The names and the locations of the 12 Jyotirlingas are mentioned in the Shiva Purana (atarudra Sahit,Ch.42/2-4).

These shrines are:

Jyotirlinga

Image

State

Location

Description

Somnath

Gujarat

Prabhas Patan,Saurashtra

Somnath is the first amongst the holy shrines and traditionally, the Dwadash Jyotirlinga pilgrimage begins with the Somnath Temple. It is the prime abode of Lord Shiva and is considered to be holiest of all the Jyotirlingas. The temple was destroyed and re-built sixteen times, is held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, tradition, and history. It is located at Prabhas Patan (Somnath Veraval) in Saurashtra in Gujarat.

Mallikrjuna, also called raila, is located on a mountain on the river Krishna. Srisailam, in Kurnool District in Andhra Pradesh enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich.It is one place where Shakti peeta and Jyotirlingam are together. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda [citation needed] Lahiri here.
[8]

Mallikrjuna

Andhra Pradesh

Srisailam

Mahakaleshwar

Madhya Pradesh

Ujjain

Mahakal, Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of theGarbhagriha (where the Shiv Lingam sits).

Omkareshwar

Madhya Pradesh

Island in theNarmada River,Omkareshwar

Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada River is home to a Jyotirlinga shrine and the Mamaleshwar temple.

Kedarnath

Uttarakhand Kedarnath

Kedarnath in Uttarakhand is the northernmost of the Jyotirlingas. Kedarnath, nestled in the snowclad Himalayas, is an ancient shrine, rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only by foot, and only for six months a year.

Bhimashankar is very much debated. There is a Bhimashankara temple near Pune (pictured) in Maharastra, which was referred to as Daakini country, but Kashipur in Uttarakhand was also referred to as Daakini country in ancient days and a Bhimashkar Temple known as Shree Moteshwar Mahadev is present there. Another Bhimashankar is in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra. The [9] Bhimashankar temple near Guwahati, Assam is the jyotirlinga according to Sivapuran. According to "LINGA PURAN", Bhimasankar temple in Bhimpur near Gunupur of Rayagada district in South Orissa is also believed as Bhimasankar Jyotirlinga, which is situated at the western part of the holy Mahendragiri mountains and at the river bank of Mahendratanaya(which is also believed as the Daakini area by many historian), was excavated in the year 1974, having quadrangular Shakti around the Linga and decorated by a Upavita as per the puran. Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is home to the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga shrine, which is perhaps the most sacred of Hindu shrines. Trimbakeshwar Temple, near Nasik in Maharashtra, is a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari river.

Bhimashankar

Maharashtra Bhimashankar

Kashi Vishwanath

Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi

Trimbakeshwar

Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra Near Nashik

Vaidyanath

Jharkhand

Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga, Deoghar Vaijyanath Dham also associated Deogarh,Deoghar district with Ravana.

10

Nageshvara Jyotirlinga

Gujarat

near Dwaraka

11 Rameshwar

Tamil Nadu

Rameswaram

Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It enshrines the Ramevara ("Lord of Rama") pillar.
[10]

12 Grishneshwar

Maharashtra

Near Ellora,Aurangabad district

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga shrine, in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, is located near the rock-cut temples of Ellora. This shrine is also known as Ghushmeshwar.

Badrinath

Badrinath Temple, Badrinath

Badrinath is located in the North Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River. The town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges and in the shadow of Nilkantha peak (6,560m). Badri refers to a berry that was said to grow abundantly in the area, and nath means Lord. The legend goes that Shankara discovered a black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan made of Saligram stone in the Alaknanda river. He originally enshrined it in a cave near the Tapt Kund hot springs. In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the murti to the present temple. [edit]Dwarka

Dwarakadheesh Temple, Dwarka

Dwarka located in the West is in the state of Gujarat, India. The city derives its name from word dvar meaning door or gate in the Sanskrit language. It is located close to where theGomti River merges into the Gulf of Kutch. The city lies in the westernmost part of India. The legendary city of Dwaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. It is believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvaraka has submerged six times and modern day Dwarka is the 7th such city to be built in the area. [edit]Jagannath

