The Twelve (Dwadasa) Jyothirlingas and their importance
Hinduism plays a significant role in human life from Krutha, Thretha and Dwapara eras continuing in present Kali era. In the entire eras, God wears several incarnations to punish evil and to protect sages and his devotees. The demons get boons from Brahma, the creator and used to show their sadism on sages and devotees of God in all these eras. Vishnu, status god and Shiva the destructor wear several incarnations to punish the evils and protect sages and their devotees from their harassment. The places where Vishnu and Shiva wear incarnations spread all over India are came in to existence as holy places with the respective incarnation names. There are 64 Temples of Shiva and twelve only being called as Dwadasa Jyothirlingas and holy places of Shiva The holy places of Dwadasa Jyothirlingas spread from Kedareswar in north to Rameswaram in South and from Vaidhyanath in the east to Somanath of Gujarat in the West protecting our nation from times immemorial.
The legend is that Bhrama and Vishnu argued about supreme creation. Shiva prepared the three worlds as an endless Jyothirlinga pillar of light. Brahma decides to travel downwards along with the pillar and Vishnu to treavel upwards respectively, to find the end of the light. Brahma lied that he had found the end, while Vishnu agreed his defeat. Shiva appeared as a second pillar of light and find the lie told by Brahma. Shiva got angry on Brahma and cursed Brahma him not to have place in ceremonies and Vishnu would be worshipped in eras. There are 64 Temples of Shiva and twelve only being called as Dwadasa Jyothirlingas and holy places of Shiva. It is believed that all the Dwadasa Jyothirlingams of Lord Shiva are in the shape of a pole in the 1st instance. Lord Shiva appears in the form of Linga in all the Kshetrams except Kedarnath. Darshan of Dwadasha jyothirlingas feasible only on Spiritual culmination of human being. Every jyothirlingam became familiar with different names in the name of local shrine.
We are giving the Dwadasa Linga Strotram defined by Jagadguru Adi Sankaracharya and information of the divine Kshetrams to be visited and the form of Lord Shiva to be worshipped by each zodiac sign.
Link to: Shree Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple | Somnath Jyotirlinga | How to reach Somnath temple
Somnath
Saurāśhṭradeśe viśadeatiramye
Jyotirmayaṃ chandrakaḻāvataṃsam
Bhaktapradānāya kṛpāvatīrṇaṃ
Taṃ somanāthaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye
Mallikarjuna
Srīśaila śṛṅge vividhaprasaṅge
Aeśhādriśṛṅgeapi sadā vasantam
Tamarjunaṃ mallikapūrvamenaṃ
Namāmi saṃsārasamudrasetum
Mahakaleshwar
Avantikāyāṃ vihitāvatāraṃ
Akālamṛtyoḥ parirakśhaṇārthaṃ
Muktipradānāya cha sajjanānām
Vande mahākālamahāsureśam
Omkareshwar & Mamleshwar
Kāverikānarmadayoḥ pavitre
Samāgame sajjanatāraṇāya
Sadaiva māndhātṛpure vasantaṃ
Oṅkāramīśaṃ śivamekamīḍe
Link to: Baba Baidyanath Temple
Baidyanath
Pūrvottare prajvalikānidhāne
Sadā vasaṃ taṃ girijāsametam
Surāsurārādhitapādapadmaṃ
Srīvaidyanāthaṃ tamahaṃ namāmi
Bhimashankar
Yaṃ ḍākiniśākinikāsamāje
Niśhevyamāṇaṃ piśitāśanaiścha
Sadaiva bhīmādipadaprasiddhaṃ
Taṃ śaṅkaraṃ bhaktahitaṃ namāmi
Rameshwaram
Srītāmraparṇījalarāśiyoge nibadhya
Setuṃ viśikhairasaṅkhyaiḥ
Srīrāmachandreṇa samarpitaṃ
Taṃ rāmeśvarākhyaṃ niyataṃ namāmi
Nageshwar
Yāmye sadaṅge nagareatiramye
Vibhūśhitāṅgaṃ vividhaiścha bhogaiḥ
Sadbhaktimuktipradamīśamekaṃ
Srīnāganāthaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye
Link to: Kasi Visweswara Temple Varanasi
Kasi Vishwanath
Sānandamānandavane vasantaṃ
Anandakandaṃ hatapāpabṛndam
Vārāṇasīnāthamanāthanāthaṃ
Srīviśvanāthaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye
Trimbakeshwar
Sahyādriśīrśhe vimale vasantaṃ
Godāvaritīrapavitradeśe
Yaddarśanāt pātakaṃ pāśu nāśaṃ
Prayāti taṃ tryambakamīśamīḍe
Kedarnath
Mahādripārśve cha taṭe ramantaṃ
Sampūjyamānaṃ satataṃ munīndraiḥ
Surāsurairyakśha mahoragāḍhyaiḥ
Kedāramīśaṃ śivamekamīḍe
Grishneshwar
Ilāpure ramyaviśālakeasmin
Samullasantaṃ cha jagadvareṇyam
Vande mahodāratarasvabhāvaṃ
Ghṛśhṇeśvarākhyaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye
