Sawan 2023: What Is Jyotirlinga? Which Is The Most Powerful Shiva Temple In India?

Thursday, July 20, 2023, 0:10

Lord Shiva is known as the Supreme Being and Mahadev, which means Lord of all Lords. He is known as the 'Destroyer of Evil' and is one of the important deities in Hinduism.

In the Trinity, he holds a pivotal position- Lord Brahma the creator, Lord Vishnu the preserver and Lord Shiva the destroyer. Together, the three deities are said to symbolize nature's rules.

How was Lord Shiva Born?

Religious texts do not define how God Shiva was born and there are no evidences to prove that. While in many Puranas it is mentioned that God Brahma and God Vishnu were born from Lord Shiva.

Devotees believe that Lord Shiva is 'Sayambhu', which means he was created automatically and was not born from a human body. He is said to be present when there was nothing and He will also remain when everything is destructed.

Hence, the name 'Adi-Dev' is associated with him, which means 'oldest God' of Hindu mythology.

You may have come across the term 'Jyotirlinga' at some point in your life and it is highly revered among people from Hindu communities.

For those unaware, a Jyotirlinga is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam and is a radiant representation of Bholenath. The word 'Jyoti' means light and 'linga' means sign. Therefore, Jyotirlinga means the light of Lord Shiva.

Sawan 2023: Legend Associated With Jyotirlinga

In an ancient religious text Vishnu Purana, the Legend of the 'Jyotirlinga' is mentioned. Once Lord Vishu and Lord Shiva were having a debate over who is supreme of all. As a result of this Bholenath produced a vast pillar of light and asked both of them to find the end of the light in both directions. To this, Lord Brahma lied to Lord Shiva and said that found the end, but Lord Vishnu accepted defeat.

When Lord Shiva came to know about the lie, he cursed Lord Brahma that even though he is the creator of the Universe, he won't be worshipped. This is when the Jyotirlingas are believed to have appeared from that infinite pillar of light produced by Lord Shiva. Let us know more about this.

Sawan 2023: How Many Jyotirlingas Are There in India?

On the night of the Aridra Nakshatra, Lord Shiva is believed to have manifested himself on the Earth and it has a special reverence for the Jyotirlinga. Devotees believe that Jyotirlingas are columns of fire piercing through Earth and it ia a gateway to reach spiritual attainment. There are 64 Jyotirlingas in India, out of which 12 are considered highly important. All of them are considered the manifestation of Lord Shiva and they are considered the most powerful of all.

Sawan 2023: Know About the 12 Jyotirlingas