12 Jyotirlingas in INDIA

12 Jyotirlingas in INDIA

सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथंच श्री शैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् ।
उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोंकारममल ेश्वरम् ॥

केदारे हिगवत्पृष्ठे डाकिन्यां भीमशंकरम् ।
वाराणस्यांच विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बंक गौतमी तटे ॥

वैद्यनाथं चिताभूमौ नागेशं दारुकावने ।
सेतुबन्धे च रामेशं घृष्णेशंच शिवालये ॥

एतानि ज्योतिर्लिंगानि प्रातरुत्थाय य: पठेत् ।
जन्मान्तर कृत पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति ॥

A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in Indiamarker.

नमामीशमीशान निर्वाणरूपं। विभुं व्यापकं ब्रह्मवेदस्वरूपं।
निजं निर्गुणं निर्विकल्पं निरीहं। चिदाकाशमाकाशवासं भजे5हं॥

निराकारमोंकारमूलं तुरीयं। गिरा ग्यान गोतीतमीशं गिरीशं।
करालं महाकाल कालं कृपालं। गुणागार संसारपारं नतो5हं॥

चलत्कुण्डलं भ्रू सुनेत्रं विशालं। प्रसन्नाननं नीलकण्ठं दयालं।
मृगाधीशचर्माम्बरं मुण्डमालं। प्रियं शंकरं सर्वनाथं भजामि॥

It is believed that Lord 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.
  सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथंच श्री शैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् ।

उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोंकारममलेश्वरम् ॥
केदारे हिगवत्पृष्ठे डाकिन्यां भीमशंकरम् ।
वाराणस्यांच विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बंक गौतमी तटे ॥ ...
वैद्यनाथं चिताभूमौ नागेशं दारुकावने ।
सेतुबन्धे च रामेशं घृष्णेशंच शिवालये ॥
एतानि ज्योतिर्लिंगानि प्रातरुत्थाय य: पठेत् ।
जन्मान्तर कृत पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति ॥

The twelve jyothirlinga :The names and the locations of the 12 Jyotirlingas are mentioned in the Shiva Purana ( ,Ch.42/2-4). These shrines are:

1.   Somnath in Gujarat,

2.    Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andra Pradesh,

3.   Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh,

4.   Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh,

5.    Kedarnath in Himalayas,

6.   Bhimashankar in Maharastra,

7.   Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh,

8.   Triambakeshwar in Maharastra,

9.   Vaidyanath at Deogarh in Jharkand,

10.  Nageswar at Dwarka in Gujarat,

11.  Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu

12.  Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharastra.

1.      12 Jyotirlinga and 12 Moon sign Relation

Various mythological saga can be found in ancient Purans and Granths about lord Shiva. There are many stories about Maha Shivaratri. Like Trishul, Damaru etc and lord Shiva is linked with 9 planets, similarly the 12 Jyotirlingas are related to the 12 Moon signs. They are as follows:

Jyotirlinga Moonsign
1. Somnath-                                                       Aries

2.Mallikarjuna   Shrishailam                           Taurus
3.Mahakalaswar                                              Gemini
4.Omkareshwar                                               Cancer
5.BaidyanathDham                                         Leo
6.BhimaShanker                                              Virgo
7.Rameshwaram                                             Libra
8.Nageshwar                                                   Scorpio
9.Vishwanath                                                   Sagittarius
10.Trimbakeshwar                                         Capricorn
11.Kedarnath                                                  Aquarius
12.Gurumeshwar                                            Pisces

1.    Somnath marker, destroyed and re-built six times, is held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, tradition, and history. It is located at Prabhas Patan in Saurashtramarker in Gujaratmarker.

2.   Mallikarjuna , also called marker, is the name of the pillar located on a mountain on the river Krishna. Srisailam, near Kurnoolmarker in Andhra Pradeshmarker enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda Lahiri here.

  3.  Mahakal, Ujjainmarker (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradeshmarker is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbhagriha (where the Shiv Lingam sits).

 4.   Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada rivermarker is home to a Jyotirlinga shrine and the Mamaleshwar temple.

5. Vaidyanath jyotirlinga temple also called Baidyanth Temple is in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand.It is the only place in India where the jyotirlinga and the saktipeeth are together. They lay side by side. Baijnath Shivdham in Kangara Himachal Pradesh also claimed as Jyotirlinga of Vaidyanath also associated with Ravana.

6.   Bhimashankar marker is very much debated. There is a Bhimashankara temple near Punemarker in Maharastra, which was referred to as Daakini country, Kashipur was also referred to as Daakini country in ancient days. A Bhimashkar Temple is also present there which is also known as Shree Moteshwar Mahadev. Another Bhimashankar is in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtramarker. Bhimshankar temple near Guwahatimarker, Assam is the jyotirlinga according to Sivapuran.

