Jyotirlinga darshan: the 12 Jyotirlingas, and in 360° at home

The 12 Jyotirlingas are the most sacred shrines of Shiva, named in the Shiva Purana. They lie in 8 states, from Kedarnath in the Himalayas to Rameswaram in the far south. If you cannot travel, the free Divya Darshan 360 app has 46 recorded darshan videos from 7 Jyotirlinga temples, 26 of them in 360°.

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What is a Jyotirlinga?

The word joins jyoti, meaning radiance, and linga, meaning sign. A Jyotirlinga is a shrine of Shiva tied to the story of Shiva as an endless pillar of light.

The story is in the Shiva Purana. Brahma and Vishnu argued over which of them was greater. Shiva appeared between them as a pillar of light with no end. Vishnu admitted he could not find its end, but Brahma lied that he had.

Tradition speaks of 64 such shrines, and 12 of them are held most sacred. A short Sanskrit hymn, the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, lists the 12 by place. It ends by saying that remembering these 12 names, morning and evening, removes the sins of seven lives.

The 12 Jyotirlingas and their states

This list follows the order of the stotram. Each name links to our temple guide.

1. Somnath: Prabhas Patan, near Veraval, Gujarat
2. Mallikarjuna: Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
3. Mahakaleshwar: Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
4. Omkareshwar: Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh
5. Vaidyanath: Deoghar, Jharkhand. Parli in Maharashtra also claims it
6. Bhimashankar: Pune district, Maharashtra
7. Rameshwar (Ramanathaswamy): Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
8. Nageshwar: Dwarka, Gujarat. Aundha in Maharashtra also claims it
9. Kashi Vishwanath: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
10. Trimbakeshwar: near Nashik, Maharashtra
11. Kedarnath: Uttarakhand
12. Grishneshwar: near Ellora, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra

Nageshwar and Vaidyanath: one name, more than one place

Nageshwar. The stotram places Nagesh “in Darukavana”, the Daruka forest. Most lists put this Jyotirlinga at Dwarka in Gujarat. In Maharashtra, Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli district is revered as the Jyotirlinga of Darukavana. Jageshwar in Uttarakhand is a third claimant. Where the Darukavana forest really was is still debated.

Vaidyanath. Most lists place Vaidyanath at Deoghar in Jharkhand. But the stotram line “Paralyam Vaidyanatham” names Parli, and Parli Vaijnath in Beed district, Maharashtra, is worshipped as the fifth Jyotirlinga. Baijnath in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, also claims it. The Government of India has not named any one of these as the Jyotirlinga.

We do not take sides. Each temple has its own long tradition.

Is there a set order for Jyotirlinga darshan?

There is no fixed route. The stotram's order is a list of names, not a travel plan. Traditionally the pilgrimage begins at Somnath, which the Shree Somnath Trust calls the first of the twelve. After that, grouping the temples by region saves travel:

• Maharashtra: Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar and Grishneshwar, plus Parli Vaijnath and Aundha Nagnath by local tradition
• Madhya Pradesh: Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar
• Gujarat: Somnath and Nageshwar at Dwarka

Which Jyotirlingas the app has

The Divya Darshan 360 app has 46 recorded videos from 7 Jyotirlinga temples. 26 of them are 360° videos.

