Honestly, am not quite religious but my inquisitiveness and curiosity to explore did take me to many religious places. I was quite curious about the 12 jyotirlingas and did manage to visit 8 of them.
Google Earth locations of the 12 (+3) Maha Jyotirlingams
According to the Shiva Puranas, there were a total of 64 jyotirlingas. Jyotirlingas means the 'divine radiant elements'. Of these 64, 12 are considered the most auspicious, the Dwadas Maha Jyotirlingas. The Shiva Purana has a stotram (sacred hymn) that mentions the 12. However, there is confusion about a couple maha Jyotirlingas, and different sages have different interpretations (the three are marked in green while the rest are marked in yellow in the above image.
The Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram
Saurāṣṭre Somanāthaṃ ca Śrīśaile Mallikārjunam
Somnath in Saurashtra and Mallikarjuna in Srisailam
Location: Prabhas Patan, Gujrat
Somnath in Saurashtra and Mallikarjuna in Srisailam
1. SOMNATH: Lord of the Moon (Som - Moon; Nath - Lord)
Location: Prabhas Patan, Gujrat
Legend: It is said the Linga in Somnath was a levitating sculpture that was destroyed by Md. Gazni. The lingam was supposed to have been made of iron and a huge loadstone was fixed on the ceiling exactly above it which caused it to float.
2. MALLIKARJUNA: The Lord in the form of white Jasmine entwined around Arjuna (Mallika - Jasmine flower; Arjuna - Arjun tree)
Location: Srisailam, Telangana
Intriguing fact: It is the only temple that is both a Shakti Peeth (seat of Shakti - Goddess is the main deity - The divine Feminine Principle) and a Maha Jyotirling (seat of Radiant element - God is the main deity - The divine Masculine Principle). It is considered one of the holiest and most powerful temples because of the influence of both Shakti and Shiv.
Ujjayinyāṃ Mahākālam Omkāram Mamleśhwaram
Mahakalam in Ujjain and Mamaleshwar in Omkar
3. MAHAKALESHWAR: The Lord of Destruction (Maha - Supreme; Kaal - end of time/death/destruction; Ishwar - Lord)
Location: Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Intriguing Fact: Bhasma Arti (Offering of light and ash) is performed at 4:00 am in the morning (the Brahma muhurta - which is the most auspicious time of the day as per Hindu scriptures. It starts at 1 1/2 hrs before sunrise and ends at 48 minutes before sunrise). Women were not allowed to participate in the ritual. The arti was performed with the ashes of a fresh pyre from crematoriums brought by Aghori sadhus.
4 OMKARESHWAR and MAMLESHWAR: The Lord of OM and Lord of Lords ( Om - is a sound and symbol which denotes the universal consciousness; Ishwar - God; Mamleshwar - etymology unknown but the meaning is lord of the lords of the most powerful. I tried to look up the Sanskrit dictionaries and the closest I could get to is Mahabali or Mahamalla both mean supreme power.)
Location: Mandhata, Madhya Pradesh
Interesting fact: It's a twin temple complex and there are two lingams. Omkareshwar graces the northern bank of the Narmada river and Mamleshwar graces the southern bank of the river. Many people visit only Omkareshwar, the better-known of the two. However, the local legends say Mamleshwar, is the original swayambhu - the place where the divine radiating linga self-manifested on earth. All Maha Jyotirlingas are supposed to be swayambhu lingas.
Paralyam Vaidyanāthaṃ cha Ḍākinyāṃ Bhīmaśhaṅkaram
Vaidyanath at the crematory ground and Bhimshankara where the Dakinis reside
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Vaijnath, Parli Photo Sources: By J.M.Garg - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7185985 |
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| Baidyanath, Deogarh By Ravishekharojha - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46611855 |
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| Baijnath, Almora By Pramod Rawal - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72809119 |
5. VAIDYANATH: The Lord of medicines (Vaidya - Medicine; Nath - Lord)
Location: Parli, Maharastra or Deoghar, Jharkhand or Almora, Uttarakhand
There are different versions and interpretations claiming the location of Maha Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga. I have not visited either of the three as yet. The photos of the three temples have been sourced from Wikipedia.
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Photo source:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bhimashankar.jpg |
6. BHIMASHANKAR: The Formidable destroyer of evil (Bhim-Formidable; Shanka-Doubt/evil/wrong; Hara-Destroyer, defeater)
I am yet to visit Bhimshankar.
Interesting Fact: There is a Gupt (Hidden) Bhimshankar near the main temple, accessed through a forest trail. The Gupt linga is mostly submerged under the waters of a waterfall.
