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.
Legend Of Jyotirlingas
- According to the Shiva Purana, when Brahma and Vishnu had an argument in terms of supremacy of creation. In order to resolve the dispute, Shiva decided to pierce the 3 worlds as a countless pillar of light. Both Vishnu and Brahma started downwards and upwards respectively to discover the end of the light. Brahma lied that he had discovered the end while Vishnu accepted that he could not and accepted defeat. Shiva cursed Brahma and as punishment for lying to him, Brahma would not be part of any ceremonies while Vishnu would always be worshipped.
- The jyotirlinga is the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. The jyothirlinga temples, hence are locations where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. Each of the twelve jyothirlinga sites takes the name of the presiding deity– each believed to be a various manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the main image is the jyotirlingam representing the infinite nature of Shiva.
The meaning of Jyotirlinga
The sites of the eruption of fire from the inactive volcanoes. Since Yama, the master of the southern direction is a subordinate of Shankar, the southern becomes the direction of Shankar. The Jyotirlingas are south-oriented, significance, is the opening of their Shalunkas face southwards. Most temples do not face the southern direction. When the opening of the Shalunka faces the south, its pinda possesses extra spiritual energy; while the pinda with the opening of the Shalunka facing north possesses lesser energy.
12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva in India
- Somnath Jyotirlinga – Gir Somnath in Gujarat
- Somnath Jyotirlinga – Gir Somnath in Gujarat
- Nageshwar Jyotirling – Daarukavanam in Gujarat
- Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga – Pune in Maharashtra
- Trimbakeshwar Jyotirling – Nashik in Maharashtra
- Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga – Aurangabad in Maharashtra
- Baidyanath Jyotirlinga – Deoghar in Jharkhand
- Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga – Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh
- Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga – Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh
- Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga – Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
- Kedarnath Jyotirling – Kedarnath in Uttarakhand
- Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga – Rameshwaram Island in Tamil Nadu
- Mallikarjuna Jyotirling – Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh
Somnath Jyotirlinga
Shree Somnath is first among the twelve Aadi Jyotirlingas of India. It has a strategic location on the western coast of India. The Pran-Pratistha at the existing temple was done on 11th May 1951 by then President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Temple Darshan Timing
| Morning | 07:30 to 11:00 AM |
| Afternoon | 12:30 PM to 06:30 PM |
| Evening | 07:30 PM to 10:00 PM |
Nageshwar Jyotirling
The Nageshwar Jyotirlinga is located in Dwarka, on the coast of Saurashtra, in Gujarat. It is one of the 12 jyotirlingas in the world. A 25-meter tall statue of Lord Shiva and a huge garden with a pond are the main attractions that attract devotees here every year. Some archaeological excavations claim five earlier cities at the site.
Temple Darshan Timing
06:00 AM to 09:00 PM
Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga
Bhimashankar is an ancient shrine situated in the Sahyadri hills in the state of Maharashtra. Bhimashankar temple is one of the well-known Jyotirlinga, among the twelve jyotirlingas situated all over India. Bhimashankalocated is in the village of Bhorgiri 50 km northwest of Khed, near Pune. It is located 125 km away from Pune in the ghat region of the Sahyadri hills.
Temple Darshan Timing
| Event | Timings |
| Mandir opening time | 4.30 AM |
| Morning Aarti | 4:45 AM to 5.00 AM |
| Nijarup darshan | 5:00 AM to 5.30 AM |
| Normal Darshans and Abhishekam | 5:30 AM to 2:30 PM |
| No Abhishekam between | 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM |
| Maha Puja (Naivedya Pooja) | 12.00 PM to 12.30 PM |
| Afternoon Aarti | 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM |
| Shringar Darshans | 3:30 AM to 9:30 PM |
| Evening Aarti | 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM |
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga
The Trimbakeshwar Temple is located 30 km from Nasik, near the Brahmagiri mountains from which the Godavari river flows. It is known as one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and also as the source of the Godavari. Due to excessive use of water, the Lingam has started to erode.
Tempel Darshan Timing
05:30 AM TO 09:00 PM
Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga
The Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple is located at Verul, 20 km from Daulatabad in Maharashtra. Located close to Daulatabad (once known as Devagiri) is the popular tourist attraction Ajanta – Ellora Caves.
Temple Darshan Timing
05:30 AM to 11:00 PM
03:00 AM to 11:00 PM during the month of Shravan
Baidyanath Jyotirlinga
Baidyanath Dham is located in Deoghar in Jharkhand, India. It is the most sacred abode of Shiva. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The temple complex comprises the main temple and 21 other temples. The Vaidyanath temple is also known as ‘Devghar’. The Jyoti Ling located in the Vaidyanath temple is from the 12 Jyoti Linga of Lord Shiva and is considered Vaidyanath as the ninth Jyotirlingas. It is believed that all the wishes of those who come here are fulfilled. therefore, this Jyotirling is also called ‘Kamna Linga’. Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga is also Description in Maha Shivpuran, which {identifies|determines} the place of Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga, according to which the Bedenham is in ‘Chidhabhoomi’, which is the name of Devghar.
Temple Darshan Timing
Temple is open 24 HRS
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga
Mahakaleshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is among the most famous temples in India. The temple is situated in the ancient city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on the banks of Rudra Sagar Lake.
Temple Darshan Timing
03:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga
Omkareshwar Temple is located near Indore, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The name Omkareshwar comes from the word “OM“. Devotees believe that Omkareshwar Temple is the home of the fourth Jyotirlinga. River Narmada flows through Omkareshwar.
Temple Darshan Timing
05:00 AM to 09:30 PM
Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and on the western bank of the holy river Ganga. It is one of the most famous temples and prominent Temples of Hindus dedicated to Lord Shiva. Vishvanatha or Vishveshvara is another name given to the temple meaning Ruler of The Universe. The temple is enshrined in the Twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and is given the seventh position. The Jyotirlinga is made up of black stone. The temple is one of the main temples of Varanasi. It is believed the first rays of the sun fall on the temple.
Temple Darshan Timing
| Morning Timing | 04:00 AM to 11:00 AM |
| Afternoon Timing | 12:00 PM to 07:00 PM |
| Evening Timing | 08:30 PM to 09:00 PM |
Kedarnath Jyotirlinga
Kedarnath temple is located in the Rudra Himalaya range in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is one of the sacred pilgrimages of Hindus. This ancient and magnificent temple is a part of Char Dhams and Panch Kedar in Uttarakhand and one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in India. Swyambhu Shivling located in the temple is immemorial. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April (Akshaya Tritiya) to Kartik Purnima (the autumn full moon, usually November).
Temple Darshan Timing
04:00 AM to 03:00 PM and 05:00 PM to 09:00 PM
Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga
Rameswaram Jyotirlinga Temple is located in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. Jyoti Ling located in the Rameswaram temple is one of the 12 Jyoti Ling of Lord Shiva and Rameshwaram is considered the eleventh Jyotirling. it is one of the main pilgrim centers of Hindus. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is one of the Char Dhams of Hindus. Rameshwaram is nearly four and a half miles southeast of Chennai. It is a beautiful conch-shaped island surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.
Temple Darshan Timing
06:00 AM to 09:00 PM
Mallikarjuna Jyotirling
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is located on a Mountain named Shri Shaila by the banks of the Patal Ganga, Krishna River in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. This Temple is one of the famous Hindu shrines and is fully dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is revered among the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is considered to be in the second position among them. Mallika is for Goddess Parvati, and Arjuna is for Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is worshiped as Mallikarjuna and is represented by the lingam.
Temple Darshan Timing
05:30 AM to 09:30 PM