12 Jyotirlingas In India: Top Most Pilgrimage Getaway’s Of Lord Shiva

There are 64 Jyotirlingas across India but only 12 are considered highly auspicious and holy. Know the story behind them.

01 Feb 2022 13:08 IST

Updated On 02 Feb 2024 13:27 IST

The only wish that craves the devotees of Lord Shiva is to visit all 12 Jyotirlingas in India once in a life. And why not? We Hindus are hearing about Jyotirlingas and their spirituality since childhood.

Those who are unfamiliar with this term, let me tell them that the Jyotirlingas are the 12 shrines of Lord Shiva. People from the whole world visit India to get one glance at Jyoptirlingams.

These are the holy representation of Lord Shiva and are created on their own. Actually, there are 64 Jyotirlingas across India but only 12 are considered highly auspicious and holy.

12 Jyotirlingas Of Lord Shiva Across India

1. Somnath Jyotirlinga, Gujarat

12 Jyotirlingas In India — Somnath was observed as the first from 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The massive temple is situated near Veraval in the Kathiawad district. It is the most visited and revered pilgrimage site in the country.

According to Shiv Puran, 27 daughters of Daksha Prajapati got married to the moon. Among all, the moon loved Rohani only and neglected others. Out of rage, Daksha Prajapati cursed the moon after which he lost his radiance. The disturbed moon came to Somnath to worship the Sparsa Lingam.

Shiva got impressed with his dedication and arrived at Somnath. At the moon’s request, he gave him his lost beauty and resided there eternally.

Temple opening hours: 6:00 am to 9:00 pm

Aarti timing: At 7:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 7:00 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Veraval Railway Station

Also Read: 6 Hindu Temples Outside India That Are Worth A Visit

2. Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, Gujarat

Temple opening hours: 6:00 am to 12:30 pm and 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Dwarka Railway Station

3. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga, Maharashtra

A very large number of pilgrims visit this temple, especially on Maha Shivratri.

Temple opening hours: 4:30 am to 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Karjat Railway Station

4. Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga, Maharashtra

Trimbakeshwar temple is located near Brahmgiri mountain, which marks the origin of the Godavari river. The location is 30 km away from Nasik, Maharashtra. As per the legends, Lord Shiva resides here as Trimbkehwar for purifying the premises of Gautam Rishi after he mistakenly killed a cow.

The three pillars in the temple indicate the most powerful Gods of all time named Bhrama, Vishnu and Mahesh. Devotees believe that this temple fulfils everyone’s desire.

Temple opening hours: 5:30 am to 9:00 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Igatpuri Railway Station

Also Read: Which Temples Are A Must-Visit In South India? Find Out Here

5. Grineshwar Jyotirlinga, Maharashtra

Grineshwar temple, Maharashtra — The other most sacred Jyotirlinga in Maharastra is located in Verul village, 30 km from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Grishneswar temple is not too far from the famous tourist site - Ajanta and Alora Caves. The temple is built by Ahilyabai Holker to honour Lord Shiva for his mercy on human life.

This sacred shrine is also famous for many other names like Kusumeswarar, Ghushmeswara, and Grushmeswara. Dasavtar of Lord Vishnu carved on the red rock also fascinate the devotees here.

Temple opening hours: 5:30 am to 9:30 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Aurangabad Railway Station

6. Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, Madhya Pradesh

Mahakaleshwar, Madhya Pradesh — Mahakaleshwar temple is the hub of Mahakal devotees. It is the most visited destination of Madhya Pradesh, located in the Mahakal forest of Ujjain. As per the Shiv Puran, Lord Shiva is pleased by the devotion of five years old boy and established himself here as Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga.

Along with that, it is also one of the “Sakti Peeth” and one among seven “Mukti Sthal”. So this makes it one of the most sacred Jyotirlingas in India.

Temple opening hours: 4:00 am to 11:00 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Ujjain Railway Junction

Also Read: 15 Most surreal Temples and places that makes your wishes come true

7. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga, Madhya Pradesh

Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh — Omkareshwar is referred to as “Lord of Omkara” or “Lord of the Om sound”. The shrine is located on an island called Shivapuri in Narmada river, Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. Legends tell us that Lord Shiva emerged here in form of Omkareswar to defeat Danavas. The victory over every bad power makes this place holy and blessed by Lord Shiva.

Temple opening hours: 5:30 am to 12:30 pm and 4 pm to 10 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Indore Railway Junction

8. Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga, Uttar Pradesh

Kashi Vishwanath, Uttar Pradesh — Kashi Vishwanath is one of the most popular in Jyotirlinga shrines list. It is also renowned as the Golden Temple of **Varanasi**. Hindus believe that the temple is dearest to Lord Shiva and he resides here. People who die here always achieve liberation.

The temple is the main devotional focus here, more than Ghats and Ganga. A very huge amount of devotees come here every day in search of liberation and happiness.

Temple opening hours: 2:30 am to 11:00 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Varanasi Railway Junction

9. Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga, Jharkhand

Vaidyanath, Jharkhand — Vaidyanath temple is popular by many other names across the country like Baidhyanath and Vaijnath. People believe that anyone who sincerely worships this shrine gets rid of all his worries and miseries. Legends say that the Vaidyanath is the reliever of every pain of human beings.

The story behind this temple is also very interesting. When Ravana tried to take Lord Shiva with him to Sri Lanka, he gave him this Shivlinga. But the condition is that if it was placed once on the ground it would remain rooted till eternity.

While travelling to Sri Lanka Ravana placed lingam on the land of Jharkhand for relieving himself and it got rooted there. After a period of time, Shivalinga will be recognised as Vadhiyanath.

Temple opening hours: 4:00 am to 3:30 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm

Nearest Railway Station: 6 pm to 9 pm

10. Kedarnath Jyotirlinga, Uttarakhand

Kedarnath is the most visited temple among 12 Jyotirlingas In India which is located at the height of 12000 feet on the Rudra Himalayan Range. The temple gave the best spiritual vibe with the enchanting views of Himalaya - the home of Lord Shiva.

Hindus follow the tradition of paying their first visit to Yamunotri and Gangotri before going to Kedarnath. The thing that poles Kedarnath apart from other Jyotirlingas is that it only opens for six months in a year.

Temple opening months: Due to highly cold weather and snowfall, the shrine remains closed during winter. It opens in Akshay Tritya (April-May) and closed in Bhai Dooj (October-November).

Temple opening hours: 4:00 am to 12:00 pm and 3 pm to 9 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Rishikesh Railway Station

11. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga, Andhra Pradesh

Mallikarjuna, Andhra Pradesh — The shrine of Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is situated on the Shri Shaila mountain at the bank of the Krishna river. It is also renowned as the “Kailash of the south” because once Lord Shiva turned himself in Shivlinga and resided here. Devotees believed that anyone can get rid of her sins by just seeing this mountain.

Temple opening hours: 4:30 am to 10:00 am and 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Markapur Railway Station

12. Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga, Tamil Nadu

Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu — Rameshwaram temple is located on the Sethu coast of Tamil Nadu. This Jyotirlinga means a lot for Hindu devotees because it is made by Lord Ram himself. While going for a war against Ravana, Ram stopped at Rameshwaram and made this Shivlinga to worship Lord Shiva.

People call it “Varanasi of the South” and it is renowned as one of the holiest Jyotirlingas in India.

Temple opening hours: 5:00 am to 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Nearest Railway Station: Rameshwaram Railway Station

These are the 12 holiest places for Shiva devotees.

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