12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva
12 జ్యోతిర్లింగాలు — శివుని పుణ్యక్షేత్రాలు
The 12 most sacred Shiva pilgrimage sites in India
The 12 Jyotirlingas (jyoti = light, linga = symbol) are the holiest manifestations of Lord Shiva — sacred sites where Shiva is said to have appeared as a pillar of infinite light. They span India: Somnath (Gujarat) → Srisailam (AP) → Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain) → Omkareshwar (MP) → Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) → Bhimashankar (Maharashtra) → Vishwanath (Varanasi) → Trimbakeshwar (Nashik) → Vaidyanath (Jharkhand) → Nageshwar (Dwarka) → Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu) → Grishneshwar (Maharashtra). Visiting all 12 in one lifetime is one of the most sacred pilgrimages in Hindu tradition. Reciting the 12-line "Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram" daily grants the merit of physical pilgrimage.
The 12 Jyotirlingas (in traditional order)
The Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra
A 12-verse Sanskrit stotra naming all 12 sites in sequence. Composed by Adi Shankaracharya. Reciting it daily is believed to confer the spiritual merit of visiting each shrine in person:
सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् ।
उज्जयिन्यां महाकालं ओङ्कारममलेश्वरम् ॥
परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशङ्करम् ।
सेतुबन्धे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने ॥
वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बकं गौतमीतटे ।
हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये ॥
Sauraashtre Somanaatham cha Shrishaile Mallikarjunam / Ujjayinyaam Mahakalam Omkaaram-Amaleshwaram / Paralyaam Vaidyanaatham cha Daakinyaam Bhimashankaram / Setubandhe tu Raamesham Nagesham Daarukavane / Vaaranasyaam tu Vishvesham Tryambakam Gautamitate / Himalaye tu Kedaram Ghushmesham cha Shivalaye.
Planning a Jyotirlinga Yatra
- South circuit (5 sites): Srisailam → Rameshwaram → (continue to Madurai Meenakshi for cultural extension)
- North circuit (5 sites): Kashi Vishwanath → Vaidyanath → Mahakaleshwar → Omkareshwar → Kedarnath (only May-Oct)
- West circuit (4 sites): Somnath → Nageshwar (both in Gujarat) → Bhimashankar → Grishneshwar → Trimbakeshwar (all in Maharashtra)
- Sacred season: Karthika Masam (October-November), Maha Shivaratri, Sawan/Shravan Mondays