar of Light, the
Jyotirlinga which later cooled into the Holy Mountain
Annamalai (on which the
Temple of Arunachaleshvara
is located). Vishnu and Brahma split their ways to downwards and
upwards respectively to find the end of the light in either directions.
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 Siva, partless reality, out of which Shiva appeared in another Form, Lingodbhava. The
jyothirlinga shrines are Temples where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.
[2][3]
Originally there were believed to be 64
jyothirlingas while 12 of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy.
[1] Each of the twelve
jyothirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity, each considered a different manifestation of Shiva.
[4] At all these sites, the primary image is
lingam representing the beginningless and endless
Stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva.
[4][5][6]
The twelve
jyothirlinga are:
Sanskrit Sloka
The following sloka (द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिंग स्तोत्रम्
Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga Stotram) describes the 12 Jyotirlingas:
[citation needed]
| Sanskrit |
transliteration |
translation
|
| सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम्। |
Saurāṣṭre Somanāthaṃ ca Śrīśaile Mallikārjunam |
Somanath in Saurashtra and Mallikarjunam in Shri-Shailam;
|
| उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोङ्कारममलेश्वरम्॥ |
Ujjayinyāṃ Mahākālam Omkāram Mamleśhwaram |
Mahakaal in Ujjain, Mamleshwar in Omkareshwar;
|
| परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशङ्करम्। |
Paraly Vaidyanāthaṃ cha Ḍākinyāṃ Bhīmaśhaṅkaram |
Vaidyanath in Chitabhoomi,(Deogarh) Jharkhand[8] or Parali in Maharashtra[citation needed] and Bhimashankaram in Dakinya;
|
| सेतुबन्धे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने॥ |
Setubandhe tu Rāmeśaṃ Nāgeśhaṃ Dārukāvane |
Ramesham (Rameshwaram) in Sethubandh, Nagesham in Daruka-Vana;
|
| वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बकं गौतमीतटे। |
Vārāṇasyāṃ tu Viśveśaṃ Tryambakaṃ Gautamītaṭe |
Vishwesham (Vishvanath) in Vanarasi, Tryambakam at bank of the river Gautami (Godavari);
|
| हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये॥ |
Himālaye tu Kedāraṃ Ghuśmeśaṃ ca Śivālaye |
Kedar (Kedarnath) in Himalayas and Ghushmesh (Ghushmeshwar) in Shivalaya (Shiwar).
|
| एतानि ज्योतिर्लिङ्गानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः। |
etāni jyotirliṅgāni sāyaṃ prātaḥ paṭhennaraḥ |
One who recites these Jyotirlingas every evening and morning
|
| सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति॥ |
saptajanmakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ smaraṇena vinaśyati |
is relieved of all sins committed in past seven lives.
|
| एतेशां दर्शनादेव पातकं नैव तिष्ठति। |
eteśāṃ darśanādeva pātakaṃ naiva tiṣṭhati |
One who visits these, gets all his wishes fulfilled
|
| कर्मक्षयो भवेत्तस्य यस्य तुष्टो महेश्वराः॥: |
karmakṣayo bhavettasya yasya tuṣṭo maheśvarāḥ |
and one's karma gets eliminated as Maheshwara gets satisfied to the worship.
|
The names and the locations of 12 other
Jyotirlinga's are mentioned in the
Shiva Purana (
Śatarudra Saṁhitā, Ch.42/2-4). These shrines are:
| 1
|
Somnath
|
|
Gujarat
|
Prabhas Patan, Saurashtra
|
Somnath is traditionally considered the first pilgrimage site: the
Dwadash Jyotirlinga pilgrimage begins with the Somnath Temple. The
temple, that was destroyed and re-built sixteen times, is held in
reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, tradition, and
history. It is located at Prabhas Patan (Somnath - Veraval) in Saurashtra region of Gujarat state in western India.
|
| 2
|
Mallikārjuna Swāmi
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
Srisailam
|
Mallikārjuna, also called Śrīśaila, is located on a mountain in Kurnool District in Rayalaseema.[9]
It enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally
and sculpturally rich. It is a place where Shakti peetha and
Jyotirlingam are together. Adi Shankara composed his Shivananda Lahari here.[citation needed].
|
| 3
|
Mahakaleshwar
|
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
Ujjain
|
Mahakal, Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Rudra Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbhagriha (where the Shiv Lingam sits). It is a place where Shakti peeta and Jyotirlingam are together.
|
| 4
|
Omkareshwar
|
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
Omkareshwar
|
Omkareshwar is in Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada River and home to a Jyotirlinga shrine and the Mamaleshwar temple.
|
| 5
|
Kedarnath
|
|
Uttarakhand
|
Kedarnath
|
Kedarnath in Uttarakhand is revered as the northernmost and the closest Jyotirlinga to Lord Shiva's eternal abode of Mount Kailash. Kedarnath forms a part of the smaller Char Dham pilgrimage circuit of Hinduism. Kedarnath, nestled in the snow-clad Himalayas, is an ancient shrine, rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only for six months a year. It is also one of the Padal Petra Stalam of Vada Naadu mentioned in Thevaaram.
