Jyotirlinga
 
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Location of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples |
Jyotirlingas or Jyotirlingams ( Sanskrit , n., ज्योतिर्लिङ्ग, jyotirliṅga , jyotis = light, Linga = sign, aniconical symbol of Shiva, often interpreted as a phallus) are the most sacred Shiva temples in India . There are twelve Jyotirlingas that are spread all over India. Sometimes Pashupatinath in Kathmandu , Nepal is added to this.
Legend
The Shiva Purana reports: When Brahma and Vishnu were arguing about who the greater god was, a great pillar of light suddenly appeared. To fathom its end, Brahma flew up as a white swan ( hamsa ), while Vishnu dug himself into the earth as a boar ( varaha ). Both could not find a beginning or an end, but Brahma feigned success by bringing back a flower that had fallen from above and claimed to have found it at the end. Thereupon Shiva appeared from the pillar and declared that none of the gods was the greatest, but since Brahma had also lied, he would no longer be worshiped from now on. The pillar of light, in the form of which Shiva appeared, is represented by the Jyotirlinga and is present for the believer in the form of the physical lingam in those 12 places called Jyotirlingas.
Jyotirlingas are often found near Shakti Pithas ; these are temples that are dedicated to the Divine Mother. According to legend, Shiva carried Sati's corpse through the universe in mourning over her suicide. In order to free Shiva, Vishnu cut up Sati's body. Wherever the body parts fell there is a Shakti Pitham today . There are about 64 of these.
The twelve Jyotirlingas
Somnath (Veraval, Gujarat)
The oldest of the Jyotirlingas is already mentioned in the Rigveda , Skanda Purana and Mahabharata . It is located on the west coast of India, directly on the Arabian Sea. According to legend, the moon worshiped Shiva here ( Soma = moon; Nath = lord; Somnath is the lord of the moon, i.e. Shiva). Somnath Temple was considered the most magnificent Shiva temple until it was destroyed and looted in the 10th century. The current temple is about 30 years old and was built on the same site. Special days of worship are Mahashivaratri and the full moon day in the month of Shravan. Not far from here is also the place where, according to legend, Krishna gave up his body.
Kedarnath (Garhwal Himalayas - Mandakini Valley, Uttarakhand)
According to legend, the five Pandavas built this temple on their way to paradise after the Mahabharata War. The shrine is at an altitude of 3,581 m at the source of the Mandakini River. With Badrinath, which is not far from it, it is considered the holiest shrine in the Himalayas. Legend connects this temple with Pashupatinath in Kathmandu , which is considered the head of Shiva, Kedarnath is considered the body. The philosopher and saint Shankara is said to have attained Maha- Samadhi , as Hindus call the death of a saint. The final 12 km to the shrine must be covered on foot or on horseback.
Vishvanath (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)
There are hundreds of Shiva temples in Varanasi , one of the seven holy cities of India, but this is the most sacred place in the city whose main deity is Shiva. Earlier temples on this site were demolished again and again in Islamic times , in the 15th century by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak , the Sultan of Delhi , and in the 17th century by the Mughal Mughal Aurangzeb . The present temple was built in 1776 by the Maharani Ahalya Bai from Indore using materials from the old temples. In 1835 Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Sikh King from Punjab, gilded the dome with a ton of gold. According to legend, Shiva cut off the 5th head of the creator god Brahma , because he had arrogantly called himself the highest god. However, this was a sin, especially since Brahma is also a Brahmin and the murder of a Brahmin is the highest offense for a believing Hindu. As a sign of sin, the head was stuck to Shiva's hand. Shiva then assumed the life of a wandering monk ( sadhus ), which is why he is still today the patron saint of svamis , sadhus and yogis . Only when he got to Varanasi did his head fall off his hand. Today there are particularly many sadhus in Varanasi, u. a. also those who go the tantric path. There is also the belief that Shiva whispers the Tarak mantra in the ear of everyone who dies in Varanasi , whereupon their soul immediately attains moksha , the spiritual liberation.
