Jyotirlinga Temples

Jyotirlinga Temples

A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India.

It is believed that Shiva first manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga on the night of the Aridra Nakshatra, thus the special reverence for the Jyotirlinga.

The Puranas relate that, while Brahma and Vishnu were quarrelling, Shiva displayed his Jyotirlinga. That Shaft of Light was pure Rajas, comprising the entire spectrum of creative radiation, and arose directly from the dark Flood of the Void. As Hamsa, Brahma flew upwards; and as Varaha, Vishnu plumbed the depths; but neither could fathom the extent of Shiva’s mighty Linga.

Maheshvara declares that He will always be present within the bounds marked by His Jyotirlinga. The multifarious jewels of this legendary ‘Lost Ark’ are yet found in India, where they shine resplendent as the Twelve Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva.

There is nothing to distinguish the appearance, but it is believed that a person can see these lingas as columns of fire piercing through the earth after he reaches a higher level of spiritual attainment.

There are Twelve (12) temples called Jyotirlingas dedicated to Lord Eshwara in the form of Shiva Lingas. These temples are situated across India and are considered very sacred by Hindus. There is a belief that, all these twelve Jyothirlingas are to be visited in the month of November-December (Kartika Masam). Below are brief details of each Jyotirlinga.

§  
      Somnath: Somnath is located at Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra in Gujarat.

§  Rameshwaram: This vast temple in the island of Rameswaram, in Southern Tamilnadu enshrines Ramalingeswarar.

§  Srisailam: Srisailam new Kurnool enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple rich in architectural and sculptural wealth.

§  Ghrishneshwar: Jyotirlinga shrine, in Aurangabad Maharashtra, is located near the rock-cut temples of Ellora.

§  Ujjain: The ancient and historic city of Ujjain or Avanti in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Jyotirlinga shrine of Mahakaleshwar

§  Varanasi: Varanasi - The most celebrated pilgrimage site in India. The Vishwanath temple in Banaras in Uttar Pradesh is the goal of the thousands of pilgrims that visit this ancient city.

§  Dwarka: Dwarka, in Gujrat, is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.

§  Bhimsankar: Bhimsankar is located in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra, accessed from Pune.

§  Trimbakeshwar: The origin of the river Godavari is intimately linked with this Jyotirlinga shrine near Nasik in Maharashtra.

§  Omkareshwar: Omkareshwar, an island in the course of the river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, is home to the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga shrine and the Amareshwar temple.

§  Vaidyanath: Vaidyanath is located in the Santal Parganas area of Bihar.

§  Kedarnath: Kedarnath nestled in the snow clad Himalayas. It is accessible only on foot, six months in a year.

Dwadasa Jyotirlinga Stotra by Adi Shankaracharya: 

(One who daily recites the names of these Twelve Jyotirlingas in the morning and evening, his sins of seven births becomes absolved by simply remembering them.) 

"सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् । 
उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोकांरममलेश्वरम् । 
परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशंकरम् । 
सेतुबंधे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारूकावने । 
वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्रयंम्बकं गौतमीतटे । 
हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये । 
ऐतानि ज्योतिर्लिंगानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः । 
सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति ।" 

'Saurashtre Somanaatham Cha Sree Saile Mallikarjunam 
Ujjayinyaam Mahaakaalam Omkaare Mamaleswaram 
Himalaye to Kedaram Daakinyaam Bhimashankaram 
Vaaranaasyaam cha Viswesam Trayambakam Gowtameethate 
Paralyaam Vaidyanaatham cha Naagesam Daarukaavane 
Setubandhe Ramesham Grushnesam cha Shivaalaye ||'

S. NO	Jyotirlinga	Location
1	Jay Somnath Swami	Prabhas Patan, Saurashtra, Gujarat
2	Nageshvara Swami	Dwaraka, Gujarat
3	Mallikarjuna Swami	Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
4	Mahakaleshwar Swami	Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
5	Omkareshwar Swami	Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh
6	Kashi Vishwanath Swami	Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
7	Kedarnath / Pashupatinath Swami	Kedarnath, Uttarakhand
8	Bhimashankar Swami	Bhimashankar, Maharashtra
9	Grishneshwar Swami	Aurangabad, Maharashtra
10	Trimbakeshwar Swami	Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra
11	Baidyanath Swami	Deoghar, Jharkhand
12	Rameshwar Swami	Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu

More details about Jyotirlinga Temples

1) Somnath, destroyed and re-built six times, is held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, tradition, and history. It is located at Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra in Gujarat.

2) Mallikarjuna, also called Srisaila, is the name of the pillar located on a mountain on the river Krishna. Srisailam, near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda Lahiri here.

