Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga

A liṅga is the sacred form in which Śiva is worshipped, and a Jyotirliṅga is a “liṅga of light”. The Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga are the twelve Jyotirliṅgas: twelve eternal avatāras of Śiva in the form of a liṅga, where Śiva is permanently and self-revealed at twelve holy places across Bhāratavarsha (India).

Each Jyotirliṅga arose on a particular divine occasion: a devotee’s tapas (spiritual austerity), the defeat of an asura, or the ending of a great distress in the world. Chapter 42 of the Śatarudra Saṃhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa tells all twelve, with their stories, places and the blessings each one gives. The darśana (sacred seeing) and pūjā of any Jyotirliṅga frees the devotee from all pāpa (wrongdoing) and grants both bhukti (enjoyment in this world) and mukti (liberation).

The Twelve Jyotirliṅgas at a Glance

The Stories of the Twelve

1. Somanātha, Saurāshṭra

Somanātha (“the master of Soma, the moon”) is the first and foremost Jyotirliṅga. It is in the Saurāshṭra region, at present-day Prabhas Patan in Gujarat. Candra (the moon) lost his greatness because of Daksha’s curse, and his light faded little by little. He came to Prabhāsa-kshetra and offered pūjā to Śiva with the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra. Śiva appeared and gave back Candra’s glory, but only in part, so that the lunar cycle would continue. This is why the moon waxes and wanes. The Candra-kuṇḍa, the sacred pool at Somanātha, is said to cure all diseases, including kshaya (tuberculosis) and kushṭha (leprosy).

2. Mallikārjuna, Śrīśaila

Mallikārjuna (named after the mallikā jasmine and the arjuna tree) is the second Jyotirliṅga, at Śrīśaila, in present-day Nandyal district, Andhra Pradesh. Śiva came down here as Mallikārjuna as a boon to his devotees. Those who long for sons and children pray especially to Mallikārjuna. The text says that darśana of Mallikārjuna brings every good result and frees the devotee after death.

3. Mahākāleśvara, Ujjayinī

Mahākāleśvara (“the great master of time”) is the third Jyotirliṅga, at Ujjayinī, present-day Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. An asura named Dūshaṇa terrorised the city of Ratnamālā (an earlier name for the Ujjayinī region). He hated the Vedas and persecuted the brāhmaṇas. When the brāhmaṇas and their children cried out to Śiva in fear, Śiva came forth and, with a single thunderous huṃkāra (roar of “huṃ”), burnt Dūshaṇa to ashes on the spot. At the request of the devas, Śiva then made Ujjayinī his permanent home as Mahākāleśvara, the master of time and death, who always protects his devotees. Darśana of Mahākāleśvara grants all wishes, and liberation at death.

4. Oṃkāreśvara, Oṃkāra Tīrtha

Oṃkāreśvara (also called Amareśvara or Parameśvara) is the fourth Jyotirliṅga, at the Oṃkāra tīrtha (holy place), present-day Mandhata island in Madhya Pradesh. Vindhya Parvata, the Vindhya mountain, offered pūjā to Śiva here with great devotion. He set up a Śivaliṅga made of clay (pārthiva-liṅga) and performed intense pūjā. Śiva was pleased and, at the request of the gathered devas, appeared here in two forms, Oṃkāreśvara and Parameśvara, a unique double appearance. Each of the two liṅgas here is a Jyotirliṅga, and darśana of either fulfils every wish.

5. Kedāreśvara, Himālaya

Kedāreśvara is the fifth Jyotirliṅga, at Kedāra in the Himālaya, present-day Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. Śiva appeared here at the request of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, the two great ṛshis who are eternal avatāras of Vishṇu, and who performed tapas on this Himalayan peak. Śiva appeared and chose to stay here forever as Kedāreśvara, to receive the unbroken pūjā of Nara and Nārāyaṇa. The two ṛshis offer him pūjā here every day. Darśana of Kedāreśvara fulfils every wish.

6. Bhīmaśaṅkara, Ḍākinī

Bhīmaśaṅkara is the sixth Jyotirliṅga, at Ḍākinī, identified with the Bhimashankar site in the Sahyādri range of Maharashtra. An asura named Bhīmāsura terrorised the worlds. The king of Kāmarūpa (Assam), Sudakshiṇa, was a devoted bhakta of Śiva, and Bhīmāsura was persecuting him. When Bhīmāsura’s cruelty became unbearable, Śiva appeared and destroyed him completely. The devas asked Śiva to stay there forever, and Śiva made his home at Ḍākinī as the Bhīmaśaṅkara Jyotirliṅga.

