India's 12 famous Jyotirlingas - the towers of light of Lord Shiva

New Delhi : The fifth month in the Hindu calendar is Shravan which starts from late July and ends by the third week of August. It is considered as the holiest and auspicious month for worshiping Lord Shiva who is the powerful diety of Hindu Trinity. Many devotees fast and perform pujas during the month, specially on Monday which is also known as Shravan Somvaar Vrat. Lord Shiva is the supreme god and is known as one of the three most influential denominations in Hinduism. He is the destroyer of the world, following Brahma the creator and Vishnu the Preserver. He is mostly worshipped in the form of Lingam ( pillar of light). There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India. Here is a list of 12 famous jyotirlingas: 1. Somnath Temple (Gujarat) Located in Saurashtra, Somnath (The Protector of the Moon God) is considered to be the first of the 12 Jyotirlingas. It is the holiest of all the Jyotirlingas and is considered as the prime abode of Lord Shiva. The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal", having been destroyed many times by various kings and rulers. 2. Mallikārjuna Temple (Andhra Pradesh) Also known as Srisaila, Mallikarjuna is one of the 12 Jyothirlingas of Lord Shiva situated on a mountain on the river Krishna in Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh. It is the most ancient temple and is architecturally rich. Here both Shakti peeta and Jyotirlingam are together that makes it more auspicious. 3. Mahakaleshwar Temple (Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh)Mahakal in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. It is one of the most famous Hindu temples and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingams, which is observed as sacred sittings of Shiva among all the other. Located in the ancient city of Ujjain the temple is situated on the side of the Rudra Sagar lake. Here Lord Shiva in the lingam form is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so which is derived from the currents of power (Shakti). It is one place where Shakti peeta and Jyotirlingam are together 4. Omkareshwar Temple (Madhya Pradesh) Situated on an island (the shape of the island is said to be like the Hindu ॐ symbol) called Mandhata or Shivapuri on the banks of river Narmada, Omkareshwar is Jyotirtlanga of Lord Shiva. Here there are two temples, Omkareshwar (whose name means Lord of Omkaara) and other one known as Amareshwar (whose name means "Immortal lord). 5. Kedarnath Temple (Uttarakhand)Among the other twelve JyotirLingas of Lord Shiva the one at Kedarnath is located in the snow-covered area of the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river. Due to extreme weather conditions Kedarnath can be visited only during six months in a year as the (between the end of April (Akshay trutya) to Kartik Purnima (the autumn full moon, usually November). It is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva and is, rich in legend and tradition. During the winters, the deities from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months. Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the 'Lord of Kedar Khand', the historical name of the region.It is accessible only by foot. 6. Bhimashankar Temple (Maharashtra) It is a Jyotirlinga shrine located 50 km northwest of Khed, near Pune. Bhimashankar is also the source of the river Bhima, which flows southeast and merges with the Krishna river near Raichur. 7. Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) Kashi Vishwanath Temple (one of the twelve Jyotirlingas) is the most famous and most sacred Hindu temples located in Varanasi on the western bank of the holy river Ganges, and the holiest of Lord Shiva temples. Once in a life a Hindu (devotee) is expexted to do pilgrimage as it is the holiest existing place of Hindus. The main deity is known by the name Vishwanatha or Vishweshwara meaning Ruler of the universe The oldest living city in the world it is also called Kashi and hence the temple is popularly called Kashi Vishwanath Temple. 8. Trimbakeshwar Temple ( Nashik, Maharashtra) Associated with the origin of the Godavari river, Trimbakeshwar Temple is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Trimbak, in the Nashik District of Maharashtra. River Godavari which is known as sacred within Hinduism and is considered as sacred bathing place. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. 9. Baidyanath Jyotirlinga Temple (Deoghar, Jharkhand) Also known as Baba dham and Baidyanath dham, Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple is located in Deoghar Dist in Jharkhand is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas It is also observed as the most holiest abodes of Lord Shiva. Millions of devotee visit the temple for Bholenath darshan during month of Shravan. It is a beautiful temple complex consisting of the main temple of Baba Baidyanath, where the Jyotirlinga is installed, and 21 other temples. 10. Nageshvara Temple Jyotirlinga Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana It is believed as the first Jyotirlinga on the earth. It is believed that majorly there are three shrines identical to this Jyotirlinga: a. The Jageshwar temple near Almora in Uttarakhand b. The Nageshwara temple near Dwaraka in Gujarat c. The Nagnath temple in Aundha in Maharashtra 11. Rameshwar Temple (Tamil Nadu) Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is home to the Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple (Ramanathaswamy Temple) and is located at southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines. In this temple Bhagwan Shankar is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam meaning pillar of light. The three of the most revered Nayanars (Saivite Saints), Appar, Sundarar and Tirugnana Sambandar have glorified the temple with their songs. It is considered a holy pilgrimage site for Shaivites, Vaishnavites and Smarthas.12. Grishneshwar Temple (Maharashtra ) Observed as the Last or 12th Jyotirlinga on the earth, Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana. This holy site located at a village called Verul which lies at a distance of 11 km from Daulatabad and 30 km from Aurangabad. It lies at a close proximity to the Ellora caves.