Jyotir-lingam

Jyotir-lingam

This is the name of the specially revered Shiva-lingams, according to legend, self-arising from the Divine Light ("jyoti" – light). There are 12 traditional jyotirlingams in India. In the form of Jyotirlingams (or "Lingams of light"), Shiva himself is revered.

Location

The names and locations of the 12 jyotirlingams are mentioned in "Shiva Purana". These sanctities are as follows:

• Somnath – Gujarat state
• Mallikarjuna (another name is Shrishaila) – Andhra-Pradesh state
• Mahakaleshvar – Madhya-Pradesh state
• Omkareshvar ("Lord-creator of Om") – Madhya-Pradesh state
• Kedarnath – Uttarakhand state, the northernmost of the jyotirlingams
• Bhimashankar – Maharashtra State
• Kashi Vishvanath – Uttar Pradesh state, Varanasi city
• Tryambakeshvar – Maharashtra state
• Vaidyanath ("Lord of physicians") – Jharkhand State
• Nageshvara – Gujarat state
• Ramalingeshvara is the state of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost of the 12 jyotirlingams
• Grishneshvar – Maharashtra state