12 Jyotirlingas in India

If you are a Hindu devotee, then you must have heard about Jyotirlinga very often in your life. But if you haven’t, then you must go through the below-listed sections. But before that, let’s know what a Jyotirlinga actually is. Jyotirlinga is a holy place devoted to the worship of Lord Shiva. These temples worship Lord Shiva in the form of a Light or Jyotirlinga. Generally, Jyoti means radiance, and Lingam means a sign or a symbol of Lord Shiva. 

There are around 12 Jyotirlingas in India located in different deliberated areas, and all the Hindu pilgrims all over the country visit every Jyotirlinga during their pilgrimage tour. Apart from providing religious blessings and reckoning, these shrines are extremely peaceful and beautiful. Therefore, if you are also looking forward to beginning your spiritual tour, then you must start with these Jyotirlingas that are as heavenly as the presence of the supreme Lord itself. 

12 Jyotirlingas in India to Explore 

As mentioned above, there are 12 Jyotirlingas in India. People believe that Lord Shiva first presented himself on Earth on the Ardra Nakshatra night, therefore the unique admiration for all Jyotirlingas. Moreover, there are approx. 64 Jyotirlingas, out of which only 12 are known to be extremely admirable and sacred. All these 12 lingas are dispersed from the north in the Himalayas to the South in Rameshwaram. So wasting your time, let’s know some informative details about these Jyotirlingas. 

1. Somnath Jyotirlinga, Gujarat 

Known to be the foremost of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India, the Somnath Temple in Gujarat is located nearby Veraval in (Prabhas Kshetra) Kathiawad district. It is considered to be an extensively admired sacred place in India. Based on the Shiva Purana, the moon was married to the Daksha Prajapati’s 27 daughters, out of which he loved Rohini most. Afterward, observing his ignorance towards the other wives, Prajapati cursed him that he would lose all his brightness. The upset moon with Rohini visits Somnath and prays to Sparsa Lingam, after which he is blessed by Shiva to get back his lost shine and beauty. On his appeal, Lord Shiva simulates the name Somchandra and reposes there permanently. And since then, he became popular by the name Somnath. However, the Somnath Jyotirlinga has been demolished and reconstructed many times in history. 

  • Timings: 11 AM, Reopens at 12:30 PM
  • District: Gir Somnath District 
  • Best Time to Visit: Between October- March

2. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga, Madhya Pradesh 

It is one of the extensively admired Jyotirlinga, which is situated on an island known as Shivapuri in the Narmada River located in Madhya Pradesh. The word Omkareshwar signifies the Lord of Omkara or the Lord of the Om Sound! According to the Hindu sacred text, once upon a time, there emerged a great war between the Evils and Gods (Danavas and Devas), in which the Danvas won. This was the prominent drawback for the Devas, who then worshipped Lord Shiva. Gratified with their prayer, Lord Shiva appeared in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and beat the evils. After this, this place is known to be the holy place by the Hindu devotees. 

  • Timings: 5 AM- 9:30 PM 
  • District: Khandwa
  • Best Time to Visit: Between October- March

3. Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, Madhya Pradesh 

Situated on the boundaries of the Kshipra River, in the dense Mahakal forest in Ujjain, Mahakaleshwar temple is considered a mandatory holy place in central India. Currently, there are a number of legends related to how this Jyotirlinga came into existence. Based on Puranas, there was a five-year-old boy Shrikar who was charmed by the devotion of King Chandeasena of Ujjain towards Lord Shiva. Moreover, Shrikar took a stone and began worshipping Shiva. However, many people tried their best to discourage him with multiple manners, but his adherence continued growing. Impressed by his commitment, Lord Shiva assumed the form of a Jyotirlinga and occupied the Mahakal forest. Plus, the Mahakaleshwar temple is considered important by the Hindus for another purpose. It is among one of the seven Mukti-Sthal- the destination that can save a human. 

  • Timings: 3 AM- 11 PM 
  • District: Ujjain
  • Best Time to Visit: Between February- March

4. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga, Andhra Pradesh 

The holy place is located on the Shri Shaila Mountain, on the boundaries of the Krishna River on the southern side of Andhra Pradesh. Mallikarjuna temple is also called Kailash of the South and is among the greatest Shaivite holy places in entire India. Moreover, it is a Mahashakti Peetha. The locals believed that Lord Shiva and Goddesses Paravati appeared here as Mallika and Arjuna, due to which they were named Mallikarjuna. The temple is considered an instance of the cultural Dravidian form of architecture. Overall the temple is beautifully structured. 

