The twelve Jyotirlingas are the holiest shrines of Lord Shiva — radiant ‘pillars of light’ spread across India, from the Arabian Sea to the Himalayas to the southern tip of the peninsula. Visiting all twelve is one of the most cherished lifetime goals for a devotee of Shiva. This guide gives you the complete 12 Jyotirlinga list with names and places, state by state, along with their significance and a practical way to plan your yatra.
A Jyotirlinga (from jyoti, light, and linga, the mark or sign of Shiva) is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a fiery column of light. According to the Shiva Purana, Shiva manifested as an endless pillar of light to settle a dispute between Brahma and Vishnu; the twelve places where this light is believed to have appeared became the Jyotirlingas. They are considered the most powerful of all Shiva temples, and a darshan at each is thought to bring liberation.
Here is the full list of the twelve Jyotirlingas with their temple names and locations:
| # | Jyotirlinga | Temple | Location (State) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somnath | Somnath Temple | Prabhas Patan, Gujarat |
| 2 | Mallikarjuna | Mallikarjuna Temple | Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh |
| 3 | Mahakaleshwar | Mahakaleshwar Temple | Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh |
| 4 | Omkareshwar | Omkareshwar Temple | Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh |
| 5 | Kedarnath | Kedarnath Temple | Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand |
| 6 | Bhimashankar | Bhimashankar Temple | Pune district, Maharashtra |
| 7 | Kashi Vishwanath | Kashi Vishwanath Temple | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh |
| 8 | Trimbakeshwar | Trimbakeshwar Temple | Nashik, Maharashtra |
| 9 | Vaidyanath | Baidyanath Temple | Deoghar, Jharkhand |
| 10 | Nageshwar | Nageshwar Temple | Near Dwarka, Gujarat |
| 11 | Rameshwaram | Ramanathaswamy Temple | Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu |
| 12 | Grishneshwar | Grishneshwar Temple | Near Ellora, Maharashtra |
Below, we group them by region to make planning a realistic yatra easier — because the twelve are spread right across the country.
Kedarnath, high in the Garhwal Himalayas at 3,583 m, is the most remote and arguably the most dramatic of the twelve, reached by a 16–18 km trek (or pony/helicopter) and open only from roughly May to November. Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi sits on the banks of the holy Ganga in the spiritual capital of India; a darshan here, paired with the evening Ganga Aarti, is one of the great pilgrimage experiences. See our Kedarnath Yatra and Kashi–Ayodhya–Prayagraj packages.
Western India holds five of the twelve. Somnath, set dramatically on the Arabian Sea in Gujarat, is traditionally counted as the first Jyotirlinga; nearby Nageshwar stands close to Dwarka. Maharashtra alone has three — Bhimashankar in the Sahyadri hills, Trimbakeshwar near the source of the Godavari at Nashik, and Grishneshwar beside the Ellora caves. This cluster makes a rewarding circuit; explore our Dwarka–Somnath Yatra and Maharashtra Jyotirlinga circuit.
Madhya Pradesh is home to two Jyotirlingas, both on the sacred rivers of the region. Mahakaleshwar at Ujjain is famous for its dawn Bhasma Aarti, a powerful ritual performed with sacred ash, and is the only Jyotirlinga facing south. Omkareshwar sits on an island in the Narmada shaped like the sacred symbol ‘Om’. Together they anchor a moving central-India pilgrimage.
The south holds two of the twelve. Mallikarjuna at Srisailam, on a hill above the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh, is unique as both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha. Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu — the Ramanathaswamy temple — is one of the Char Dham as well as a Jyotirlinga, linked to the Ramayana and celebrated for its vast, sculpted corridors. See our Tamil Nadu temple tour.
Vaidyanath (Baidyanath), at Deoghar in Jharkhand, is the eastern Jyotirlinga, thronged during the month of Sawan when saffron-clad kanwariya pilgrims carry Ganga water to offer the deity. It is worth noting that a few traditions identify the Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga with Parli in Maharashtra; most pilgrims follow the Deoghar tradition. Discover our Baba Baidyanath tour.
Each Jyotirlinga is considered a complete and independent centre of Shiva’s power, and a darshan at any one is deeply meritorious. Yet completing all twelve holds a special place in tradition — it is seen as a journey that touches every corner of the sacred geography of India, from the western sea at Somnath to the Himalayan heights of Kedarnath, and from the Ganga at Kashi to the southern shore at Rameshwaram. Many devotees make it a lifelong resolve, covering the shrines circuit by circuit over many years and treating the final darshan as the culmination of a spiritual life.
The Jyotirlingas are traditionally recited in a set sequence in the Dwadasa Jyotirlinga Stotram: Somnath, Mallikarjuna, Mahakaleshwar, Omkareshwar, Kedarnath, Bhimashankar, Kashi Vishwanath, Trimbakeshwar, Vaidyanath, Nageshwar, Rameshwaram and Grishneshwar. Chanting this stotram is itself considered auspicious for those who cannot travel to every shrine, and it is the order in which the twelve are usually listed in scripture and remembered by devotees.
Because the twelve span such different climates, there is no single best season for all of them. Kedarnath is accessible only from roughly May to November and is best in September–October. The southern shrines, Mallikarjuna and Rameshwaram, are most comfortable in the cooler months of November to February. The western and central shrines in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are pleasant from October to March, avoiding the summer heat. The sacred month of Sawan (Shravan) draws enormous crowds to every Jyotirlinga — especially Baidyanath and Mahakaleshwar — so it is spiritually charged but demands patience in long queues.
Because the twelve are spread across the country, few pilgrims complete them in a single journey. The practical approach is to travel them in regional groups over several trips — the two Madhya Pradesh shrines together, the Gujarat and Maharashtra cluster together, the two southern shrines together, and the Himalayan Kedarnath in its short summer season. Consider the weather (Kedarnath is summer-only; the south is best in the cooler months), the physical demand (Kedarnath involves a serious trek), and the festival calendar, when the temples are most vibrant but also most crowded. For devotees who wish to complete all twelve, our 12 Jyotirlinga Yatra package stitches the shrines into a comfortable, guided sequence.
How many Jyotirlingas are there? There are twelve principal Jyotirlingas, as listed in the Shiva Purana. Which is the first Jyotirlinga? Somnath in Gujarat is traditionally regarded as the first. Can all 12 be visited in one trip? It is possible on a dedicated long itinerary, but most pilgrims prefer to cover them in regional circuits across seasons for comfort and the right weather. Which Jyotirlinga is the hardest to reach? Kedarnath, because of its high altitude and the trek to reach it. Is Kedarnath both a Jyotirlinga and a Char Dham? Yes — Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and also part of the Chota Char Dham of Uttarakhand; Rameshwaram, similarly, is both a Jyotirlinga and one of the four Char Dham of India, which is why these two shrines carry such special significance.
Whichever Jyotirlingas call to you, our team can craft a comfortable, pandit-assisted yatra with sensible pacing, vegetarian meals and 24×7 support. Tell us which shrines you wish to see and we’ll suggest the best route, season and a costed plan.