Mahadev

The names and the locations of the 12 Jyotirlingas are mentioned in the Shiva Purana (Śatarudra Saṁhitā,Ch.42/2-4). These shrines are:

#

1

Jyotirlinga

Somnath

Image

State

Gujarat

Location

Prabhas Patan,Saurashtra

Description

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.

Mallikārjuna, also called Śrīśaila, is located on a [8]

2

3

4

5

Mallikārjuna

Andhra Pradesh

Srisailam

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.

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.

6

Bhimashankar

Maharashtra Bhimashankar

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.

Kashi Vishwanath

Uttar Pradesh

8

Trimbakeshwar

Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra Near Nashik

9

Vaidyanath

Jharkhand

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

10

Nageshvara Jyotirlinga

Gujarat

near Dwaraka

7

Varanasi

Trimbakeshwar Temple, near Nasik in Maharashtra, is a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari river.

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 Rameśvara ("Lord of Rama") pillar.

12 Grishneshwar

Maharashtra

Near Ellora,Aurangabad district

[10]

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.

Sr. No.

Place

Body Part or Ornament

Shakti

1

In Puri, Orissa (inside Jagannath Temple complex) Pada

Bimala

2

Near Berhampur-Orissa

Sthana khanda

Tara Tarini

3

Guwahati-Assam

Yoni khanda

Kamakshya

4

Kolkata- West Bengal

Mukha khanda

Dakshina Kalika

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: 

"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.

Sr. No. 1

Place

Body Part or Ornament

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

Shakti

Kamakshi

Bhairava

Kaal Bhairav

stomach)

2

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. Nāga and Garuda of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata; resolved their longstanding feuds after worshipping this Goddess.

Rakshaseshwar (Nayanair)

3

Shivaharkaray, a little distance from Sukkur Station from Karachi, Pakistan

Eyes

Mahishmardini

Krodhish

4

Sugandha, situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km from Barisal town,Bangladesh, on the banks of Sonda river.

Nose

Sugandha

Trayambak

5

Amarnath in Kashmir, India from Srinagar through Pahalgam 94 km by Throat Bus,Chandanwari 16 km by walk

Mahamaya

Trisandhyeshwar

6

Jwalamukhi, Kangra, India from Pathankot alight at Jwalamukhi Road Station from there 20 km

Tongue

Siddhida (Ambika)

Unmatta Bhairav

7

Ambaji, at Anart, Gujarat, India

Heart

Ambaji

8

Nepal, near Pashupatinath Temple at Guhyeshwari Temple

Both knees

Mahashira

Kapali

9

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

Dakshayani

Amar

Navel

Mata Sarbamangala Devi

Bhagwan Shiv/Mahadev

10 Bardhaman in West Bengal, India

11

Gandaki in Pokhara, Nepal about 125 km on the banks of Gandaki river where Muktinath temple is situated

Temple

Gandaki Chandi

Chakrapani

12

Bahula, on the banks of Ajay river at Ketugram, 8 km from Katwa, Burdwan,West Bengal, India

Left arm

Goddess Bahula

Bhiruk

13

Ujaani, 16 km from Guskara station under Burdwan district of West Bengal,India

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

Right leg

Tripura Sundari

Tripuresh

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.

Right arm

Bhawani

Chandrashekhar

16

Locally known as Bhramari Devi. Behind a rice mill, near Jalpesh Temple in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India.

Left leg

Bhraamari

Ambar

17

Kamgiri, Kamakhya, in the Neelachal hills near Guwahati, capital of Assam,India

Genitals

Kamakhya

Umanand

18 yoga adya at Khirgram under Burdwan district, West Bengal, India

Big Toe (Right)

Jugaadya

Ksheer Khandak

19 Kalipeeth, (Kalighat, Kolkata), India

Right Toes

Kalika

Nakuleshwar

Finger

Alopi Devi Mandiror Madhaveswari

Bhava

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.

Left thigh

Jayanti

Kramadishwar

22

Kireet at Kireetkona village, 3 km from Lalbag Court Road station under district Murshidabad, West Bengal, India

Crown

Vimla

Sanwart

23

Varanasi at Manikarnika Ghat on banks of the Ganges at Kashi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Earring

Vishalakshi & Manikarni

Kalbhairav

Back

Sarvani

Nimish

Kanyashram, Kanyakumari the Bhadrakali temple within the precincts 24 ofKumari temple, Tamil Nadu, India (also thought to be situated in Chittagong, Bangladesh) 25

Present day Kurukshetra town or Thanesar ancient Sthaneshwar, atHaryana, India

Ankle bone

Savitri/BhadraKali Sthanu

26

Manibandh, at Gayatri hills near Pushkar 11 km north-west of Ajmer,Rajasthan, India

Two Bracelets

Gayatri

Sarvanand

27

Shri Shail, at Joinpur village, Dakshin Surma, near Gotatikar, 3 km north-east of Sylhet town, Bangladesh

Neck

Mahalaxmi

Sambaranand

Bone

Devgarbha

Ruru

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

Kalmadhav on the banks of Shon river in a cave over hills near toAmarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India

Left buttock

Kali

Asitang

30

Shondesh, at the source point of Narmada River in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India

Right buttock

Narmada

Bhadrasen

31

Ramgiri, at Chitrakuta on the Jhansi Manikpur railway line in Uttar Pradesh,India