  • Timmings: 5:30 AM- 9:30 PM
  • District: Kurnool
  • Best Time to Visit: Between November- February

5. Baidyanath Jyotirlinga, Jharkhand 

Well-known as Baidyanath or Vaijnath, Vaidyanath temple is situated at Deogarh in the Santal Parganas area of Jharkhand. It is among the extensively admired Jyotirlingas in India, and pilgrims have faith that the heartfelt worship of this temple frees people from all their tensions and issues. Furthermore, locals also believe that worshipping these Jyotirlingas will give them salvation or moksha. The demon king, Ravana, wanted Lord Shiva to come with him to Sri Lanka. Therefore Lord Shiva allowed him to take his Atmalinga, however, on the condition that Ravana would not be allowed to take a single break during his entire journey or transfer his Lingam to any other person. Afterward, the gods knew that if Ravan carried Shiva’s Lingam with him, he would become unconquerable and destroy the entire world. Therefore they made a plan to defeat him. They told Varuna to enter Ravan’s belly, after which he had an emergency to release water. During that time, Vishnu appeared in the form of Brahmin, and Ravan passed the Lingam to the Brain, unknowing the mystery. As a result, the Lingam got fixed there forever. 

  • Timings: 5 AM- 9;30 PM
  • District: Deoghar 
  • Best Time to Visit: Between October till March

6. Rameshwar Jyotirlinga, Tamil Nadu 

Located on the Rameshwar island in Tamil Nadu, Rameshwar temple is the southernmost Jyotirlinga in India. According to Hindu mythology Ramayana, Rama got engaged in the sin of taking the life of a Brahim during his war against the evil king Ravana. He worshipped Lord Shiva to free him of his sin. So, he asked Hanuman to bring a lingam directly from the Himalayas. Mata Sita created a small lingam of the sand and commenced worshipping when Hanuman was late. This is believed to be the Lingam in the shrine. Moreover, this Jyotirlinga is famously known as the Varanasi of the South. On the back side of the temple, there is a Dhanushkodi beach. It is exactly where Rama constructed the Ram Setu to reach Sri Lanka. 

  • Timmings: 6 AM- 8:30 PM
  • District: Ramanathapuram 
  • Best Time to Visit: Between October- March

7. Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga- Aurangabad, Maharashtra 

Grishneshwar means Lord of Compassion. The shrine is situated in Verul, which is near Ellora. It is also popular as Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga and Ghushmeshwar Jyotirlinga. Based on the Shiv Puranas, there was a childless couple named Sudeha and Sudham in Devagiri Mountain. Sudeha allowed his husband to marry her sister, Ghushma. Within some time, Ghushma and Sudharm were blessed with a baby boy. It builds up the jealous feelings in the Sudeha. As a result, she threw the boy into the lake where Ghushma used to release 101 Lingams. After praying for so long, Lord Shiva returned her son back to her. At the request of Sudham, Lord Shiva established himself here in the name of Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga. It is considered one of the famous Jyotirlinga in India. 

  • Timings: 5:30 AM- 9:30 PM 
  • District: Aurangabad 
  • Best Time to Visit: Between October- March

8. Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga- Varanasi 

The Kashi Vishwanath is the most prominent of all the shrines in Varanasi and is devoted to Lord Shiva, also named Vishwanath or Visheshwara by the devotees. It is among the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. The entire Linga is around 60 cm tall and 90 cm in perimeter. Plus, it is covered with a silver altar. Apart from the linga, who is the presiding deity of this temple, there are various other smaller temples within the boundaries of the temple, and some of the other Gods of the Hindu sanctum are revered in them. Virupaksh Gauri, Mahakala, Vishnu, Virupaksha, Vinayaka, Sanishwara, Dhandapani, and Avimukteshwaraa are a few other gods from whom you can get blessings during your visit to Varanasi. 

  • Timmings: 2:30 AM- 11 PM
  • District: Varanasi 
  • Best Time to Visit: Between November- February

9. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga, Maharashtra  

Among all the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is situated near Pune. It is the origin of river Bheema, which also continuously flows to connect the Krishna River in Raichur. So, during your pilgrimage tour, you should not skip to visit Bhimashankar and all the other shrines. Based on the legends, Bhima, the son of the Karkati and Kumbhkaran, lived in the heavy and dense forest with his mother. Furthermore, when he got to know his father was killed in the significant war between Ravana & Ram, he became angry. Afterward, he began worshipping Lord Brahma, who blessed him with extensive powers. With the help of his powers, Bhima started destroying everything and overpowering almost each Lord. Seeing all this, all Gods, with Lord Brahma, started praying to Lord Shiva. Witnessing all this, Lord Shiva came to help and defeat the evil Vhima. From then, as requested by everyone, he demonstrated himself in the form of Bhimashankar. 

