There are several temples dedicated to His worship in India and abroad. The most prominent of these are the Jyotirlinga temples. In India, the 12 Jyotirlingas as mentioned in Shiva Puran are as below:
1.
Somnath Mahadev Temple, Gujarat ( The First 12 Jyotirlingas)
Somnath Temple
the abode of Lord Shiva is considered to be the first of the 12
Jyotirlingas, the holiest of holy shrines of Lord Shiva. Located in Prabhas
Patan near the town of Veraval in the Western part of Gujarat, this Jyotirling of Gujarat, an important
pilgrimage spot in the whole country is dedicated to Lord Shiva with moon on
His head.
It is believed that on being happy with the worship of the moon and on his request, Lord Shiva assumed the name Somchandra and resided there eternally.
2. Mallikarjuna Swamy, Andhra Pradesh
Mallikarjuna Temple (also simply known as Srisailam Temple) located at Srisailam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, on the banks of river Krishna is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva.
According to the legend, sage Bringi only worshipped Lord Shiva. Angered by this Parvati cursed him to stand. But Lord Shiva, after consoling the goddess, gave him a third leg, so that he could stand more comfortably. The idol of sage Bringi standing on three legs is still found there. Shiva is worshiped as Mallikarjuna, and is represented by the lingam.
3. Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar Temple located on the banks of the Kshipra River, in the
dense Mahakal forest in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh is one of the twelve
Jyotirlingams, which are said to be the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. This Jyotirlinga in Madhya Pradesh is an important
pilgrimage site in Central India.
According to one legend, pleased by the devotion of a
five-year-old boy Shrikar, Lord Shiva assumed the form of a Jyotirlinga and
resided in the Mahakal forest.
The temple is considered significant by Hindus as it is among one of the seven ““Mukti-Sthal” – the place that can liberate a human.
4.
Omkareshwar, Nr. Indore,
Madhya Pradesh
Omkareshwar Temple, dedicated
to Lord Shiva and one of the 12 highly revered Jyotirlinga is located on an island called
Shivapuri in the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh. The word Omkareshwar means “Lord of
Omkara” or the Lord of the Om Sound!
Legend has it that in the great war between Devas and Danavas ( Gods & Demons), Danavas won. Devas then prayed to Lord Shiva. Pleased with their prayer, Lord Shiva emerged in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and defeated the Danavas. This place is thus considered to be highly sacred by the Hindus.
5.
Kedarnath, Uttrakhand
One of the holiest pilgrimage sites and one of the four sites of the Char Dham pilgrimage in India, the Kedarnath Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is located at a height of 12000 feet on a mountain named Kedar in the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river. According to the legends, pleased by the severe penance of Nara and Narayan – two incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva took up permanent abode in Kedarnath in the form of this Jyotirlinga. People believe that praying at this site one gets all his desire fulfilled.
6.
Bhimashankar, Pune,
Maharashtra
The Bhimashankar Temple one of the
12 Jyotirlings is located in the Sahyadri region of Pune, Maharashtra.
It is believed
that the ancient shrine was erected over a Swayambhu Linga or a Self-Emanated
Shiva Linga.
Legend has it that Lord
Shiva, after a deadly battle with Rakshas Tripursura, killed him and at the
request made by Gods started to reside in the Sahayadri Hills, in Bhima’s form.
It is said that the sweat that poured off Lord Shiva’s body created the river
Bhima.
7.
Kashi Vishwanath, Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh
Kashi
Vishwanath Jyotirlinga Temple, the most revered site in the world- Kashi is situated at Kashi (Banaras) and famous by the name of Shiv
Vishwanath Kashi. It is situated amidst the crowded lanes of the holy city of
Banaras (Varanasi). More than the Ghats and Ganga of Varanasi, the Shivalinga installed in the temple remains the devotional
focus of the pilgrims.
It is believed that Banaras is the site at which the first Jyotirlinga manifested its supremacy over other gods, broke through the earth’s crust, and flared towards heaven. This temple is said to be the dearest to Lord Shiva and the people believe that those who die here achieve liberation.
8.
Trimbakeshwar, Trimbak, Nr.
Nashik, Maharashtra.
Trimbakeshwar Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva, located in Nasik,
Maharashtra, near the mountain Brahmgiri, literally means the abode of the
three-eyed one i.e. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
According to the Shiva Purana, once Gautam Rishi mistakenly killed a cow, sent by other gods. Gautam Rishi then asked Lord Shiva to do something to purify the premises. Shiva asked Ganga to flow through the land to make it pure. Lord Siva then resided beside Gautami Ganga or Godavari, in the form of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga. Hindus believe that this Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra is the one that fulfills everyone’s desires.
9.
Baidyanath, Deoghar, Jharkhand
Baidyanath Temple is also known as Vaidtyanath
or Baidyanath is one of the highly revered Jyotirlinga shrines. It is
located at Deogarh in the Santal Parganas region of Jharkhand. People believe that one
attains moksha or salvation by worshipping this Jyotirlinga.
According to a famous legend, the demon king Ravana meditated and asked Lord Shiva to come over to Sri Lanka and make it invincible. Lord Shiva gave him one of the twelve Jyotirlingas on the condition that if it was placed on the ground it would remain rooted to that spot till eternity. Ravana was tricked into placing the lingam on the ground by Lord Varuna, and it got rooted to the spot. Ravana cut off nine of his heads but Shiva revived him and joined the heads to the body like a vaidya and hence this Jyotirlinga came to be known as Vaidyanath.
10. Nageshwar,
Dwarka,Gujarat
The Nageshwar Temple also known as Nagnath Temple is located on the route between Gomati Dwarka and the Bait Dwarka Island on the coast of Saurashtra in Gujarat. This Jyotirlinga is of special significance as it symbolizes protection from all types of poison. It is believed that those who worship at this temple become free of all poisons.
According to the Shiva Purana, a Shiva devotee by the name of Supriya was captured by the demon Daaruka, who got enraged by Supriya setting up a lingam and chanting “Aum Namaha Shivaya”. He ran to kill Supriya. Lord Shiva manifested in front of the demon and put an end to him. The lingam that Supriya had set up was called Nagesha; Shiva once again assumed the form of a Jyotirlinga with the name Nageshwar.
11. Ramanathaswamy,
Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
Rameshwar Temple, the southernmost
of the 12 Jyotirlingas, is located on the island of
Rameshwaram, off the Sethu coast of Tamil Nadu. This
Jyotirlinga closely associated with Ramayana and Lord Rama has been a
pilgrimage center considered by many at par with Banaras.
According to a legend Ram set up this lingam out of the sand available in the seashore and prayed Shiva to absolve him of his sin of killing a Brahman, Ravan (who was the son of a Brahmin, son of a Vedic rishi) This lingam is believed to be the lingam in the sanctum.
12. Grisheshwar,Ellora,
Maharashtra ( The Last of the 12 Jyotirlingas)
The
Jyotirlinga named Grishneshwar, Ghurmeshwar, or Ghushmeshwar is situated in a
village called Verul and adjacent to the famous Ellora Caves, Maharashtra.
According to the Shiva Purana, a childless couple named
Sudharm and Sudeha resided on the Devagiri Mountain. Since they were childless,
Sudeha got her sister Ghushma to marry her husband. Ghushma was also an
ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and used to
worship the Lord daily. Bholenath had great grace on them and in course of time
blessed them with a son. But Sudeha became jealous and one day she killed the
child and threw the body into the pond. Ghushma prayed to Lord Shiva who
ultimately returned her the son and told her of her sister’s deeds. On
Sudharm’s request, Shiva pardoned Sudeha and manifested himself in the form of
the Jyotirlinga. Shiva assumed the name Ghushmeshwar. It is believed that
childless couples who go to the temple and take a dip in the pond are blessed
with the happiness of a child with the grace of Lord Shiva. This is the last of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
Friends in the end I
can say “Naa aadi naa ant uska, wo sabka naa
inka naa unka, wahi shunya hai wahi aekaay, jiske bheetar basaa Shivaay”.
Visit these Jyotirlingas in your lifetime and keep
chanting “Har Har Mahadev”!
Pics & inputs holidify.com, jyotirlings.com,Wikipedia
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P.S. I would like to be excused if I have committed any mistake, as this may be unintentional.
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