There are many Shiva temples and Shiva Dham in India but 12 Jyotirlingas have the highest importance. According to religious beliefs, Lord Shiva himself is seated in the form of a light in these 12 Jyotirlingas. These holy Jyotirlingas of Shiva are located in different parts of the country. It is believed that the mere sight of 12 Jyotirlingas destroys all sins.
Somnath Jyotirling (Gujarat)
Situated in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Somnath Jyotirlinga is considered to be the first Jyotirlinga on the earth. There is also a holy tank built by the deities here, which is called Somkund or Papanashak-tirtha.
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga (Andhra Pradesh)
Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is situated on the banks of river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh on a mountain named Srisailam.
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling (Madhya Pradesh)
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling is located in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. This is the only south facing Jyotirlinga. The daily Bhasmari that happens here is famous all over the world.
Omkareshwar Jyotirling (Madhya Pradesh)
This holy abode of Shiva is situated in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. The Narmada river flows at the place where this Jyotirlinga is located near the city of Indore and the shape of Om is formed here due to the river flowing around the hill.
Kedarnath Jyotirling (Uttarakhand)
The Jyotirlinga located in Kedarnath is situated on the Kedar peak of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. The temple of Baba Kedarnath is situated on the way to Badrinath. Kedarnath is situated at an altitude of 3584 meters above sea level.
Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga (Maharashtra)
Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is situated on a mountain named Sahyadri in Pune district of Maharashtra.
Baba Vishwanath Jyotirling (Uttar Pradesh)
This Jyotirlinga of Baba Vishwanath is located in the city of Varanasi, which is considered to be the religious capital of Uttar Pradesh.
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga (Maharashtra)
Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga is located in Nashik district of Maharashtra. There is a mountain named Brahmagiri near Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga. The Godavari river starts from this mountain.
Vaidyanath Jyotirling (Jharkhand)
Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga is located in Santhal Parganas of Jharkhand Province, close to Jasidih Railway Station. In the religious Puranas, this holy abode of Shiva has been called Chittabhoomi.
Nageshwar Jyotirling (Gujarat)
Nageshwar Jyotirling is situated close to Gomti Dwarka in Baroda region of Gujarat. In religious puranas, Lord Shiva is described as the god of serpents and Nageshwar means God of serpents. The distance from Dwarka Puri to Nageshwar Jyotirling is 17 miles.
Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga (Tamil Nadu)
This eleventh Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva is located in a place called Ramanatham in Tamil Nadu. Rameshwartirtha itself is also called Setubandhaltirtha. It is believed that this Jyotirlinga was established by Lord Shri Ram himself. Due to being established by Lord Shri Ram, this Jyotirlinga has been given the name of Lord Ram as Rameshwaram.
Ghushmeshwar Jyotirlinga (Maharashtra)
Ghushmeshwar Jyotirlinga is located near Daulatabad near Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra. This is the last Jyotirlinga among the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. This place is also called ‘Shivalaya’.