  • Timings: 4:30 AM- 10 PM
  • District: Pune
  • Best Time to Visit: Between October- February 

10. Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga, Maharashtra 

Located near Brahmagiri mountain, Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is the source of the Godavari river, also popular as Gautami Ganga. Depending on Shiva Purana, Godavari river and Gautami rishi prayed to Lord Shiva to establish here, and therefore God appeared in the form of Trimbakeshwar. In addition, the shape of this Jyotirlinga is the attraction of all devotees. Despite the temple, there is an unfilled space here with around three pillars located inside. Moreover, those three pillars show the three most strong, powerful beast gods, known as Vishnu, Brahma, and Maheshwar. 

  • Timmings: 5:30 AM- 9 PM
  • District: Nashik 
  • Best Time to Visit: Between October- March 

11. Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, Gujarat

The Nageshwar or Nagnath temple lies between the Gomati Dwarka and Bet Dwarka in Gujarat. It is an idealised place because of the presence of one of the Jyotirlingas in India. Illustratively, the temple implies negative free vibes. Moreover, the temple was built after Lord Shiva defeated the devil Daaruka who had jailed his sincere pilgrim, Supriya. 

  • Timings: 5 AM- 9 PM
  • District: Devbhumi Dwarka 
  • Best Time to Visit: Between October- February 

12. Kedarnath, Uttarakhand 

Among the sacred pilgrimage places in India, the Kedarnath temple is situated on the Rudra Himalaya range at the elevation of 12000 feet on a mountain known as Kedar. It is around 150 miles away from Haridwar. Furthermore, the temple cherishing the Jyotirlingas opens only six months every year. There is a tradition of visiting Yamunotri and Gangotri first to bring the holy water to Kedarnath. According to Hindu mythology, requested by the dreadful punishment of the Naran and Narayana, Lord Shiva took up a permanent home in Kedarnath in the form of this Jyotirlinga. It is believed by the Hindu pilgrims that worshipping at the site will fulfil all their wishes. 

  • Timings: 4 AM- 9 PM
  • District: Rudraprayag 
  • Best Time to Visit: Between May and June 

Visit All 12 Jyotirlinga with SuperbWorldTrip

Are you really a devotee of Lord Shiva? Then, you must visit and explore all the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. Located in different directions and parts of the country, Jyotirlingas are the devotional representation or an image of Lord Shiva. For which, choosing SuperbWorldTrip will be the best option for you. With us, you will get this amazing opportunity to visit the holy places conveniently. We offer all the pilgrimage tour packages at very affordable prices. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How many Jyotirlingas are in India?

There are exactly 12 Jyotirlingas in India, which are located in different parts of the country. You can visit any of them during your trip to any specific state. 

How are Jyotirlingas created?

All 12 Jyotirlingas were established in stages. There a story behind each of them was formed and the reasons. For example, it is believed that the demon Daaruka took Supriya and others to his place in Darukavana, a city established under the sea. They all together worship Lord Shiva, who emerged and conquered Daruka. From then, Lord Shiva rooted there in the form of a Jyotirlinga. 

What are the 12 Jyotirlingas?

There are completely 12 Jyotirlingas in India, as listed below: 

  • Somnath
  • Nageshwar
  • Bhimashankar
  • Trimbakeshwar
  • Grishneshwar
  • Vaidyanath
  • Mahakaleshwar
  • Omkareshwar
  • Kashi Vishwanath
  • Kedarnath
  • Rameshwaram
  • Mallikarjuna.

Which one is the most visited Jyotirlingas in India? 

Although you can visit all the 12 Jyotirlingas, Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi is the home to the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga Shrine and is very popular among Hindu devotees. 

Which is the first Jyotirlinga in India? 

Filled with rich history, Somantha is the foremost Jyotirlingas in India. It was constructed in the Chalukya style of temple architecture. Furthermore, the temple was destroyed and rebuilt around 12 times. 

Which one is the most powerful Jyotirlinga in India? 

Undoubtedly, all the 12 Jyotirlingas are the most powerful, and not one can be selected as the most powerful even though many devotees believe that Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain is one of the most revered places of Lord Shiva.