• Somnath, Gujarat (5 videos, 2 in 360°). The temple stands on the shore of the Arabian Sea. Titles include Somnath Jyotirlinga Aarti, Aarti at Somnath Temple and Somnath Temple 360 Tour.
• Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh (4 videos, 2 in 360°). The temple is on Mandhata island in the Narmada, said to be shaped like ॐ. Titles include Narmada Aarti, Omkareshwar (360) and Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga 360 Tour.
• Mamleshwar, Omkareshwar (3 videos, 2 in 360°). Also called Amreshwar, it stands on the south bank of the Narmada. The Omkareshwar temple trust notes that devotees visit it along with Omkareshwar. Titles include Mamleshwar Temple Aarti (360) and Mamleshwar Temple 360 Tour.
• Parli Vaijnath, Maharashtra (16 videos, 9 in 360°). Titles include Parli Vaijnath Aarti (360), Divine Abhishek at Parli, Parli Vaijnath Temple Tour and Parli Vaijnath Festivals.
• Bhimashankar, Maharashtra (4 videos, 2 in 360°). The temple is in the Sahyadri hills of Pune district, where the Bhima river begins. Titles include Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga: Morning Aarti and Bhimashankar Aarti in 360.
• Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu (3 videos, 1 in 360°). The Ramanathaswamy temple has the longest corridor of any Hindu temple in India. Titles include Rameswaram Temple Darshan and Ramanathaswamy Temple 360 Darshan.
• Aundha Nagnath, Maharashtra (11 videos, 8 in 360°). The original temple dates to the 13th century, and it is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. Titles include Aundha Nagnath Evening Darshan, The Sacred Bath (Abhishek Ceremony) and 360 Tour of Aundha Nagnath from Above.

The app has no videos of Mallikarjuna, Mahakaleshwar, Kashi Vishwanath, Trimbakeshwar, Kedarnath or Grishneshwar, or of the Deoghar and Dwarka temples. Our temple guides in the list above cover them.

Do the Jyotirlinga darshan from home

Visiting all 12 means travel across 8 states, which is often not possible for older parents. The free Divya Darshan 360 app on Google Play brings the aarti, abhishek and temple tours of these 7 temples home, as recorded videos. It works in English, Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati, and has daily aarti videos and darshan reminders.

For the 360° videos, use a VR box. The video fills your view, and you look around the temple by turning your head. Our VR box costs ₹699 when paid online, or ₹749 cash on delivery, with free delivery in India. It ships in 2 to 3 business days, and delivery takes 3 to 5 business days. There is a 7-day replacement for manufacturing defects.

It holds most smartphones with a 4.7 to 6.5 inch screen. The phone must be Android, because the app runs on Android. You need internet (4G or Wi-Fi) to play the videos. The box is light and padded, with no setup. Put the phone in, open the app, and choose the VR video. See the VR box, or read more about VR darshan at home. For Ganesha temples, see our Ashtavinayak darshan page.

Darshan videos in the app

360°Aarti at Somnath Temple360°Somnath Temple 360 TourSurroundings of Somnath360°Narmada Aarti, Omkareshwar (360)360°Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga 360 TourNarmada Aarti, Omkareshwar360°Mamleshwar Temple Aarti (360)360°Mamleshwar Temple 360 TourMamleshwar Temple, Omkareshwar360°Parli Vaijnath Aarti (360)360°Divine Abhishek at Parli360°Parli Vaijnath: Evening Aarti (360)

Cannot make the journey?A Diwali gift for your parents

Do the darshan from home, as if you are standing thereGive your parents darshan at home this Diwali

Put your phone in the Divya Darshan 360 VR box, open the app and look all around the temple. ₹699 paid online, ₹749 cash on delivery. Free delivery in India.

See the VR boxGet the free app

All Jyotirlinga guides

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga, MaharashtraIn the appBhimashankar, Khed taluka, Pune district, MaharashtraOmkareshwar Jyotirlinga, Madhya PradeshIn the appMandhata island, Omkareshwar, Khandwa district, Madhya PradeshParli Vaijnath Jyotirlinga, MaharashtraIn the appParli Vaijnath, Beed district, MaharashtraRamanathaswamy Temple, RameswaramIn the appRameswaram, Ramanathapuram district, Tamil NaduSomnath Jyotirlinga, GujaratIn the appPrabhas Patan, Gir Somnath district, GujaratGrishneshwar Jyotirlinga, VerulVerul, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) district, MaharashtraKashi Vishwanath Temple, VaranasiVishwanath Gali, Varanasi, Uttar PradeshKedarnath Jyotirlinga, UttarakhandKedarnath, Rudraprayag district, UttarakhandMahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, UjjainUjjain, Madhya PradeshMallikarjuna Jyotirlinga, SrisailamSrisailam, Nandyal district, Andhra PradeshTrimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga, MaharashtraTrimbak, Nashik district, Maharashtra