Key Takeaways
- The twelve, in the order the stotram names them
- What a jyotirlinga is
- Visiting them
- The Shiva rites we perform
In This Article
There are twelve jyotirlingas — the shrines where Shiva is held to have manifested as a pillar of light rather than been installed by anyone. The list is fixed and old, recited in the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, and it does not include every important Shiva temple in India. This page gives the twelve, where each is, and what each is known for.
The twelve, in the order the stotram names them
| Jyotirlinga | State | Where, and what it is known for |
|---|---|---|
| Somnath | Gujarat | Prabhas Patan, on the Arabian Sea. The first of the twelve, and the most rebuilt — destroyed and raised again repeatedly |
| Mallikarjuna | Andhra Pradesh | Srisailam, on the Krishna. One of the few sites that is both a jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha |
| Mahakaleshwar | Madhya Pradesh | Ujjain. The only one facing south, and the only one where the Bhasma Aarti is performed — the lingam bathed in ash before dawn |
| Omkareshwar | Madhya Pradesh | On an island in the Narmada shaped like the syllable Om |
| Kedarnath | Uttarakhand | At 3,580 metres in the Garhwal Himalaya. Open roughly April to November; closed by snow the rest of the year |
| Bhimashankar | Maharashtra | In the Sahyadris near Pune, at the source of the Bhima |
| Kashi Vishwanath | Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi. The one most pilgrims reach, and the city where the tradition holds that dying grants liberation |
| Trimbakeshwar | Maharashtra | Near Nashik, at the source of the Godavari. The authoritative site for Narayan Nagbali |
| Vaidyanath | Jharkhand | Deoghar. The Shravani Mela here draws one of the largest pilgrim gatherings in India |
| Nageshwar | Gujarat | Near Dwarka. Associated with protection from serpents and from poison |
| Ramanathaswamy | Tamil Nadu | Rameswaram. Installed by Rama on the return from Lanka, and the southern end of the Char Dham |
| Grishneshwar | Maharashtra | Near the Ellora caves. The smallest of the twelve and the last in the list |
What a jyotirlinga is
Jyoti is light; a linga is the aniconic form in which Shiva is worshipped. The distinction the tradition draws is about origin: an ordinary lingam is installed and consecrated by priests, while a jyotirlinga is held to be svayambhu — self-manifested, appearing of itself as a column of light.
The story attached to the twelve is the contest between Brahma and Vishnu over which was greater, settled when Shiva appeared between them as an endless pillar of fire that neither could find the end of. The twelve shrines mark where that light is said to have come to earth.
Visiting them
They are scattered across nine states from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu, so a full circuit is a long undertaking rather than a holiday — most pilgrims do them in groups over years. Two practical points: Kedarnath is seasonal, closed by snow from roughly November to April, and it decides when a northern circuit is possible. And Shravan, the monsoon month, is when all twelve are at their busiest, Vaidyanath especially.
Three are near where we work. Kashi Vishwanath at Varanasi, where families often combine darshan with asthi visarjan on the Ganga. Mahakaleshwar at Ujjain. And Trimbakeshwar near Nashik, which is the authoritative site for Narayan Nagbali.
The Shiva rites we perform
| Rite | From | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Rudrabhishek | ₹5,100 | The general Shiva abhishek. The lightest of the three and the one most often sufficient |
| Kaal Sarp Dosh puja | ₹11,000 | Where a chart shows all planets between Rahu and Ketu. Performed at Ujjain or Trimbakeshwar |
| Mahamrityunjay Jaap | ₹31,000 | The 1.25 lakh recitation over three days. The heaviest, and not to be booked casually |
🕉️ Rudrabhishek at Kashi, Ujjain or Haridwar
- Full abhishek with panchamrit, bilva and the Rudri path
- At Kashi Vishwanath, Mahakaleshwar, Trimbakeshwar or Har Ki Pauri
- We will tell you honestly if a lighter rite is what your case needs
- Live video link and a written record for families abroad
For the forms Shiva is worshipped in — the eleven Rudras, the nineteen avatars, and the great forms that are neither — see forms of Shiva.
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