Somnath is the foremost of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shrines of
Shiva, held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, traditions and
history. It is located at Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra in Gujarat.
Sree Sailam - Sree Sailam near Kurnool enshrines Mallikarjuna in
an ancient temple rich in architectural and sculptural wealth. Aadi Sankaracharya
composed his Sivanandalahari here.
Ujjain - Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga shrine -The ancient and
historic city of Ujjain or Avanti in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Jyotirlinga
shrine of Mahakaleshwar.
Omkareshwar: an island in the course of the river Narmada in
Madhya Pradesh is home to the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga shrine and the Amareshwar
temple.
Vaidyanath temple at Deogarh
The ancient pilgrimage town of Deogarh in the Santal Parganas area of Bihar is
revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva.
Bhimashankar - Jyotirlinga Shrine is associated with the legend of
Shiva destroying the demon Tripurasura. Bhimashankar is located in the Sahyadri
hills of Maharashtra, accessed from Pune.
Rameswaram: This vast temple in the island of Rameswaram, in
Southern Tamilnadu enshrines Ramalingeswarar, and is revered as the
southernmost of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of India.
Nageshwar near Dwarka in Gujarat is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of
Shiva.
Varanasi - The most celebrated pilgrimage site in India
TheVishwanath temple in Benares in Uttar Pradesh is the goal of the thousands of pilgrims that
visit this ancient city. The Vishwanath shrine is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlinga
shrines of Shiva.
Tryambakeshwar - The origin
of the river Godavari is intimately linked with thisJyotirlinga shrine near
Nasik in Maharashtra.
Kedarnath - the Northernmost of the Jyotirlingas. Kedarnath,
nestled in the snow clad Himalayas is an ancient shrine rich in legend and tradition.
It is accessible only on foot, six months in a year.
Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Shrine is a temple located in the
vicinity of the tourist town of Ellora, which has several rock cut monuments
from the 1st millennium CE.
It is believed
that Shiva first manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga on the night of the Aridra
Nakshatra, thus the special reverence for the Jyotirlinga. There is nothing to
distinguish the appearance, but it is believed that a person can see these
lingas as columns of fire piercing through the earth after he reaches a higher
level of spiritual attainment.
Significance of Jyotirlinga: The Puranas vociferously sing the praises of the greatness of the Jyotirlingas. By reciting the name of this, one can eliminate all the sins. The Sadhaka becomes calm, chaste and pure. He becomes illuminated and enlightened with supreme and divine knowledge. The names mentioned for the benefits of all:
Significance of Jyotirlinga: The Puranas vociferously sing the praises of the greatness of the Jyotirlingas. By reciting the name of this, one can eliminate all the sins. The Sadhaka becomes calm, chaste and pure. He becomes illuminated and enlightened with supreme and divine knowledge. The names mentioned for the benefits of all:
Author: ādi
śaṅkarācārya
saurāṣṭre somanādhañca śrīśaile mallikārjunam |
ujjayinyāṃ mahākālam oṅkāretvamāmaleśvaram ||
parlyāṃ vaidyanādhañca ḍhākinyāṃ bhīma śaṅkaram |
setubandhetu rāmeśaṃ nāgeśaṃ dārukāvane ||
vāraṇāśyāntu viśveśaṃ trayambakaṃ gautamītaṭe |
himālayetu kedāraṃ ghṛṣṇeśantu viśālake ||
ujjayinyāṃ mahākālam oṅkāretvamāmaleśvaram ||
parlyāṃ vaidyanādhañca ḍhākinyāṃ bhīma śaṅkaram |
setubandhetu rāmeśaṃ nāgeśaṃ dārukāvane ||
vāraṇāśyāntu viśveśaṃ trayambakaṃ gautamītaṭe |
himālayetu kedāraṃ ghṛṣṇeśantu viśālake ||
etāni jyotirliṅgāni sāyaṃ prātaḥ
paṭhennaraḥ |
sapta janma kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ smaraṇena vinaśyati ||
sapta janma kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ smaraṇena vinaśyati ||
One
who recites these 12 names regularly in the morning and evening he washes all
the sins committed in the previous 7 births and attains all the powers and
Siddhis.
