Jyothirling Yatra
The jyothirlingas are the temples where lord Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. Originally there were believed to be 64 jyothirlingas but tweleve of them are considered to be very auspicious.Each of the twelve jyothirlinga sites take the name of the presiding deity, each considered a different manifestation of Shiva.
Somnath
State: Gujarath
District: Gir Somnath
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Gujarathi
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Somnath is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat. The temple is dedicated to Someshwara, the Lord Shiva, with moon on his head.
Srisailam
State: Andhra Pradesh
District: Kurnool
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Telugu
Best Season: Jan to Dec
Srisailam located in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh has Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna temple dedicated to Shiva and Parvati. It is one of the most prominent temples which is among one of the twelve Jyothirlingas of Lord Shiva and one of the eighteen Shakti Peethas of goddess Parvati.
Mahakaleshwar
State: Madhya Pradesh
District: Ujjain
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Hindi
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is said to be one of the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva located in the ancient city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. The temple is situated on the side of the Rudra Sagar lake and the lingam is believed to be Swayambhu.
Omkareshwar
State: Madhya Pradesh
District: Khandwa
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Hindi
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Omkareshwar jyothirlingam is situated on an island called Mandhata in the Narmada river; the shape of the island is said to be like the ॐ (OM) symbol.
Kedarnath
State: Uttarakhand
District: Rudraprayag
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Hindi, Garwali
Best Season: May to Jun– Sep toOct
Weather: Summer 7°Cto 17°C,
Winter: -14 to 8°C
Altitude: 3553 m
Kedarnath is one of the most prominent temples among the 12 jyothirlings. It is situated in Garhwal himalayan range on the banks of mandakini river. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open to the general public only between the months of April (Akshaya Tritriya) and November (Kartik Purnima, the autumn full moon).
Bhimashankar
State: Maharashtra
District: Pune
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Marathi, Hindi
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Bhīmāshankar Jyotirlinga is located 50 km northwest of Khed near Pune in the Ghat region of the Sahyadri hills. It is also the source of the river Bhima, which is tributary Krishna river.
Kashi Vishwanath
State: Uttarpradesh
District: Varanasi
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Hindi
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The temple is considered as the holiest of Shiva temples and one among twelve jyothirlingas standing on the western bank of the holy river Ganga. Varanasi city is also called Kashi, and the temple is popularly called Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Tryambakeshwar
State: Maharashtra
District: Nashik
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Marathi, Hindi
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Trimbakeshwar is one among the 12 jyothirlinga located in Trimbak town of the Nashik District in Maharashtra. The holy Godavari originates near Trimbak.
Baidyanath
State: Jharkhand
District: Deoghar
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Hindi
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Baidyanath dham is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas located in Deoghar of the Jharkhand state. It is also one among the prominent Shakti peethas where heart of Sati devi fell. It is said that lord acted as Vaidhya (doctor) to save king Ravana from his sacrifice at this place.
Nageshwar
State: Gujarat
District: Hingoli
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Gujarati, Hindi
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Nageshwar Jyothirlinga is located in Hingoli district of Gujarat. Here Lord Shiva assumed the form of a Jyotirlinga with the name Nageshwar, and the Goddess Parvati devi as Nageshwari. It is believed that one who offers prayers here will be protected from all forms of poisons.
Rameshwaram
State: Tamil Nadu
District: Ramanathapuram
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Tamil
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Ramanathaswamy Temple is located in Rameswaram, Tamilnadu is a prominent pilgrimage center worshipped by Shaivites, Vaishnavites and Smarthas. It is said to have been established and worshiped by Lord Rama to absolve the sins during the Ramayana war at Sri Lanka.
Grishneshwar
State: Maharashtra
District: Aurangabad
Famous for/as: Pilgrim
Languages: Marathi, Hindi
Best Season: Jan – Dec
Grishneshwar is also referred to as Ghrneshwar or Dhushmeshwar is considered as the last or twelfth Jyotirlinga among the tweleve jyothirlingas. This temple is located less than a kilometer from Ellora Caves and about 30 kilometres north-west of the city of Aurangabad.