 

7. Rameshwaram marker in Tamil Nadumarker is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It enshrines the ("Lord of Rama") pillar.

  

  8.  Nageshvara Jyotirlinga shrine in Daruka Vana. The location of this jyotirlinga is in dispute with Dwarkamarker in Gujaratmarker and Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli district of Maharashtramarker claiming to be the correct location. Jageshwar is a place in Almora, Uttarakhand, where there is a temple called Jageshwar also claims to be Nageswar Jyotirlinga.

The narratives on Nageshvara Jyotirlinga

The Shiva Purana says Nageshvara is in the Darukavana, which is an ancient epic name of forest in India. Darukavana finds mention in Indian epics like kamyakavana, Dvaitavana, Dandakavana,etc.

According to a narrative, the Balakhilyas, a group of dwarf sages worshipped Shiva in darukavana for long time. To test their devotion and patience, Shiva came to the Darukavana as an digambara (nude) ascetic, wearing only Nagas[serpants] in his body. Wives of sages were attracted and ran after the ascetic, leaving back their husbands. Sages got very disturbed and frustruated with this. They lost their patience and cursed ascetic to loose his linga. Shivalinga fell on the earth and whole world trempled. Brahma and Vishnu came to Shiva, requested him to save earth from destruction and take back his linga. Shiva consoled them and took back his linga.(Vamana Purana Ch.6 and 45)

Shiva promised his divine presence in Darukavana as Jyotirlinga for ever. Later Darukavana became favourate place of Nagas and Vasuki worshipped Shiva here for long and there after the Jyotirlinga came to be known as Nagnath or Nageshvara.

Also, there is a narrative in the Shiva Purana on the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga. It says, a demon named Daaruka attacked a Shiva devotee by name Supriya and imprisoned her along with several others in his city of Darukavana. This place was a city of snakes and Daruka was the king of the snakes. On the insistence of Supriya, all the prisoners started to chant the holy mantra of Shiva and instantly Lord Shiva appeared and vanquished the demon and later started to reside here in the form of a Jyotirlinga.

Controversy about the location

At present, there is a debate on location of epic forest Darukavana so as to identify the jyothirlinga of Nageswaram. Since no other important clues are left in the text which help in locating the place, 'Darukavana' remains as the vital clue.

The very name of Darukavana in text could be misread as 'Dwarakavana' to locate Jyotirlinga at Nageswara temple at Dwaraka. In fact there is no legendary forest at this part of dwaraka that finds mention in any of the india epics. In the narratives of Shri Krishna, we find mention of Somanatha and adjoining Prabhasa tirtha, but never there is any mention of 'Nageswara or Darukavana' in Dwaraka and outskirts.

Darukavana could be again misread as 'daruvana' [meaning deodar forest] by many to locate it in almora. Deodar (daru vriksha) is found in western Himalayas in abundance and is not found in peninsular India. According to the ancient treatise Prasadmandanam,

"हिमाद्रेरूत्तरे पार्श्वे देवदारूवनं परम् पावनं शंकरस्थानं तत्र् सर्वे शिवार्चिताः।"

Thus many identify 'Jageswara' temple in Almora, Uttarkhand as Nageshvara Jyotirlinga.

But 'Darukavana' finds mention adjacent to Vindhya Mountains in epics. It is south-southwest of the Vindhyas extending to sea in west.

In the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra (6), Shankaracharya praised this Jyotirlinga as Naganath:

"Yamye sadange nagaretiramye vibhushitangam vividhaishcha bhogai

Sadbhaktimuktipradamishamekam shrinaganatham sharanam prapadye"

This could provide evidence that it is located in the south ['yamye'] at the town of Sadanga. Sadanga is the ancient name of Aundh in Maharashtra and is located 'south' compared to Jageswara shrine in Uttarkhand and Dwaraka Nageshvara at West end.

This could show that Nagnath Shrine at Aundha in Hingoli district, Maharashtra may be Nageswara Jyothirlinga and Darukavana is located south-west of Vindhyas.

 9. Kashi Vishwanath Templemarker in Varanasimarker, Uttar Pradeshmarker is home to the Vishwanath Jyotirling temple, which is perhaps the most sacred of Hindu Temples.

                                                            

  10.  Trimbakeshwar  marker, near Nasikmarker in Maharashtramarker, has a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari river.

 

11.   Kedarnathmarker in Uttarakhandmarker is the northernmost of the Jyotirlingas. Kedarnath, nestled in the snow-clad Himalayasmarker, is an ancient shrine, rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only by foot, and only for six months a year.

                                                                       

  

12.    Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga shrine, in Aurangabad Maharashtra, is located near the rock-cut temples of Elloramarker. This shrine is also known as Ghushmeshwar.