Gujarat
Somnath
Standing on the Arabian Sea shore at Prabhas Patan, Somnath is honoured as the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिङ्ग
Sacred Places & Pilgrimage
Where the light of Shiva is honoured
The twelve Jyotirlingas, Mount Kailash, the great Shiva temples and the sacred rivers — their significance, traditional stories and practical travel information.
12 Jyotirlingas
According to the Shiva Purana, Shiva appeared as an infinite pillar of light (jyoti) to settle a dispute between Brahma and Vishnu. The twelve Jyotirlingas are revered as the places where this light is especially present. The Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram names them in the order below.
Andhra Pradesh
Mallikarjuna, Srisailam
High in the forested Nallamala Hills above the Krishna river, Srisailam is both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha.
Madhya Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar, Ujjain
In the ancient city of Ujjain, Shiva is worshipped as Mahakala — Lord of Time and of death itself.
Madhya Pradesh
Omkareshwar
On Mandhata island in the Narmada — an island said to be shaped like the sacred syllable ॐ — Omkareshwar is one of the most beautiful settings of any Jyotirlinga.
Jharkhand
Baidyanath, Deoghar
Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar is worshipped as Vaidyanatha — Shiva as the divine physician.
Maharashtra
Bhimashankar
Hidden in the misty forests of the Sahyadri range, Bhimashankar sits at the source of the Bhima river.
Tamil Nadu
Ramanathaswamy, Rameswaram
On Pamban island between the Indian mainland and Sri Lanka, the Ramanathaswamy temple is the southernmost Jyotirlinga and one of the Char Dham.
Gujarat
Nageshwar
Near the coast of Saurashtra, close to Dwarka, Nageshwar is worshipped as the Jyotirlinga that protects from all poisons.
Uttar Pradesh
Kashi Vishwanath, Varanasi
In Kashi — among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world — Shiva is Vishwanatha, Lord of the Universe.
Maharashtra
Trimbakeshwar
At the foot of the Brahmagiri hills, near the source of the Godavari, Trimbakeshwar holds a unique three-faced linga.
Uttarakhand
Kedarnath
At about 3,580 metres near the source of the Mandakini, Kedarnath is the highest of the Jyotirlingas and part of Uttarakhand's Char Dham.
Maharashtra
Grishneshwar
Barely two kilometres from the Ellora Caves, Grishneshwar is the twelfth and among the smallest of the Jyotirlingas.
Great Shiva Temples
Beyond the Jyotirlingas, thousands of temples honour Shiva. A few are among the greatest monuments of Indian architecture.
Nepal
Pashupatinath, Kathmandu
On the banks of the Bagmati, Pashupatinath is the most sacred Shiva temple in Nepal.
Tamil Nadu
Brihadeeswarar, Thanjavur
Built by the Chola emperor Rajaraja I and completed around 1010 CE, the "Big Temple" is one of the great achievements of Indian architecture.
Tamil Nadu
Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Chidambaram is the great temple of Shiva as Nataraja, performer of the cosmic dance.
Sacred Mountains & Caves
Shiva is the lord of the mountains — Girisha. His abode is Kailash, and high Himalayan caves and peaks are among the most demanding and moving pilgrimages.
Tibet (China)
Mount Kailash & Manasarovar
Kailash — the snow-crowned peak of about 6,638 metres — is revered in Hinduism as the abode of Shiva and Parvati.
Jammu & Kashmir
Amarnath Cave
In a cave at about 3,880 metres, a naturally formed ice stalagmite is worshipped as a Shiva linga each summer.
Sacred Rivers
Rivers are worshipped as goddesses, and several are intimately linked with Shiva in story and ritual.
Uttarakhand to West Bengal
The Ganga
The holiest river of India, the Ganga is worshipped as a goddess who descended to earth through Shiva's matted hair.
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat
The Narmada
Flowing westward across central India, the Narmada is said in tradition to have arisen from Shiva himself.
Shiva and the five elements
The Pancha Bhoota Sthalams
In South India, five great temples honour Shiva as each of the five elements — the same Panchabhuta that underlie Vastu Shastra.
Earth (Prithvi)EkambareswararKanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
Water (Jala)JambukeswararThiruvanaikaval, Tamil Nadu
Fire (Agni)ArunachaleswararTiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu
Air (Vayu)SrikalahasteeswaraSrikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh
Space (Akasha)Thillai NatarajaChidambaram, Tamil Nadu
Travel details, timings and rules change. Please confirm with the official temple trust, shrine board or state tourism website before you travel. Photographs on this site are added progressively; artistic illustrations appear until licensed photographs are available.