3) Mahakal, Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbha Graha (where the Shiv Lingam sits).

4) Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada River is home to a Jyotirlinga shrine and the Mamaleshwar temple.

5) Kedarnath in Uttarakhand is the northernmost of the Jyotirlingas.

Kedarnath, nestled in the snow-clad Himalayas, is an ancient shrine, rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only by foot, and only for six months a year.

6) Bhimashankar is very much debated. There is a Bhimashankara temple near Maharastra in, which was referred to as Daakini country in ancient days this shrine is also known as Shree Moteshwar Mahadev. Another Bhimashankar is in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra. Bhimshankar temple near Guwahati, Assam is the jyotirlinga according to Sivapuran.

7) Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is home to the Vishwanath Jyotirling temple, which is perhaps the most sacred of Hindu Temples.

8) Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik in Maharashtra, has a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari River.

9) Vaidyanath jyotirlinga temple in Deoghar, also called Baidyanth Temple. It is in the Santal Parganas region of Jharkhand in the south west of Keeul Station. Vaijnath temple at Parli, Maharashtra is also claimed as jyotirlinga of vaidyanath. Baijnath Shivdham in Kangara Himachal Pradesh also claimed as Jyotirlinga of Vaidyanath also associated with Ravana.

10) Nageswar jyotirlinga temple in 'Daruka Van' is Audha Nagnath, Parbhani Dist, Maharashtra. The word 'Daruka' is often mis pronounced as Dwaraka and many wrongly identify the location at Dwarka in Gujarat. Jageshwar is a place in Almora, Uttarakhand, where there is a temple called Jageshwar also claims to be nageswar Jyotirlinga.

11) Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It enshrines the Rameśvara ("Lord of Rama") pillar.

12) Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga shrine, in Aurangabad Maharashtra, is located near the rock-cut temples of Ellora. This shrine is also known as Ghushmeshwar.

jyotirlinga temples darshan timings

Ø  Somnath Temple Darshan Timing:

Darshan Timing Somnath Temple: 6.00am to 9.00pm
Timing for Aarti: 7.00 am, 12.00 Noon and 7.00 pm
"Jay Somnath" Sound and Light Show: 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Ø  Dwaraka Nageshwar Temple Darshan Timing:

The temple is open for darshan from 7:00 am to 12:30 pm in the morning and from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm in the evening.

The best time to visit Nageshwar Jyothirlinga Temple is in the winter months between October to March when the weather is pleasant and temperatures range from 20 to 28 degree centigrade.

Ø  Srisailam Mallikarjuna Temple Darshan Timing:

4.30AM	5.00AM	Mangalavaidyams
5.00AM	5.15AM	Suprabhata seva and Viswa rupa Darshan
5.15AM	6.30AM	Pratahkalapuja, Gopuja and Maha Mangala Harathi
		At Sri Mallikarjunaswamivari temple 6.00A.M, At Sri Bhramarambha devi temle 6.15A.M
6.30AM	1.00PM	Darshanam, Abhishekam and Archanas by the devotees.
		People can touch the siva linga in this time.
1.00PM	3.30PM	Alankara Darshanam ie; Doora darshan
		You can not enter into garbha griha in this time.
3.30P.M	6.00P.M	People are not allowed to enter in to the temple
4.30PM	4.50PM	Mangalavaidyams
4.50PM	5.20PM	Pradoshakalapuja
5.20PM	6.00PM	Susandhyam and Maha Mangala Harathi.
		Mallikarjuna Swamy will do dance [Siva Tandavam] in this time
5.50PM	6.20PM	Rajopachara puja (Parakulu) to Bhramaramba Devi
6.20PM	9.00PM	Darshanam, Abhishekam and Archanas
		You may get the chance to touch siva linga in this time.
	7.00P.M	Naivedya samayam.
9.00PM	10.00PM	Dharma Darshanam ie; Doora darshan
		You cannot enter into garbha griha in this time.
9.30PM	10.00PM	Ekantha Seva
	10.00PM	temple will be closed

Ø  ujjain mahakaleshwar temple darshan timing:

	From month Chaitra to Ashwin	From month Kartik to Falgun
Bhasmarti early morning 4 am.	Shree Biji's Jagar upto Bhasmarti Poornima before sunrise	Shree Biji's Jagar upto Bhasmarti Poornima before sunrise
Morning Pooja	7.00 am. to 7.30 am.	7.30 am. to 8.00 am.
Mid-dayPooja	10.00 am. to 10.30 am.	10.30 am. to 11.00 am.
Evening Pooja	5.00 pm. to 5.30 pm.	5.30 pm. to 6.00 pm.
Aarti Shree Mahakal	7.00 pm. to 7.30 pm.	7.30 pm. to 8.00 pm.
Closing Time	11:00 PM	11:00 PM