Shiva assumed the form of wild boar and dived into the earth at
Kedarnath to emerge at Pashupatinath. Pure ghee is applied at Kedarnath
lingam as the boar was injured.
|
| 6
|
Bhimashankar
|
|
Maharashtra
|
Bhimashankar
|
Bhimashankar is very much debated. There is a Bhimashankara temple near Pune (pictured) in Maharashtra, which was referred to as Daakini country, but Kashipur in Uttarakhand was also referred to as Daakini country in ancient days and a Bhimashkar Temple known as Shree Moteshwar Mahadev is present there. Another Bhimashankar is in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra. The Bhimashankar temple[10] near Guwahati, Assam is the jyotirlinga according to Sivapuran. According to Linga Purana, Bhimasankar temple in Bhimpur near Gunupur of Rayagada district in South Orissa is also believed as Bhimasankar Jyotirlinga, which is situated at the western part of the holy Mahendragiri mountains
and at the river bank of Mahendratanaya(which is also believed as the
Daakini area by many historian), was excavated in the year 1974, having
quadrangular Shakti around the Linga and decorated by a Upavita as per
the puran.[11]
|
| 7
|
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
|
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
Varanasi
|
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is home to
the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga shrine, which is perhaps the most sacred of
Hindu shrines. It is also one of the Padal Petra Stalam of Vada Naadu mentioned in Thevaaram. The temple is situated in Varanasi,
the holiest city for Hindus, where a Hindu is expected to make a
pilgrimage at least once in his life, and if possible, also pour the
remains of cremated ancestors on the River Ganges. The temple stands on
the western bank of the holy river Ganges,
and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. In fact, it is a place where
Shakti peeta and Jyotirlingam are together. It is the holiest of all
Shiva temples. The main deity is known by the name Vishwanath or Vishweshwara
meaning Ruler of the universe. The temple town, is considered the
oldest living city in the world, with 3500 years of documented history,
is also called Kashi.
|
| 8
|
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple
|
|
Maharashtra
|
Trimbakeshwar, near Nashik
|
The Trimbakeshwar Temple, near Nasik in Maharashtra, is a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari River.
|
| 9
|
Nageshvara Jyotirlinga
|
|
Gujarat
|
Near Jamnagar
|
Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana and the Dvādaśa
Jyotirliṅga Stotram ,says one of the jyotirlinga namely Nagesh is
situated in Daruka-Vana and most probably the present day Dwarka region. Other claims to the Nagesh Jyotirlinga status come from - Aundha Naganath (Hingoli District of Maharashtra) and Jageshwar (Almora District of Uttarakhand)
|
| 10
|
Baidyanath Temple
|
|
Jharkhand
|
Deoghar
|
Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple, also known as Baba vaidyanath dham and vaidyanath dham is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Pargana division of the state of Jharkhand, India.
It is a temple complex consisting of the main temple of Baba
vaidyanath, where the Jyotirlinga is installed, and 21 other temples. or
Parali in Maharashtra [1]
According to Hindu beliefs, the demon king Ravana
worshipped Shiva at the current site of the temple to get the boons
that he later used to wreak havoc in the world. Ravana offered his ten
heads one after another to Shiva as a sacrifice. Pleased with this,
Shiva descended to cure Ravana who was injured. As he acted as a doctor,
he is referred to as Vaidhya ("doctor"). From this aspect of Shiva, the temple derives its name. The Other claim for Vaidyanath is from Parli in Maharashtra.
|
| 11
|
Rameshwar
|
|
Tamil Nadu
|
Rameswaram
|
Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu
is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered
as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It
enshrines the Rameśvara ("Lord of Rama") pillar.[9] It is also one of the Padal Petra Stalam of Pandya Naadu mentioned in Thevaaram.
|
| 12
|
Ghrishneswar, Maharashtra
|
|
Maharashtra
|
Ellora
|
Ghrishneswar, Maharashtra
Grishneshwar temple, sometimes referred to as the Ghrneshwar
Jyotirlinga or Dhushmeshwar temple, is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines
mentioned in the Shiva Purana
|
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