Puri

Jagannath Temple, Puri

Puri located in the East is located in the state of Orissa, India. Puri is one of the oldest cities in the eastern part of the country. It is situated on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The main deity is Shri Krishna, celebrated as Lord Jagannatha. It is the only shrine in India, where goddess, Subhadra, sister of Lord Krishna is worshipped along with her brothers, Lord Jagannatha and Lord Balabhadra. The main temple here is about 1000

years old and constructed by Raja ChodaGanga Deva and Raja Tritiya Ananga Bhima Deva. Puri is the site of the Govardhana Matha, one of the four cardinal institutions or Mathas established by Adi Shankaracharya. Brahma, Bishnu & Maheswara three are together in alltime every place. In Kali yuga Sreemandir as jagannath temple in Puri. Jagannath-Bishnu,Balabhadra-Maheswara & Subhadra-Brahma. [edit]Rameshwaram

Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram

Rameswaram located in the South is in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is situated in theGulf of Mannar at the very tip of the Indian peninsula. According to legends, this is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge Ram Setu to Lanka. The Ramanatha Swamy Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva occupies a major area of Rameshwaram. The temple is believed to have been consecrated by Shri Rama. Rameshwaram is significant for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to Benaras is incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameswaram. The presiding deity here is in the form of a Linga with the name Sri Ramanatha Swamy, it also is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Brahma, Vishnu & Maheswara three are together in alltime every place.Rama-Bishnu,Laxman-Brahma & Hanuman-Maheswara

Four Adi Shakti Pithas

Some of the great religious texts like the Shiva Purana, the Devi Bhagavata, the Kalika Purana and the AstaShakti recognize four major Shakti Pithas (centers), like Bimala (Pada Khanda) (inside the Jagannath temple of Puri, Orissa), Tara Tarini (Sthana Khanda,Purnagiri ,Breasts) (Near Berhampur, Orissa), Kamakhya (Yoni khanda) (Near Guwahati, Assam) and Dakhina Kalika (Mukha khanda) (Kolkata, West Bengal) originated from the limbs of the Corpse of Mata Sati in the Satya Yuga. The Astashakti and Kalika Purana says (in Sanskrit): "Bimala Pada khandancha, Sthana khandancha Tarini (Tara Tarini), Kamakshya Yoni khandancha, Mukha khandancha Kalika (Dakshina Kalika) Anga pratyanga sanghena Vishnu Chakra Kshyta nacha" Further explaining the importance of these four Pithas, the "Brihat Samhita" also gives the location of these Pithas as Rushikulya* Tatae Devi, Tarakashya Mahagiri, Tashya Srunga Stitha Tara Vasishta Rajitapara *(Rushikulya is a holy river flowing on the foot hill of the Tara Tarini Hill Shrine). [edit]List

of 4 Adi Shakti Pithas

In the listings below: "Shakti" refers to the Goddess worshipped at each location, all being manifestations of Dakshayani, Parvati or Durga; "Body Part or Ornament" refers to the body part or piece of jewellery that fell to earth, at the location on which the respective temple is built. Place Body Part or Ornament Shakti Bimala Tara Tarini Kamakshya Dakshina Kalika

Sr. No. 1 2 3 4

In Puri, Orissa (inside Jagannath Temple complex) Pada Near Berhampur-Orissa Guwahati-Assam Kolkata- West Bengal Sthana khanda Yoni khanda Mukha khanda

Apart from these four there are 52 other famous Peethas recognised by religious texts. According to the Pithanirnaya Tantra the 52 peethas are scattered all over India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet,Bhutan and Pakistan. The Shivacharita besides listing 52 maha-peethas, speaks about 26 more upa-peethas. The Bengali almanac, Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika too describes the 52 [3] peethas including the present modified addresses. A few of the several accepted listings are given below. One of the few in South [4] India,Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd century temple. [edit]The

51 Shakti Pithas

In the listings below: Sr. No. 1 "Shakti" refers to the Goddess worshipped at each location, all being manifestations of Dakshayani, Parvati or Durga; "Bhairava" refers to the corresponding consort, each a manifestation of Shiva; "Body Part or Ornament" refers to the body part or piece of jewellery that fell to earth, at the location on which the respective temple is built. Place Body Part or Ornament Shakti Bhairava

Ottiyana Kanchipuram, Kamakshi temple, Kamakoti Peetam mentioned in Lalita (Ornament Sahasram, Trishati, Astothram etc. covering

Kamakshi

Kaal Bhairav

stomach) Nainativu (Manipallavam), Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Located 36 km from the ancient capital of the Jaffna kingdom, Nallur. The murti of the Goddess is believed to have been consecrated and Indrakshi worshipped by Lord Indra. The protagonist, Lord Rama and Silambu(Anklets) (Nagapooshani antagonist, Ravana of the Sanskrit epicRamayana have offered /Bhuvaneswari) obeisances to the Goddess. Nga and Garuda of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata; resolved their longstanding feuds after worshipping this Goddess. Shivaharkaray, a little distance from Sukkur Station from Karachi, Pakistan Sugandha, situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km from Barisal town,Bangladesh, on the banks of Sonda river. Eyes Nose Mahishmardini Sugandha Mahamaya Siddhida (Ambika) Ambaji Mahashira Dakshayani Mata Sarbamangala Devi Gandaki Chandi Goddess Bahula Kapali Amar Bhagwan Shiv/Mahadev Chakrapani Bhiruk

Rakshaseshwar (Nayanair)

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Krodhish Trayambak Trisandhyeshwar Unmatta Bhairav

Amarnath in Kashmir, India from Srinagar through Pahalgam 94 km by Throat Bus,Chandanwari 16 km by walk Jwalamukhi, Kangra, India from Pathankot alight at Jwalamukhi Road Station from there 20 km Ambaji, at Anart, Gujarat, India Nepal, near Pashupatinath Temple at Guhyeshwari Temple Tongue Heart Both knees

Manas, under Tibet at the foot of Mount Kailash in Lake Mansarovar, a Right hand piece of Stone Navel

10 Bardhaman in West Bengal, India Gandaki in Pokhara, Nepal about 125 km on the banks of Gandaki river where Muktinath temple is situated Bahula, on the banks of Ajay river at Ketugram, 8 km from Katwa, Burdwan,West Bengal, India Ujaani, 16 km from Guskara station under Burdwan district of West Bengal,India

11 12 13

Temple Left arm Right wrist

Mangal Chandika Kapilambar

Udaipur, Tripura, at the top of the hills known as Tripura Sundari 14 temple nearRadhakishorepur village, a little distance away from Udaipur town of Tripura,India On Chandranath hill near Sitakunda station of Chittagong District,Bangladesh. The famous Chandranath Temple on the top of 15 the hill is the Bhairav temple of this Shakti Peetha, not the Shakti Peeth itself. 16 17 Locally known as Bhramari Devi. Behind a rice mill, near Jalpesh Temple in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India. Kamgiri, Kamakhya, in the Neelachal hills near Guwahati, capital of Assam,India

Right leg

Tripura Sundari

Tripuresh

Right arm

Bhawani

Chandrashekhar

Left leg Genitals Big Toe (Right) Right Toes Finger

Bhraamari Kamakhya Jugaadya Kalika Alopi Devi Mandiror Madhaveswari

Ambar Umanand Ksheer Khandak Nakuleshwar Bhava

18 yoga adya at Khirgram under Burdwan district, West Bengal, India 19 Kalipeeth, (Kalighat, Kolkata), India 20 Prayag near Sangam at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

Jayanti at Nartiang village in the Jaintia Hills 21 district of Meghalaya state,India. This Shakti Peetha is locally known as the Nartiang Durga Temple. 22 23 Kireet at Kireetkona village, 3 km from Lalbag Court Road station under district Murshidabad, West Bengal, India Varanasi at Manikarnika Ghat on banks of the Ganges at Kashi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Left thigh

Jayanti

Kramadishwar

Crown Earring

Vimla Vishalakshi & Manikarni Sarvani

Sanwart Kalbhairav

Kanyashram, Kanyakumari the Bhadrakali temple within the precincts 24 ofKumari temple, Tamil Nadu, India (also thought to be situated in Chittagong, Bangladesh) 25 26 27 Present day Kurukshetra town or Thanesar ancient Sthaneshwar, atHaryana, India Manibandh, at Gayatri hills near Pushkar 11 km north-west of Ajmer,Rajasthan, India Shri Shail, at Joinpur village, Dakshin Surma, near Gotatikar, 3 km north-east of Sylhet town, Bangladesh

Back

Nimish

Ankle bone Two Bracelets Neck

Savitri/BhadraKali Sthanu Gayatri Mahalaxmi Sarvanand Sambaranand

Kankalitala, on the banks of Kopai River 10 km north-east 28 of Bolpur station in Birbhum district, Devi locally known as Kankaleshwari West Bengal, India 29 30 31 32 33 Kalmadhav on the banks of Shon river in a cave over hills near toAmarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India Shondesh, at the source point of Narmada River in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India Ramgiri, at Chitrakuta on the Jhansi Manikpur railway line in Uttar Pradesh,India

