The Twelve Jyotirlingas - Namita Gokhale

The different aspects of Shiva worship have manifested themselves in the form of countless temples all over the country, the holiest of which are considered the twelve jyotirlingas. In the jyotirlinga form, Shiva is worshipped as light or fire. A jyotirlinga is said to be of divine origin, and each one has a unique legend associated with its creation. These divine lingas are spread from Kedarnath in Uttaranchal in the extreme north, to the southernmost in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu.

Somnath

Somnath in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat is one of the most important jyotirlingas. It is said that Soma, also known as Chandra, or the personified aspect of the moon, was married to the twenty-seven daughters of Daksha. Soma maintained one favorite, Rohini, causing the sisters to complain to their father. He cursed Soma with consumption, upon which the moon-god begged him for forgiveness. Daksha asked Rohini and Soma to perform penance in this area, which they did for four thousand years. At the end of their penance, Shiva was so impressed by their meditation that he himself appeared to bless them. He proclaimed that the moon would now wax for fifteen days of the month and wane for the other fifteen, and thereby not waste away completely. It was in gratitude for this that Soma installed the linga, thereafter known as Somanth because it was at this spot that Soma, or Chandra, regained his radiance.

Mallikarjuna

The Mallikarjuna shrine lies by the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh. According to legend, one of the kings of Chandraguptapura fell in love with his own daughter, upon which she cursed him and he drowned. After this, she gave up all her worldly ties and became an ascetic. She lived here amongst cowherds, and one day, she noticed that one particular cow would always return without milk in her udders after grazing. After some investigation, she found that the cow would discharge her milk over a linga. That same night, Shiva came to her in a dream and told her that he was present in that very linga. She then built a temple over the linga and worshipped it by offering mallika or jasmine flowers, giving it the name Mallikarjuna. It is said that a devotee’s truest desires are granted at this temple.

© "The Book of Shiva" by Namita Gokhale, published by Penguin Books India (P) Limited, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017. Reprinted with permission.

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