The 12 Jyothirlingams

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Saurashtre Somanaatham Cha Sree Saile MallikarjunamUjjayinyaam Mahaakaalam Omkaare MamaleswaramHimalaye to Kedaram Daakinyaam BhimashankaramVaaranaasyaam cha Viswesam Trayambakam GowtameethateParalyaam Vaidyanaatham cha Naagesam DaarukaavaneSetubandhe Ramesham Grushnesam cha Shivaalaye ||This is the famous Sloka given in the Shiva Purana describing the 12jyotirlingas of Shiva.There are thousands of lingams all over India but some of them have aspecial importance. The most important of these are called jyotirlingas and they are twelve in number. As given in the sloka, their names are Somnatha, Mallikarjuna, Mahakala, Omkara, Kedara, Bhimshankara. Vishvanatha, Tryambaka, Vaidynatha, Nagesha, Rameswara and Ghushnesha. Most of these are supposed to be self formed or sprouted out of their own will. A few have been installed by human hands. Every Shiva worshipper

dreams of doing a pilgrimage to all these twelve jyotirlingas at least once in his lifetime.The Dwadasa Jyotirlinga shrines or the 12 shrines enshrining Shiva inthe form of a Jyotirlingam, have been held in reverence since timeimmemorial in the Indian system of beliefs. The southernmost of theseis located at Rameswaram, while the northernmost is located in thesnowy heights of the Himalayas at Kedarnath. These temples areclosely linked with legends from the puranas and are rich in historyand tradition.

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