Bone

Devgarbha

Ruru

Left buttock Right buttock Right breast

Kali Narmada Shivani Uma Narayani Varahi Arpana

Asitang Bhadrasen Chanda Bhutesh Sanhar Maharudra Vaman

Vrindavan, near new bus stand on Bhuteshwar road within Bhuteshwar Ringlets of hair Mahadev Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India Shuchi, in a Shiva temple at Suchindrum 11 km on Kanyakumari Trivandrumroad, Tamil Nadu, India Upper teeth Bottom teeth Left anklet (ornament) Right anklet (ornament)

34 Panchsagar exact location not known (thought to be near Haridwar) 35 Bhavanipur union, at Karatoyatat, 28 km distance from interior Sherpurupazila, Bogra District, Bangladesh

Shri Parvat, near Ladak, Kashmir, India. Another belief: 36 at Srisailam inShriparvat hills under Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India

Shrisundari Kapalini (Bhimarupa) Chandrabhaga Avanti Bhramari Rakini or Vishweshwari Ambika

Sundaranand

37 Vibhash, at Tamluk under district Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India Left ankle 38 39 40 41 Prabhas, 4 km from Veraval station near Somnath temple in Junagadhdistrict of Gujarat, India Bhairavparvat, at Bhairav hills on the banks of Shipra river a little distance from Ujjaini town, Madhya Pradesh, India Goddess Saptashrungi (Goddess with 18 arms)]], at Vani in Nasik,Maharashtra, India Sarvashail or Godavaritir, at Kotilingeswar temple on the banks of Godavaririver near Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh, India Stomach Upper lips Chin (2 parts) Cheeks Left toes

Sarvanand Vakratund Lambkarna Vikritaksh Vatsnabh or Dandpani Amriteshwar

42 Virat, near Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India

Locally known as Anandamayee Temple. Ratnavali, on the banks 43 ofRatnakar river at Khanakul-Krishnanagar, district Hooghly, West Bengal,India

Right Shoulder

Kumari Uma

Shiva Mahodar Yogesh Abhiru Vakranath

44 Mithila, near Janakpur railway station on the border of India and Nepal Left shoulder Nalhati, known as "Nalateshwari Temple" near Nalhati station 45 of Birbhum district, West Bengal, India 46 Karnat, Kangra, himachalpradesh.

Vocal chord with part of the Kalika Devi tracheae Both ears Jayadurga

Bakreshwar, on the banks of Paaphara river, 24 km distance from Siuri Portion between 47 Town, district Birbhum, 7 km from Dubrajpur Rly. Station West Mahishmardini the eyebrows Bengal, India Jessoreswari, situated at Ishwaripur, Shyamnagar, 48 district Satkhira,Bangladesh. The temple complex was built by Maharaja Pratapaditya, whose capital was Ishwaripur. 49 Attahas village of Dakshindihi in the district of Bardhaman, near the Katwarailway station, in West Bengal, India Palms of hands and soles of the feet Lips Jashoreshwari

Chanda

Phullara

Vishvesh

Sainthia, locally Known as "Nandikeshwari" temple. Only 1.5 km from 50 the railway station under a banyan tree within a boundary wall, Birbhum district,West Bengal, India Hinglaj (Or Hingula), southern Baluchistan a few hours North-east 51 ofGawadar and about 125 km towards North-west from Karachi, Pakistan 52 Danestwari (Kuldevi Of Bastar state ), Dantewada 80 km from JagdalpurTehsil, Chhattisgarh

Necklace Bramharandhra (Part of the head) Daant (teeth)

Nandini

Nandikeshwar

Kottari

Bhimlochan

Danteshwari

Kapalbhairv Kalbhairv Kapalbhairav

53 Vajreshwari , Kangra 18 km from Dharamshala Tehsil, Kangra 53 [Padmavati Devi] (Padmavatipuri Dham), Panns 80 km from Satna Madhya Pradesh Tarapith, on the banks of Dwarka river, about 6 km from Rampurhat sub-division, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India Chandika Sthan or chandisthan, at Munger temple on the banks of Gangesnear Ganga Darshan, Bihar, India Patan Devi , at Tulsipur railway station on the border of India and Nepaldist.Balrampur near gorakhpur, uttar pradesh, India

left Breast (teeth) Vajreshwari Padm Third eye or spiritual eye (Tara) Left eye Padmavati Devi

54

Tara Chandika or Chandi devi

55

Bholeshankar

56

Badi Patan left shoulder with Devi/chhoti Patan Bhairav cloths Devi Adhar Arbuda Devi or Adhar Devi Bhairav