Mahakaleshvar (Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh)
This temple stands in Ujjain , one of the seven holy cities of India, about 3500 years old. The temple is on the bank of the Kshipra River. A Kumbh Mela , also called Simhastha, takes place here every twelve years . This takes place when Jupiter goes into the sign Leo ( simha ). Mahakaleshvar ( maha = great, kal = time, ishvar = lord) means "the great lord of time". Probably the zero degree of longitude ran through Ujjain in ancient times, similar to GMT today. It is still the seat of Indian astrology today and has a nine-planet temple and an observatory. The original temple was destroyed by Sultan Altamish in 1235 and then rebuilt by the Scindias of Gwalior . A special feature of the service is that the lingam is rubbed daily with ashes from the deceased from the nearby cremation site ( Smashan ).
Omkareshvar (Narmada River, Madhya Pradesh)
The temple is located on a rock, the Mandhata, on the peninsula at the confluence of the Kaveri and Narmada rivers . During the floods, the temple is partially under water. The lingam is made of rough black stone and resembles a stone turtle. The ritual is very simple, only bilva leaves and garlands of flowers are offered. It is the only one of the 12 temples where Tulsi leaves are offered. The water poured over the lingam flows back into the Narmada via an underground channel. A special festival takes place on the day of the full moon in late October or early November, the Kartik Purnima. On the south bank of the Narmada there is another important Shiva temple, called Amaleshvar, which forms a unit with the Omkareshvar. Not far from here is also Mandaleshvar, the place where Shankara defeated the philosopher Madana Misra in a dispute and thus made him a disciple.
Sri Shailam (Krishna River, Andhra Pradesh)
Mallikarjuna is located about 457 m high on the Sri Shailam mountain on the banks of the Krishna. Legend has it that Kartikeya retired here after losing out in the race with Ganesha . To calm him down, Shiva came here as Arjuna and Parvati as Mallika. According to legend, Shankara wrote the famous poem Sivanandalahiri here. The temple is in the middle of the densest jungle area, which is populated by wild animals. The Bhila indigenous people live here. Because of its inaccessibility, it is only visited by pilgrims in large groups on certain feast days such as Mahashivaratri or Shravan Purnima. Behind the Shiva temple there is a separate temple, which is dedicated to Parvati. Nearby there is also a Shakti Pitham dedicated to the goddess Kali in the form of Brahmaramba.
Vaidhyanath (Deogarh, Jharkhand)
Sri Vaidhyanath or Baijnath Dham is located on an island between different Ganges rivers in Deogarh . There is also a Shakti-Pitha right next to the Shiva temple. It is said that here the heart of the goddess Sati fell to the ground when Vishnu cut her dead body. The name Vaidya means one who knows , Shiva is also referred to as Maha-Jnani , the sage. Today, however, Vaidya refers to an (Ayurvedic) doctor. The waters of this place are ascribed special healing powers. Around the lingam is the Chandrakup well , the water of which is said to work miracles on patients. According to legend, the well was dug here by the demon Ravana , who also received the linga as a gift from Shiva himself and deposited it here. Ravana originally wanted to bring the lingam to his capital, Lanka, but the gods tricked him into dropping it there. The stone then became too difficult to pick up again. It is customary for pilgrims to pour water over the lingam from all parts of India.
Bhimashankar (Bhavagiri - Khed - Sahyadri Mountains, Maharashtra)
Bhimashankar is located at the source of the small river Bhima on a mountain of the Sahyadri Mountains about 200 km southeast of Mumbai. The temple is very old and some water seeps from the main altar. Next to the shrine are two ponds that are said to have been created by the historical person Nana Phadnavees . According to mythology, Shiva rested here when he destroyed the cities of the demon king Tripura (from tri = three, pura = city, Tripura meaning "three cities"). Shiva then settled here in recognition of the worship of King Bhimaka. Although the description of Shiva Puranas sees the temple in Assam, on the Brahmapura hill in the Kamarupa district, all other historical point to this place. The temple is very remote in Bhavagiri, surrounded by the jungle, near the steep drop of the West Ghats about 50 km northwest of Khed, Satara district, near Pune .
