The 12 Jyotirlingas · द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिङ्ग

When Brahma and Vishnu argued over who was greater, Shiva appeared as a pillar of light with no beginning and no end. Twelve shrines across India are revered as Jyotirlingas — see each on the map.

[Traditional account]

The Shiva Purana tells how Brahma flew upward as a swan and Vishnu dived downward as a boar to find the ends of a blazing column. Neither found an end; Shiva emerged from it. The Jyotirlingas are places where, tradition says, Shiva manifested as this light.

Each shrine has a sacred origin story and, separately, a documented history of its present building. Many were destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries; the date of the present structure is often much later than the tradition of the place.

• The twelve and where identifications differ
• The Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram

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• Shiva Purana — Koti Rudra Samhita
• Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram