Just In
- 32 min ago Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant's Wedding Function Details Are Out, Check out Ambani Bahu-To-Be's Chic Fashion!
- 1 hr ago Nayanthara Poses With Husband Vignesh Shivan In Chic Saree, Check Her Sarees To Ace Summer Wedding Look
- 5 hrs ago Hanuman Jayanti 2024: These Are Lord Hanuman's Favourite Zodiac Signs, Check Out The List!
- 6 hrs ago Arushi Sharma-Vaibhav Vishant Wedding, Love Aaj Kal 2 Actor Looks Resplendent In A Pastel Ethnic Outfit, Pics!
Don't Miss
- Movies Exclusive! Tanishaa Mukerji On How Industry Has Changed, "Bollywood Bashing Is Happening A Lot..."
- News Two-Year-Old Girl Fatally Run Over By Father's Car In HSR Layout
- Sports IPL 2024: 'MI players have not bought into Hardik Pandya as the captain', Ex-India player makes shocking claims
- Finance Google CEO Sundar Pichai Terminates Over 20 Employees Amidst Internal Protests Over Israel; Reports
- Education Meet Naima Khatoon, First Vice Chancellor of AMU, Know Her Background and Education Qualification
- Technology Xiaomi Robot Vacuum Cleaner S10, Handheld Garment Steamer, and Redmi Buds 5A Launched in India
- Automobiles Nissan Magnite Achieves 1 Lakh Unit Sales Milestone: Consistency Helps
- Travel Kurnool's Hidden Gems: A Guide To Exploring India's Lesser-Known Treasures
Jyotirlinga: The 12 Holiest Shiva Temples
Shiva In All His Forms:
Shiva,
the
destroyer
and
the
ascetic
in
Hindu
mythology
has
many
forms
and
is
yet
formless.
He
is
at
once
the
monk
at
Somnath
in
Gujrat
and
the
householder,
'shankara'
at
Vishwanath
temple
in
Kashi.
He
could
be
the
tiger
skin
clad,
bee
hived
man
with
the
third
eye
or
just
a
black
stone
that
is
the
Shiv
linga.
The Shiv Linga:
Literally, Shiv 'linga' looks like a long cylindrical black stone. This phallic symbol is the oldest and the most rudimentary form in which the great deity was worshiped in India. That is why they are found in the oldest Shiva temples in the country.
The Legend Of The Jyotirlinga:
12 Shiv lingas are given a special place in Hindu religion. These are the 12 Jyotirlingas or lingas or light. Although they look like normal shivlingas to the naked eye, they are very special. The legend states that only those human beings who have attained enlightenment can see these lingas encased in a halo of light.
The mythological explanation for the presence of Jyotirlingas too is an interesting one. Some time in the distant past, Lord Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe and Lord Bramha, the Creator of the world had a huge fight over who is 'greater'. When their ego war threaten to destroy the Universe, Shiva appeared in front of them as a gigantic haloed linga. They decided amongst themselves that whoever finds the end of the linga first would be declared the greatest.
Bramha transformed into a beautiful swan and flew upwards while Vishnu took the form of a boar and dug downwards. In the end, both were defeated. Then the centre of the linga burst open to Shiva in this ethereal form. That is when the duo realised their terrible mistake. The source of this myth is the 'Linga' Purana and there are many variations of the same story with minor alterations.
The Holiest Of Holi Temples:
12 very old Shiva temples are famed to house the great Jyotirlingas. But there is a lot debate over the composition of these 12 Shiva temples. This is the most agreed upon list.
Trimbakeshwar, Nasik in Maharashtra
Parli Vaidyanath in Maharashtra
Bhimashankar, Dakini in Maharashtra
Vaidyanath,
Deogarh
in
Bihar
Omkareshwar
temple
in
Madhya
Pradesh" title="Mahakaleshwar
in
Ujjain
Kedarnath
temple,
Himachal
Pradesh
Vaidyanath,
Deogarh
in
Bihar
Omkareshwar
temple
in
Madhya
Pradesh" />Mahakaleshwar
in
Ujjain
Kedarnath
temple,
Himachal
Pradesh
Vaidyanath,
Deogarh
in
Bihar
Omkareshwar
temple
in
Madhya
Pradesh
Rameshwaram temple in Sethusamudram
Each of these Shiva temples and the Jyotirlingas inside them have an interesting and unique story to tell. Would you like to know more about them?
- faith mysticismMallikarjun Temple: Kailash Of The South
- faith mysticismNageshwar Jyotirlinga: A Dwelling Of Lord Shiva
- faith mysticismRameshwaram Temple: A Sacred Hindu Shrine
- faith mysticismOmkareshwar Jyotirlinga: A Holy Hindu Shrine
- faith mysticismMahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga: Lord Shiva's Holy Shrine
- faith mysticismKashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga: Lord Shiva's Sacred Abode
- faith mysticismJyotirlinga Bhimashankar: Lord Shiva's Holy Abode
- faith mysticismBaidyanath Jyotirlinga: Shiva's Sacred Abode
- faith mysticismTrimbakeshwar: Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva
- faith mysticismSomnath Temple: Lord Shiva's Jyotirlinga
- lifeTop 5 Tallest Shiva Statues In The World
- faith mysticismTemples Associated With The Marriage Of Lord Shiva