The twelve Jyotirlingas are the twelve principal shrines of Shiva: Somnath, Mallikarjuna, Mahakaleshwar, Omkareshwar, Vaidyanath, Bhimashankar, Rameshwaram, Nageshwar, Kashi Vishwanath, Trimbakeshwar, Kedarnath and Grishneshwar. Their order comes from the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra.
सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् ।
उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोङ्कारममलेश्वरम् ॥- 1
Somnath
At Prabhas Patan in Gujarat; first in the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra.
- 2
Mallikarjuna
On Srisailam mountain in Andhra Pradesh.
- 3
Mahakaleshwar
In Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, on the bank of the Kshipra river.
- 4
Omkareshwar
On an island in the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh.
- 5
Vaidyanath
Deoghar (Jharkhand) or Parli (Maharashtra): opinions differ on the location. The stotra has “Paralyam Vaidyanatham”.
- 6
Bhimashankar
In the Sahyadri range in Maharashtra.
- 7
Rameshwaram
On Rameshwaram island in Tamil Nadu, the Ramanathaswamy temple.
- 8
Nageshwar
Near Dwarka in Gujarat.
- 9
Kashi Vishwanath
In Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on the bank of the Ganga.
- 10
Trimbakeshwar
Near Nashik in Maharashtra, close to the source of the Godavari.
- 11
Kedarnath
In the Himalayas of Uttarakhand, near the Mandakini river.
- 12
Grishneshwar
Near Ellora in Maharashtra.
See all the Jyotirlingas on a mapEach name opens its page: place, darshan timings (where the official source gives them), story and where sources differ.
Frequently asked questions
Which are the 12 Jyotirlingas?
Somnath, Mallikarjuna, Mahakaleshwar, Omkareshwar, Vaidyanath, Bhimashankar, Rameshwaram, Nageshwar, Kashi Vishwanath, Trimbakeshwar, Kedarnath and Grishneshwar.
Where is the Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga?
Opinions differ. Deoghar (Jharkhand) is the popular answer, while the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra says "परल्यां वैद्यनाथं" (Vaidyanath at Parli), taken to mean Parli (Maharashtra).
Which is the first Jyotirlinga?
The Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra names Somnath in Saurashtra first.
Sources
- Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra
- Shiva Purana, Kotirudra Samhita
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