Ø  Sri Omkareshwar temple darshan timing:

05 .00AM to 05.30 AM	Mangal Arti
05.30 AM to 12.25 PM	Jalabhishek
12.25 PM to 01.15 PM	Madhyanha Bhog
01.15 PM to 03.50 PM	Jalabhishek
03.50 PM to 04.15 PM	Vyavastha (Darshan Closed)
04.15 PM to 08.20 PM	Shringar Darshan
08.20 PM to 09.05 PM	Shayan Arti
09.05 PM to 09.35 PM	Shayan Darshan
09.35 PM to 05.00 AM	Pat band Vishram

Ø  kashi vishwanath temple darshan timings:

·         The Temple opens daily at 2:30 A.M. In Mangala Aarti 3 to 4 A.M. ticket holders are permitted to join.

·         From 4 to 11 AM general Darshan is allowed. 11.30 to 12 AM mid-day Bhog Aarti is done. Again 12 Noon to 7 PM devotees are free to have Darshan.

·         From 7 to 8.30 PM evening Sapta Rishi Aarti is done after which darshan is again possible up till 9.00 PM, when Sringar/Bhog Aarti starts.

·         After 9.00 PM Darshan from outside only is possible.

·         Shayan Aarti starts at 10.30 PM. The Temple closes at 11 PM.

Ø  kedarnath temple darshan timings:

Kedarnath Temple is open for devotees from 6 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 8 pm. Shingar Darshan is from 5 pm onwards and Aarti is performed at 6:45 pm.

Sharavani Annakoot Mela is celebrated on the day before Raksha Bandhan during August. Special Samadhi puja is help on the closing day of Kedarnath. 

Temple is closed from 3pm to 5pm

Before 3pm visitors can touch idle and do Abishekam with Ghee.

After 5p, no one can touch idle but can get Darshan with a distance

Ø  Bhimashankar temple darshan timings:

·         Morning - 4:30 am

·         Aarti - 5:05 am

·         Normal Darshans - 5:15 am to 11:30 am.

·         No Abhishek held from 11:30 am to 11:50 am.

·         Maha Puja - 12 pm.

·         Maha Niveogam - 12:30 pm.

·         Abhishek and Normal Puja - 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm.

·         Shringar Puja - 2:45 pm to 3:15 pm.

·         Aarti - 3:15 pm to 3:30 pm

·         Shringar Darshan - 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm

·         Evening Aarti - 7:30 pm to 8 pm.

·         Darshans - 8:00 to 9:30 pm

·         Temple closes at 9:30 pm.

Ø  Grishneshwar temple darshan timings

Grishneshwar Temple timing is - 5.30 am - 9.30 pm

During Shravan (Aug-Sep): 3 am - 11 pm

Ø  Trimbakeshwar Temple darshan Timing

Timing of Trimbakeshwar temple is from 5.30 am to 9 pm.

Ø  Baidyanath temple darshan timings

On a normal day, the worshipping of Baidyanath Jyotirlingam begins at 4 AM The temple doors open at this time. The Head priest worships with Shodashopachar. Then the devotees begin their worship of the lingam.

The most interesting tradition is that priests of the temple pour kuchcha Jal upon the lingam first, later on other pilgrims pour water and offer flowers and Vilva leaf upon the lingam. The Puja rituals continue till 3.30 PM After this the temple doors are closed.

In the evening at 6 PM the doors are opened again for devotees/ pilgrims and the process of worshipping begins. At this time Shringar Puja takes place.

Scent is spread over the lingam. Again a stream of water is poured over the lingam. Sandal paste of Malayagiri is also pasted on the head of the lingam. There is an interesting tradition that a snake like throne of flowers (Jata Mukut) is also placed on the lingam which comes regularly from the Deoghar Jail since the British time.

Normally, at 9 PM the temple doors are closed. During various religious occasions, the darshan timings are extende.

Ø  Rameshwar temple darshan timings

·         The temple will be kept open for the devotees from 5 A.M to 9 P.M(except between 1 P.M and 3 P.M). The poojas are performed six times a day in this temple.

Details of Pooja Timings

1. Palliyarai Deepa Arathana 05:00 A.M

2. Spadigalinga Deepa Arathana 05:10 A.M

3. Thiruvananthal Deepa Arathana 05:45 A.M

4. Vila Pooja 07:00 A.M

5. Kalasanthi Pooja 10:00A.M

6. Uchikala Pooja 12:00 NOON

7. Sayaratcha Pooja 06:00 P.M

8. Arthajama Pooja 08.30 P.M

9. Palliyarai Pooja 08:45 P.M