Location: Near Pune, Maharastra
Setubandhe tu Rāmeśaṃ Nāgeśhaṃ Dārukāvane
Rameshwar at the strait, Nageshwaram at Daruka forest
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| Photo source: By Ssriram mt - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48384927 |
7. RAMESHWAR: The Lord of Rama (Lord Rama; Ishwar - Lord)
Location: Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
Intriguing fact: There are 24 teerthams or holy sites where the devotees are advised to take a dip before entering the garbhagriha or sanctum. 2 of the holy sites are near the sea and 22 are ponds or wells inside the temple (these days many do not take a dip, buckets of water from the ponds/wells are poured over the devotees). However, it is not mandatory but a choice. There are legends related to each site and it is said the holy water of the teerthams can cure illness, and curses, and give wisdom and prosperity.
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| Nageshwar, Dwarka |
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| Aundha Nagnath |
8. NAGESHWAR: The Lord of Nagas (Naag - Cobra/snakes)
There are versions in old scriptures that suggest the temple at Dwarka is the main Lord of Nags Jyotirling while some texts suggest the one at Aundh is the main Jyotirling. While some believe the Almora temple is the main Nagnath Jyotirling.
Well, I am no expert but I found the Nageshwar temple in Dwarka a relatively newer construction (as compared to the other shrines but it might have been so because of renovation. I have not visited the Almora one but those who believe Jageshwar in Almora is the actual jyotirlinga stress on the stortam mention the location as 'darukavanam', which may be interpreted as a forest of Deodar trees.
The Nagnath temple in Aundh, however, has a very mystic feel. This place could have been a forest long back, though not a forest of deodars.
Intriguing Fact: There is a basement chamber in the temple, where the lingam is established. One has to climb down a narrow opening barely enough for a person to pass through to reach the chamber. Just a feeling inside, that this is the actual Maha Jyotirling. Can't speak for Jageshwat since I haven't visited the place yet.
Vishveshwara in Varanasi and Trimbakeshwara on the banks of Gautami (Gomati)
9. VISHWANATH: The Lord of the universe (Vishwa - Universe; Nath / Ishwar - Lord)
Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Legend: It is said this temple is one of the three temples which is seated on the tip of Lord Shiva's trident. Thus making it a floating temple. The other two temples are Omkareshwar and Kedarnath temples.
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Photo source: By Niraj Suryawanshi - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29271240 |
10. TRIMBAKESHWAR: The trinity of three lords Bhrma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar. (Tri - Three; Bhakta - Portion; Ishwar - Lord)
Location: Nashik, Maharastra
I am yet to visit this Jyotirling.
Interesting fact: There are three faces to the linga.
Himālaye tu Kedāraṃ Ghuśmeśaṃ ca Śivālaye
Kedarnath in the Himalayas and Grishmeshwar in Shivalaye
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Photo source: By Shaq774 at en. Wikipedia - Transferred from en.Wikipedia Source at Wikipedia, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4624438 |
11. KEDARNATH: The Lord of Kedar Khand (Kedara - Meadow; Nath - Lord)
Location: Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
I think this is the most beautiful and mystic of all the Jyotirlingas. I have not visited Rudraprayag as yet but its photographs mesmerize me and I can't wait to get there.
Intriguing Fact: When the entire Kedarnath was destroyed and submerged under the catastrophic floods in 2013, the temple remained intact and the water did not enter it. A huge boulder rerouted the flood waters away from the temple. Many consider this a divine intervention.
12. GRISHNESHWAR: The Lord of compassion (Ghrsu - Lively, Mirthful; Ishwar - Lord)
Location: Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Interesting Fact: This is the smallest of the 12 Maha Jyotirlingas
etāni jyotirliṅgāni sāyaṃ prātaḥ paṭhennaraḥ
saptajanmakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ smaraṇena vinaśyati
eteśāṃ darśanādeva pātakaṃ naiva tiṣṭhati
karmakṣayo bhavettasya yasya tuṣṭo maheśvarāḥ
saptajanmakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ smaraṇena vinaśyati
eteśāṃ darśanādeva pātakaṃ naiva tiṣṭhati
karmakṣayo bhavettasya yasya tuṣṭo maheśvarāḥ
"Those who recite this in the mornings and the evenings will be blessed by Maheshwar (Lord Shiva) and their sins of seven lives will be forgiven".
An interesting fact to note is many of the Jyotirlingas were renovated by Ahilya Bai Holkar.