Right breast

Shivani

Chanda

32

Vrindavan, near new bus stand on Bhuteshwar road within Bhuteshwar Ringlets of hair Mahadev Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India

Uma

Bhutesh

33

Shuchi, in a Shiva temple at Suchindrum 11 km on Kanyakumari Trivandrumroad, Tamil Nadu, India

Upper teeth

Narayani

Sanhar

Bottom teeth

Varahi

Maharudra

Bhavanipur union, at Karatoyatat, 28 km distance from interior Sherpurupazila, Bogra District, Bangladesh

Left anklet (ornament)

Arpana

Vaman

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

Right anklet (ornament)

Shrisundari

Sundaranand

Kapalini (Bhimarupa)

Sarvanand

34 Panchsagar exact location not known (thought to be near Haridwar) 35

37 Vibhash, at Tamluk under district Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India Left ankle 38

Prabhas, 4 km from Veraval station near Somnath temple in Junagadhdistrict of Gujarat, India

Stomach

Chandrabhaga

Vakratund

39

Bhairavparvat, at Bhairav hills on the banks of Shipra river a little distance from Ujjaini town, Madhya Pradesh, India

Upper lips

Avanti

Lambkarna

40

Goddess Saptashrungi (Goddess with 18 arms)]], at Vani in Nasik,Maharashtra, India

Chin (2 parts)

Bhramari

Vikritaksh

41

Sarvashail or Godavaritir, at Kotilingeswar temple on the banks of Godavaririver near Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh, India

Cheeks

Rakini or Vishweshwari

Vatsnabh or Dandpani

Left toes

Ambika

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

44 Mithila, near Janakpur railway station on the border of India and Nepal Left shoulder

Kumari

Shiva

Uma

Mahodar

Nalhati, known as "Nalateshwari Temple" near Nalhati station 45 of Birbhum district, West Bengal, India

Vocal chord with part of the Kalika Devi tracheae

Yogesh

46 Karnat, Kangra, himachalpradesh.

Both ears

Abhiru

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

Vakranath

Jessoreswari, situated at Ishwaripur, Shyamnagar, 48 district Satkhira,Bangladesh. The temple complex was built by Maharaja Pratapaditya, whose capital was Ishwaripur.

Palms of hands and soles of the feet

Jashoreshwari

Chanda

Lips

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

Necklace

Nandini

Nandikeshwar

Hinglaj (Or Hingula), southern Baluchistan a few hours North-east 51 ofGawadar and about 125 km towards North-west from Karachi, Pakistan

Bramharandhra (Part of the head)

Kottari

Bhimlochan

Daant (teeth)

Danteshwari

Kapalbhairv

49

52

Attahas village of Dakshindihi in the district of Bardhaman, near the Katwarailway station, in West Bengal, India

Danestwari (Kuldevi Of Bastar state ), Dantewada 80 km from JagdalpurTehsil, Chhattisgarh

53 Vajreshwari , Kangra 18 km from Dharamshala Tehsil, Kangra

left Breast (teeth) Vajreshwari

Kalbhairv Kapalbhairav

53

[Padmavati Devi] (Padmavatipuri Dham), Panns 80 km from Satna Madhya Pradesh

Padm

Padmavati Devi

54

Tarapith, on the banks of Dwarka river, about 6 km from Rampurhat sub-division, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India

Third eye or spiritual eye (Tara)

Tara

55

Chandika Sthan or chandisthan, at Munger temple on the banks of Gangesnear Ganga Darshan, Bihar, India

Left eye

Chandika or Chandi devi

56

Patan Devi , at Tulsipur railway station on the border of India and Nepaldist.Balrampur near gorakhpur, uttar pradesh, India

Badi Patan left shoulder with Devi/chhoti Patan Bhairav cloths Devi

57 Arbuda Devi, at Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India

Adhar

Arbuda Devi or Adhar Devi

Bholeshankar

Bhairav



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.

Place

Part of the body fallen

Name of Shakti

1

Trincomalee (Sri Lanka)

Groin

Shankari devi

2

Kanchi (Tamil Nadu)

Back part

Kamakshi Devi

3

Pradyumna* (West Bengal)

Stomach part

Srunkhala devi

4

Mysore (Karnataka)

Hair

Chamundeshwari devi

5

Alampur (Andhra Pradesh)

Upper teeth

Jogulamba devi

6

Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh)

Neck part

Bhramaramba devi

7

Kolhapur (Maharastra)

Eyes

Mahalakshmi devi

8

Mahur (Nanded District, Maharastra)

Right hand

Ekaveerika devi

9

Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)

Upper lip

Mahakali devi

10

Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh)

Left hand

Puruhutika devi

11

Purnagiri Temple,Tanakpur State Uttrakhand India]) Navel

Purnagiri temple Tanakpur ,Uttrakhand India

12

Draksharamam (Andhra Pradesh)

Left cheek

Manikyamba devi

13

Guwahati (Assam)

Vulva

Kamarupa devi

14

Prayaga (Uttar Pradesh)

Fingers

Lalita devi

15

Katra, Jammu and Kashmir

Head part

Vaishnavi devi

16

Gaya (Bihar)

Breast part

Sarvamangala devi

17

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)

Wrist

Vishalakshi devi

18

Kashmir*

Right hand

Saraswathi devi

[11]

[*]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.