Twelve Jyotirlingas
Also called: Jyotirlinga · Topic: India, That Is Bharat: Names of India and Unity in Diversity · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Twelve Jyotirlingas are twelve famous temples of the god Shiva spread across India. Jyotirlinga means "linga of light". Devotees believe Shiva appeared at each of these places as a column of light, so the linga there is seen as self-formed, not made by people. These temples lie in many different regions, so pilgrims who visit all twelve travel across the country. That journey ties many regions into one sacred map.
Example
Somnath on the coast of Gujarat is counted first among the Jyotirlingas. Mahmud of Ghazni raided it in 1025 CE, and it was rebuilt many times. The other eleven include Kedarnath in the Himalaya, Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi, Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. Together they stretch from the far north to the far south.
Don't confuse with
- Char Dham: These are four pilgrimage sites at the four corners of India: Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. They are not all Shiva shrines.
- Shakti Peethas: These shrines are linked to the goddess (Shakti), not to Shiva's linga of light.