About 12 Jyotirlingas
According to Hindu religious Puranas, the Shivalingas located at the Many places in India where Lord Shiva himself appeared are worshiped as Jyotirlingas. Devotees from all over the country come to visit him. These 12 Jyotirlingas are located at 12 different places in India. The order of 12 Jyotirlingas is as follows.
- Shri Somnath Jyotirlinga (Gujrat)
- Shri Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga (Andhra Pradesh)
- Shri Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga (Madhya Pradesh)
- Shri Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga (Madhya Pradesh)
- Shri Kedarnath Jyotirlinga (Uttarakhand)
- Shri Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga (Maharashtra)
- Shri Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga (Uttar Pradesh)
- Shri Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga (Maharashtra)
- Shri Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga (Jharkhand)
- Shri Nageshwar Jyotirlinga (Gujarat)
- Sri Rameshwar Jyotirlinga (Tamil Nadu)
- Shri Ghushmeshwar Jyotirlinga (Maharashtra)
Somnath – Gujrat
Shri Somnath Jyotirlinga is located in the Prabhas region of Gujarat. Somnath Jyotirlinga is the first Jyotirlinga among the 12 Jyotirlingas. The architecture of the temple resembles the Chalukya style and Lord Shiva is believed to have appeared in this temple in the form of a shining pillar of light. This famous temple has been demolished 6 times and rebuilt every time. The most damage to Somnath Temple was caused by Mahmud Ghaznavi in 1022 AD.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: Somnath Temple opens every day at 6 in the morning and closes at 10 at night.
Mallikarjuna – Andhra Pradesh
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is situated on the banks of the river in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is situated on Srishail mountain which is also known as Kailash of the South. Mallikarjuna Temple is also included in the 52 Shakti Peethas of Sati Mata.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: Mallikarjuna Temple opens every day at 4:30 and remains open till 10 p.m.
Mahakaleshwar – Madhya Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is situated on the banks of the Shipra River in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh which is in Ujjain. Ujjain was known as Avantikapuri in ancient times. It is believed that the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga of India was established by a 5-year-old boy Shrikar who was inspired by the devotion of King Chandrasen of Ujjain.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: Mahakaleshwar Temple opens at 4:00 in the morning and closes at 11:00 at night.
Omkareshwar – Madhya Pradesh
Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is situated on an island in the middle of the Narmada River located in Madhya Pradesh. Here you get to see two Lingas, Amaleshwar and Omkareshwar. But both are two different forms of the same Lingas. People believe that once there was a war between gods and demons the gods prayed to Lord Shiva for their victory. Then Lord Shiva appeared here and helped the gods in achieving victory.
Temple opening and Closing Timing: Omkareshwar Temple opens at 5:00 in the morning and closes at 10 in the night.
Kedarnath – Uttarakhand
Shri Kedarnath is situated on a peak called Kedar in the Himalayas located in Uttarakhand. Kedarnath is situated in the middle of the Himalayas. Kedarnath Temple is one of the 4 Dhams of Uttarakhand. Due to extreme cold weather and heavy snowfall, it remains closed for 6 months in winter. The distance of Kedarnath from Haridwar is about 150 miles.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: Kedarnath Temple opens at 4 am in the morning and remains open till 12 noon, then opens at 3 pm in the evening and remains open till 9 pm.
Bhimashankar – Maharashtra
Shri Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is located at a distance of 68 Miles from Pune, Maharashtra. The local people here also know this temple by the name of Moteshwar Mahadev. This temple got its name because of its Jyotirlinga because Bhimshankar Jyotirlinga is quite big and thick. It is believed by the people that this Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra was built by Bhima, son of Kumbhakarna. Devotees keep coming here throughout the year. Especially on the day of Shivratri, devotees come here in large numbers.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: The opening hours here are from 4:30 am to 12 noon and in the evening from 4 pm to 9:30 pm. And the timing of darshan is from 5 am to 9:30 pm during which darshan is stopped for 45 minutes in the afternoon.
Kashi Vishwanath – Uttar Pradesh
Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is situated on the banks of the river Ganga. Kashi Vishwanath Temple was built in 1780 by the Maratha emperor Ahilya Bai Holkar. It is believed by the devotees that Lord Shiva resides here and provides salvation to all.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: The temple remains open from 2:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Trimbakeshwar – Maharashtra
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is situated on the banks of the Godavari River at a distance of only 18 miles from the Nashik district of Maharashtra. Besides, the origin of the Godavari River is also at this place. According to Shiv Purana, Godavari River and Gautami Rishi pleaded with Lord Shiva to reside here, and hence God emerged in the form of Trimbakeshwar.
Temple opening and Closing Timing: Trimbakeshwar Temple opens at 5:30 in the morning and remains open till 9 in the night.
Baidyanath – Jharkhand
Baidyanath Jyotirlinga is located near Jasidih in the Deoghar district of Jharkhand. But according to Shri Shiv Mahapuran, the most recognized text of Shaiva tradition, Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga is located in Chitabhoomi, and Chitabhoomi is considered to be the preferred place of Jharkhand. Most of the people come here in the month of Shravan because people believe that worshiping Shiva in this temple helps them get rid of all their sorrows or attain salvation.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: The temple is open every day from 4 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and in the evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The closing and opening times increase on occasions like Maha Shivratri.
Nageshwar – Gujarat
Shri Nageshwar Jyotirlinga is at a distance of about thirteen miles in the northeast of Gomti Dwarka in the Baroda region. Most of the people consider the Shivalinga worshiped in Odha village under Nizam Hyderabad state as Nageshwar Jyotirlinga. Thousands of people come to Nageshwar Temple every year to seek blessings.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: Nageshwar Temple is open every day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Devotees can go for Darsan between 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and in the evening between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Rameshwaram – Tamil Nadu
Sri Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga is situated in the Tamil Nadu district. This is the place where Lord Shri Ram worshiped Lord Shiva after conquering Lanka. Devotees visiting this jyotirlinga, also visit Dhanushkodi beach, from where Lord Rama had built Ram Setu up to Lanka, to save Sita Mata.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: Rameshwaram Temple is open from 5 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 9 pm and darshan is allowed only till 8 pm.
Ghushmeshwar – Maharashtra
Shri Ghushmeshwar Jyotirlinga is located in Berul village, 12 miles away from Daulatabad station in Maharashtra. Ghushmeshwar Jyotirlinga is also known as Grishneshwar. this temple is also known as Gru Someswara and Kusum Eswarar. The statues of Dashavatar of Lord Vishnu carved on the red-colored walls of the temple look very beautiful and impressive.
Temple Opening and Closing Timing: Shubha hours for darshan and puja are from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