57 Arbuda Devi, at Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India

Chandi Mandir in (near Memari Rail station) Memari, Bardhaman, Westbengal, Fullara in Birbhum district are also considered [5] to be a shakti peetha. Naina Devi Temple. Nainadevi in Himachal Pradesh (Bilaspur) is also considered a shakti peetha, where Sati's eyes fell. Sharda Devi Temple at Maihar near Satna Dist.Satna is also considered a shakti peeth where the necklace of Sati fell. Bhadrakali Temple in holy city Kurukshetra(Haryana)is also considered as one of the 51 holy Shakti peethas.The temple is dedicated to Bhadrakali a form of shakti. This is considered to be one of the fifty one Shakti pithas of India. It is believed that the right ankle of Sati fell here in the well. The "consort of Savtri is called Sthanu". Hence, the city is called "Staneshwar" meaning abode of Shiva. It is believed that the mundun (hair removing) ceremony of Srikrishna and Balarama was also [6] performed in this temple.

Mahakali temple at Pavagadh near Vadodara in Gujarat is also consdiered shakti peeth where a part of Sati's breast is said to [7] be fallen.

[edit]Historical

notes

First relating to Brahmanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas, it mentions 64 Shakthi Peetha of Goddess Parvati in the Bharator Greater India including present day India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Another text which gives a [8] listing of these shrines, is the Shakthi Peetha Stotram, written by Adi Shankara, the 9th century Hindu philosopher. According to the manuscript Mahapithapurana (circa 1690-1720 CE), there are 52 such places. Among them, 23 are located in theBengal region, 14 of these are located in what is now West Bengal, India, 1 in Baster (Chattisgarh), while 7 are in what is nowBangladesh. Rishi Markandeya composed the 'Devi Saptashati' or the seven hundred hymns extolling the virtues of the Divine Goddess at the shaktipeetha in Nashik. The idol is also leaning a little to the left to listen to the sages composition. The Saptashati or the "Durga Stuti" forms an integral part in the vedic form of Shakti worship. Preserving the mortal relics of famous and respected individuals was a common practice in ancient India - seen in [citation needed] the Buddhist stupaswhich preserve the relics of Gautama Buddha. It is believed by some that these 64 peethas preserve the remains of some ancient female sage from whom the legend of Kali could have emerged and then merged with the Purusha Prakriti (Shiva Shakti) model of Hindu thought. [edit]18

Maha Shakti Pithas

The modern cities or towns that correspond to these 64 locations can be a matter of dispute, but there are a few that are totally [9] unambiguous, these are mentioned in the Ashta Dasa Shakthi Peetha Stotram by Adi Shankara. This list contains 18 such [10] locations which are often referred to as Maha Shakthi Peeths. Sr. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Place Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) Kanchi (Tamil Nadu) Pradyumna* (West Bengal) Mysore (Karnataka) Alampur (Andhra Pradesh) Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) Kolhapur (Maharastra) Mahur (Nanded District, Maharastra) Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh) Part of the body fallen Groin Back part Stomach part Hair Upper teeth Neck part Eyes Right hand Upper lip Left hand Shankari devi Kamakshi Devi Srunkhala devi Chamundeshwari devi Jogulamba devi Bhramaramba devi Mahalakshmi devi Ekaveerika devi Mahakali devi Puruhutika devi Purnagiri temple Tanakpur ,Uttrakhand India Manikyamba devi Kamarupa devi Lalita devi Vaishnavi devi Sarvamangala devi Vishalakshi devi Saraswathi devi
[11]

Name of Shakti

Purnagiri Temple,Tanakpur State Uttrakhand India]) Navel Draksharamam (Andhra Pradesh) Guwahati (Assam) Prayaga (Uttar Pradesh) Katra, Jammu and Kashmir Gaya (Bihar) Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Kashmir* Left cheek Vulva Fingers Head part Breast part Wrist Right hand

[*]This temple is currently non-existent. Only ruins are found in these places. Instead, Sringeri in Karnataka is believed to be the Shakti Peeth of this aspect of the goddess.

Among these, the Shakti Peethas at Kamakhya, Gaya and Ujjain are regarded as most sacred as they symbolise three most important aspects of mother Goddess viz. Creation (Kamarupa Devi), Nourishment (Sarvamangala Devi/Mangalagauri) and Annihilation (Mahakali Devi). When observed carefully one can see that they lie in a perfect straight line from Kamakhya to Ujjain via Gaya symbolizing that every creation in this universe will annihilate one day without fail.