The 12 Jyotirlingas: Full List, Locations and What Makes Them Different
A plain list of all 12 Jyotirlingas with their locations and states, what a Jyotirlinga actually is, the verse that fixes the order, and practical notes on visiting them without wasting time or money.
A plain list of all 12 Jyotirlingas with their locations and states, what a Jyotirlinga actually is, the verse that fixes the order, and practical notes on visiting them without wasting time or money.
The 12 Jyotirlingas, with locations
There are twelve Jyotirlingas, spread across seven Indian states. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh hold most of them; Maharashtra alone has five. The rest are in Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
The order below follows the Dwadasa Jyotirlinga Stotram, the Sanskrit verse traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. Nearly every list you will see uses this sequence, so it is worth learning in this order rather than by geography.
One caution on Nageshwar and Vaidyanath. Both have rival claimants. For Nageshwar, the Dwarka temple in Gujarat is the most widely accepted, though Audhagram in Bengal and Jageshwar in Uttarakhand are also argued. For Vaidyanath, Deoghar in Jharkhand draws the largest crowds, while Parli in Maharashtra has a strong claim of its own. No single authority settles either dispute, and pilgrims often visit both.
| # | Jyotirlinga | Place | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somnath | Prabhas Patan, Veraval | Gujarat |
| 2 | Mallikarjuna | Srisailam | Andhra Pradesh |
| 3 | Mahakaleshwar | Ujjain | Madhya Pradesh |
| 4 | Omkareshwar | Mandhata island, Khandwa | Madhya Pradesh |
| 5 | Kedarnath | Kedarnath, Rudraprayag | Uttarakhand |
| 6 | Bhimashankar | Bhorgiri, Pune district | Maharashtra |
| 7 | Kashi Vishwanath | Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh |
| 8 | Trimbakeshwar | Trimbak, Nashik | Maharashtra |
| 9 | Vaidyanath | Deoghar (also claimed: Parli, Maharashtra) | Jharkhand |
| 10 | Nageshwar | Near Dwarka (also claimed: Jageshwar, Audhagram) | Gujarat |
| 11 | Rameshwaram | Rameswaram island | Tamil Nadu |
| 12 | Grishneshwar | Verul, near Ellora, Aurangabad | Maharashtra |
What a Jyotirlinga actually is
Jyoti means light. Linga is the aniconic form in which Shiva is worshipped. A Jyotirlinga is understood as a place where Shiva manifested as a column of light rather than as an image someone carved and installed.
The story comes mainly from the Shiva Purana. Brahma and Vishnu argued over who was supreme. A pillar of fire appeared with no visible top or bottom. Brahma flew up to find its end, Vishnu dug down. Vishnu returned and admitted he could not find it. Brahma claimed he had reached the top and lied about it. Shiva then emerged from the pillar and cursed Brahma to have no temples of his own, which is the traditional explanation for why Brahma is barely worshipped in India.
The practical point for a visitor is this. Every Shiva temple has a linga. A Jyotirlinga is svayambhu, self-manifested, not consecrated by human hands according to tradition. That is the whole distinction, and it is what makes these twelve sites the top tier of Shaiva pilgrimage.
The verse that fixes the order
If you want to remember the list without a table, learn the stotram. Two lines cover all twelve: Saurashtre Somanatham cha Srisaile Mallikarjunam, Ujjayinyam Mahakalam Omkaram Amaleshwaram; Paralyam Vaidyanatham cha Dakinyam Bhimashankaram, Setubandhe tu Ramesham Nagesham Darukavane; Varanasyam tu Vishwesham Trayambakam Gautamitate, Himalaye tu Kedaram Ghushmesham cha Shivalaye.
Notice that the stotram itself says Paralyam for Vaidyanath, which is why the Parli claim in Maharashtra is not easy to dismiss. It also places Nageshwar in Darukavana, a forest, which the Dwarka site identifies with its own surroundings.
People recite these lines daily, especially on Mondays and during Shravan. You do not need to understand the Sanskrit to use it as a memory aid, though knowing that Gautami tate means the bank of the Godavari tells you exactly where Trimbakeshwar sits.
Planning the yatra realistically
Nobody does all twelve in one trip unless they have three weeks and real stamina. The sensible approach is to break the circuit into clusters and treat each as a separate journey.
The Maharashtra cluster is the easiest win. Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar can be done in four to five days from Pune or Mumbai. Add Aurangabad and you get the Ellora caves on the same trip. The Madhya Pradesh pair, Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar, sits about 140 kilometres apart and fits into two days from Indore.
Kedarnath is the outlier. The temple opens around Akshaya Tritiya in late April or May and closes near Diwali. Between those dates you still face a 16 kilometre trek from Gaurikund, or a helicopter from Phata if you book early. Do not plan Kedarnath as an add-on to anything.
Somnath and Nageshwar pair naturally with Dwarka in Gujarat. Mallikarjuna at Srisailam and Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu are the awkward ones for north Indian travellers; most people fold them into a separate south India trip rather than flying in for a single darshan.
One practical note about timing. Shravan, roughly July to August, is the peak Shiva month. Devotion is at its highest and so are the queues. At Mahakaleshwar during Shravan the Bhasma Aarti waiting list runs long enough that you should book online weeks ahead. If darshan matters more to you than atmosphere, go in a cool, ordinary month like November or February. You will get more time in front of the linga and pay less for a bed.
- Maharashtra cluster: Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar, Grishneshwar — 4 to 5 days
- Madhya Pradesh pair: Mahakaleshwar, Omkareshwar — 2 days from Indore
- Gujarat pair: Somnath, Nageshwar, with Dwarka — 3 days
- Kedarnath: standalone, April to November only
- South: Mallikarjuna and Rameshwaram, separate trip
FAQs
Which state has the most Jyotirlingas?
Maharashtra, with five: Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar, Grishneshwar, and Parli Vaidyanath if you accept that claim. Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have two each.
Is Kashi Vishwanath one of the 12 Jyotirlingas?
Yes. Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi is the seventh in the traditional order, referred to as Vishwesha in the stotram. It is also one of the busiest, so plan for early morning or late night darshan.
Can you visit all 12 Jyotirlingas in one trip?
It is possible but takes around 18 to 25 days of near-continuous travel, and only between May and October when Kedarnath is open. Most pilgrims cover them across three or four separate trips over several years.
Why are there two Vaidyanath and Nageshwar temples?
The stotram gives place names rather than precise coordinates, so more than one temple can plausibly match. Deoghar in Jharkhand and Parli in Maharashtra both claim Vaidyanath, while Dwarka, Jageshwar and Audhagram all claim Nageshwar. No central authority has ever ruled on it.
What is the difference between a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha?
Jyotirlingas mark places where Shiva appeared as a pillar of light, and there are twelve. Shakti Peethas mark where parts of Sati's body are said to have fallen, and depending on the text there are 51, 52 or 108 of them.
Which Jyotirlinga is hardest to reach?
Kedarnath. It sits at 3,583 metres and requires a 16 kilometre trek from Gaurikund unless you take a helicopter, and the temple stays shut for roughly six months of winter.