12(Dwadasa) Jyotirlinga Temples

Jyotirlinga temples means auspicious Shiva Linga temples and there are 12 Jyotirlingas spread across India. They are also called Dwadasa lingas and the 12 temples are Somnath and Nageshwar in Gujarat, Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar in Maharashtra, Mahakaleshwar(Ujjain) and Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Mallikarjuna Swamy(Srisailam) in Andhra Pradesh, Kashi Vishwanath in Uttar Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand and Baidyanath in Jharkhand. Below are the details of the same:

1. Somnath, Gujarat : This is considered to be the first of 12 Jyotirlingas and is located near Veraval in Saurashtra region of Gujarat state. This temple was destroyed and rebuilt quite a few times and the current temple was built in 1951 and is quite huge. It is also a place for Triveni Sangam,  which is the confluence of three rivers: Kapila, Hiran and Saraswati.

Note: Mobiles are not allowed inside the temple and need to be deposited in the lockers available.

Darshan Timings: 6:00 am to 9:00 pm

How to reach there: It is around 400 kms from Ahmedabad and there are quite a few buses that run daily.

2. Nageshwar, Gujarat: This Jyotirlinga is one of the two Jyotirlingas in the state of Gujarat and is around 18 kms from the Holy city of Dwarka. This temple has a giant statue of Lord Shiva and the linga is in an underground compartment.

Darshan Timings: 6:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM

How to reach here: This is just 18 kms from the holy city of Dwarka which is well connected to other parts of Gujarat by Road and Rail.

3. Bhimashankar, Maharashtra: This is one of the 3 Jyotirlingas in the state of Maharashtra and is located around 125 kms from Pune in Sahyadri hills. It is the source of river Bhima. It was built around 13th century.

Darshan Timings: 4:30 am to 9:30 pm

How to Reach: It is well connected by Road and Pune is the nearest Railway station.

4. Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra: It is the source of Godavari river and located in Trimbak, very close to the city of Nashik in Maharashtra. The special feature of the Jyotirlinga located here is its three faces embodying Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. It is in the foothills of the Brahmagiri mountain and is made of black stone.

Darshan Timings: 5:30 am to 9:00 pm

5. Grishneshwar, Maharashtra: This is one of the 3 Jyotirlingas in Maharastra and located just next to the famous Ellora Caves near Aurangabad. This is considered to be the smallest of the 12 Jyotirlingas and was re-constructed by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar after destruction during the Mughal period.

Darshan Timings: 5:00 am to 9:00 pm

How to reach: This is just 30 kms from Aurangabad which is well connected by Air, Rail and Road. There are quite a few buses and cabs from Aurangabad to here.

6. Mahakaleshwar, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh: Mahakaleshwar temple located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the most significant Jyotirlinga on the banks of river Shipra and believed to be Swayambhu(self manifested). The unique feature about this temple compared to the other Jyotirlingas is that the idol faces to the south. The original temple complex was destroyed by the Sultans in 13th century and the current temple was built by Maratha rulers in the 18th century. The Shiva linga is bigger compared to the other Jyotirlingas. Ujjain also has the Mahakali Shakti Peetam and called Harsiddhi temple. The Madhya Pradesh Government has created Mahakal Lok corridor around the temple as part of expansion and beautification in the year 2022. There is a Bhasma Aarti(with sacred ash) every morning at 4am and unique to this Jyotirlinga. The tickets for the same can be obtained online in advance.

Darshan Timings: 7:00 am to 11:00 pm

How to reach here: Ujjain is very well connected by Air, Rail and Road. Indore is the closest Airport and is just 50 kms from Ujjain. Ujjain junction is the railway station here and has connectivity from a quite a few major cities in India.

7. Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh: Omkareshwar is the second Jyotirlinga in the state of Madhya Pradesh and at a distance of around 140 kms from Ujjain. This temple is located on an island called Mandhata or Shivpuri in the Narmada river. One can reach the temple by either crossing a bridge(by walk) which is around 1 km long or by boats which would take around 10-15 mins. The Shiva linga is a bit smaller compared to the other Jyotirlingas.

Darshan Timings: 5:00 am to 9:30 pm

How to reach here: Omkareshwar is well connected by Air, Rail and Road. Indore is the closest Airport and is just 77 kms away. The nearest railway station is Khandwa which is 72 kms away. It is well connected by road from major cities like Indore, Ujjain, Bhopal, Khandwa, etc.

8. Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu:Rameswaram along with being Jyotirlinga is one of the destinations of Char Dham in South Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the shores of Bay of Bengal sea. The main temple is called Sri Ramanathaswamy temple and is the only Siva temple of the 4 Char Dham temples.

It is believed that the main Siva Lingam in sand was built by Lord Rama and Sita on his way back to Ayodhya after killing Ravana. The second linga is called Vishwalingam or Spatika lingam and believed to have been brought by Hanuman from Himalayas. This needs to be worshipped before the actual lingam and available for Darshan only for an hour in the morning. The temple is quite big and devotees from all over India visit here.

The recommended process of Darshan is to take bath in the 22 Theerthams(wells) inside the temple and it starts with dip in Agni Theertham by the sea. They charge around Rs.50/- for person to go through all the wells where the water is poured with a small bucket of water. Then change the wet clothes to dry and go for Darshan.

Darshan Timings: 5am to 1pm and 3pm to 9pm

9. Mallikarjuna, Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh: Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple is located at Srisailam in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is also called Srisailam temple and is in the Nallamala Forest area. Along with being one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, it is also one of the 18 Shakti Peetams of Goddess Parvati. Shiva is worshiped as Mallikarjuna and his consort Parvati as Bhramaramba. There is a Dam also close by on the river Krishna which generates electricity.

Darshan Timings: 4:30 am to 10:00 pm

10. Kashi Vishwanath, Uttar Pradesh: Kashi is considered to be the oldest city in India and the most famous pilgrimage place in India. Every Hindu devotee must visit this place once in their lifetime. It is located on the banks of river Ganga in the state of Uttar Pradesh and is the only Jyotirlinga in the state.

11. Kedarnath, Uttarakhand: Kedarnath is part of the Chota Chardham temples and is in the Himalayas located in the state of Uttarakhand. Due to inclement weather here, the shrine remains open to the pilgrims only for a period of 6 months from May to October.

Darshan Timings: 4:00 am to 9:00 pm

12. Baidyanath, Jharkhand: Baidyanath Jyotirlinga is located at Deogarh in the state of Jharkhand.

You can get the information about other temples here.

Jyotirlingas Map or Jyotirlinga temples Map:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1N8FRvQWMS4R_hiYTaJ3YB9wlHrRUiFc&usp=sharing