The Twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva
The Jyotirlingas are the most sacred shrines of Shiva, where he is worshipped as a radiant pillar of light. Kedarnath is among the most revered — and the highest — of them.
Somnath
Prabhas Patan, Veraval, Gujarat
The first Jyotirlinga, eternal by the sea; destroyed and rebuilt many times through history.
Best: Oct–MarMallikarjuna (Srisailam)
Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
On the Nallamala hills by the Krishna river; also a Shakti Peetha.
Best: Oct–MarMahakaleshwar
Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
The lord of time, south-facing; famous for the pre-dawn Bhasma Aarti.
Best: Oct–MarOmkareshwar
Mandhata island, Narmada, Madhya Pradesh
On an Om-shaped island in the Narmada.
Best: Oct–MarKedarnath
Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
The Himalayan Jyotirlinga; the hump of Shiva’s bull form; highest of the twelve.
Best: May–Oct Kedarnath Jyotirlinga →Bhimashankar
Sahyadri hills, Maharashtra
Source of the Bhima river, in deep forest.
Best: Oct–FebKashi Vishwanath
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
The lord of the eternal city, on the Ganga.
Best: Oct–MarTrimbakeshwar
Trimbak, Nashik, Maharashtra
Source of the Godavari; unique three-faced lingam.
Best: Oct–MarVaidyanath (Baidyanath)
Deoghar, Jharkhand
The healer lord; centre of the Sawan Kanwar yatra.
Best: Year-roundNageshwar
Near Dwarka, Gujarat
The lord of serpents; also associated with sites in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand by different traditions.
Best: Oct–MarRameshwaram
Rameswaram island, Tamil Nadu
Established by Shri Ram before the Lanka crossing; the southernmost Jyotirlinga.
Best: Oct–AprGrishneshwar
Near Ellora, Maharashtra
Close to the Ellora caves; the twelfth Jyotirlinga.
Best: Oct–MarThe list of twelve Jyotirlingas follows the traditional shloka from the Shiva Purana. Locations of a few Jyotirlingas (such as Nageshwar and Vaidyanath) are associated with more than one site by different traditions.