7. Viśveśvara, Kāśī

Viśveśvara (“the master of all”) is the seventh Jyotirliṅga, at Kāśī (Vārāṇasī, Uttar Pradesh), Śiva’s own eternal city. Viśveśvara is unique among the Jyotirliṅgas. He did not appear at a devotee’s request or after the defeat of an asura. Kāśī is Śiva’s own home, the place where Śiva himself lives forever, beyond the creation and dissolution of the universe. Even Vishṇu, all the devas, and Bhairava himself offer pūjā to Viśveśvara every day. Those who die in Kāśī receive the Tāraka mantra (the mantra that carries one across to liberation) from Śiva himself at the moment of death, which assures them of moksha (liberation) whatever their past karma.

8. Tryambakeśvara, Bank of the Gautamī

Tryambakeśvara (“the three-eyed one”) is the eighth Jyotirliṅga, on the bank of the Gautamī river, at present-day Tryambakeshwar near Nashik in Maharashtra. Gautama Maharshi, a devoted bhakta of Śiva, performed tapas and prayed to Śiva to appear at the source of the Godāvarī (Gautamī) river. Śiva appeared and chose to stay forever on the bank of the Gautamī as Tryambakeśvara. The Śatarudra Saṃhitā adds that, by Śiva’s special grace to Gautama, Gaṅgā flows here as the Gautamī river. Darśana of Tryambakeśvara grants every wish.

9. Vaidyanātha, Citābhūmi

Vaidyanātha (“the master of healers”, or “the master of all”) is the ninth Jyotirliṅga, at Citābhūmi. Traditions differ on its place: it is identified with Deoghar in Jharkhand or with Parli Vaijnath in Maharashtra. Rāvaṇa, the king of Laṅkā, offered intense pūjā to Śiva and tried to carry the liṅga back to Laṅkā. Śiva used Rāvaṇa’s devotion as the occasion to settle permanently at the spot as Vaidyanātha. The text says Vaidyanātha is famous in all three worlds, and that his pūjā grants both bhukti and mukti.

10. Nāgeśvara, Dārukāvana

Nāgeśvara (“the master of serpents”) is the tenth Jyotirliṅga, at Dārukāvana (Dārukeśvara), identified with the Dvārakā region of Gujarat. An asura named Dārukāsura terrorised all beings, and he especially targeted a devoted vaiśya (merchant) named Supriya. Dārukāsura captured Supriya and held him in Dārukāvana. The imprisoned devotee offered pūjā to Śiva with complete devotion. Śiva appeared and killed Dārukāsura. Then, at the request of Devī Pārvatī, he made his permanent home there as the Nāgeśvara Jyotirliṅga, with Pārvatī beside him. The text says that just saying the name “Nāgeśvara” destroys great heaps of pāpa.

11. Rāmeśvara, Setubandha

Rāmeśvara (“the one worshipped by Rāma”) is the eleventh Jyotirliṅga, at Setubandha, the place of the bridge to Laṅkā, present-day Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. Before building the setu (bridge) across the ocean to Laṅkā to rescue Sītā, Bhagavān Śrī Rāma set up a Śivaliṅga and offered pūjā to Śiva for victory. Śiva appeared, blessed Rāma with sure victory over Rāvaṇa, and chose to stay forever as the Rāmeśvara Jyotirliṅga. The text says Rāmeśvara grants every wish, including liberation, to those who bathe him in abhisheka (ritual bathing) with Gaṅgā water. His mahimā (greatness) is said to have no equal in all three worlds.

12. Ghushmeśvara, Devaśaila

Ghushmeśvara (also called Ghushṇeśvara or Gṛshṇeśvara) is the twelfth Jyotirliṅga, at Devaśaila in the south, identified with Ellora in Maharashtra. A devoted woman named Ghushmā (or Ghushṇā) offered pūjā to Śiva with extraordinary devotion. Her co-wife Sudehā, eaten up by jealousy, killed Ghushmā’s son and threw his body into a nearby pond. Ghushmā, unshaken in her devotion, went on with her pūjā. Śiva appeared and brought the boy back to life. More than that, Śiva in his boundless compassion offered to punish Sudehā, but Ghushmā, pure-hearted by nature, begged him to forgive her. Pleased by her great forgiveness, Śiva agreed to dwell forever as Ghushmeśvara in the lake (saras) near this place.

The General Teaching

The chapter ends with Nandīśvara’s teaching on the meaning of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas together:

• Simply sparśana (touching) or darśana (seeing) any Jyotirliṅga destroys all pāpa and gives ānanda (joy) to human beings.
• Together the twelve Jyotirliṅgas are twelve avatāras (the avatāra-dvādaśaka) of Parameśvara Śambhu.
• Whoever reads or hears this vṛttānta (account) of the Jyotirliṅgas is freed from all pāpa and gains both bhukti and mukti.
• The text declares these twelve to be the complete expression of the Jyotirliṅga first described in the account of Liṅgodbhava, where Śiva appeared as an endless pillar of light. The twelve are particular forms of that same infinite pillar of light.

Sources

• Śiva Purāṇa, Śatarudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 42