Ghrishneshvar (Daulatabad, Maharashtra)
Ghrishneshvar or Ghushmeshvar is about 66 km from Daulatabad, on the Manmad Puna Railway Line, and is easily accessible. It is in close proximity to the famous Ellora caves. According to mythology, Gushmar was the second wife of King Sudharrma, whose first wife Sudeha remained childless. Gushma revered Shiva very much and asked for descendants. She soon gave birth to a son and worshiped Shiva with 101 lingams, which she sank in the nearby pond. The son married, but was killed out of jealousy by her sister Sudharma. Gushmar prayed to Shiva at her morning devotion by the pond. Suddenly the boy emerged from the pond as if nothing had happened. Shiva himself now appeared to report the murder to Gushmar. When Siva wanted to kill Sudeha as a punishment, Gushma asked him to spare her. Shiva, moved by so much compassion, offered her a favor. Gushma asked him to stay with her, which Shiva then fulfilled in the form of the linga. For pilgrims, besides the darshan of the lingam, bathing in the pond is particularly beneficial.
Trimbak (also: Trimbakeshwar) (Nashik, Maharashtra)
This Jyotirlinga is located in Trimbak near Nashik , where the Kumbha Mela takes place every twelve years. It is approximately 30 km west-southwest from Nashik Road Railway Station. Nearby is Panchavati, the place where the Sita was kidnapped by Ravana. Here, too, a pond plays an important role in mythology. The Rishi Gautama , who lived on Mount Brahmagiri, requested this from God Varuna after a long dry spell. Soon, however, a dispute broke out among the seers (rishis) of the forest about this pond, in the course of which Gautama and his wife Ahalyabat were played badly, so that they had to move away as untouchables. Gautama and Ahalya practiced strict asceticism to obtain Shiva's mercy. As a reward, they wished to divert the river Ganges next to their hut, which it did on the condition that Shiva and Parvati also settle here. This then took place in the form of the lingam. The Ganges took the form of the Godavari River, which has flowed past here ever since.
Nageshvar (Dvaraka, Gujarat)
Nageshvar is close to the holy city of Dvaraka , the city where Krishna was king, and is easily accessible from there. Mythology: The lingam was originally made by the Vaishya Supriya in a prison in order to be able to worship Shiva where he was held by the demon Daruka. The demon didn't like it and tried to kill Supriya, but Shiva saved him by defeating the demon with his Pashupati weapon. The lingam is especially venerated on Shivaratri.
Rameswaram (Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu)
This temple is the southernmost of the Jyotirlingas. It is located on an island that extends from India towards Sri Lanka . The footprint of the temple is 270 m × 210 m and on the 1212 stone pillars stand. The statue of Shiva's mount, the bull Nandi, is 5 m long and 3 m high. The east tower ( Gopuram ) is 53 m high. A 1200 m long corridor leads around the temple. Parts of the current temple were built as early as the 12th century. In the 15th century it was enlarged by Udayan Sethupathi, whose statue is next to the south entrance. There are 22 tirthams (bathing pools) in the temple, each of which has a specific meaning. Legend has it that Rama set up the lingam on his return from Lanka to the mainland after killing Ravana. He wanted to get rid of the sin of the Brahmin murder, which was Ravana. Rama sent Hanuman to Mount Kailash to get the linga. However, since Hanuman was late, Sita formed a linga out of sand. When Hanuman returned from Kailash, he was disappointed to find that a linga had already been set up. Rama indicated to Hanuman that he could exchange the linga. However, he tried in vain to pull it out. It is said that the linga still has the marks of Hanuman's tail. In order to reconcile Hanuman, the linga he brought was set up next to the other. The original Jyotirlinga is called Rama-Linga, the one that Hanuman brought is called Vishwa Linga.
Other Jyotirlinga temples
According to local or regional traditions, there are other Jyotirlinga temples in Maharashtra:
- Aundha Nagnath , Hingoli District , Maharashtra
- Parli Vaidhyanath Temple, Beed District , Maharashtra
- Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Temple, Bangalore , Karnataka
Web links
- Jyotirlinga Temple - Photos and information (English)
- Jyotirlinga Temple - Photos and information (English)