The twelve Jyotirlingas

The journey in one line

12 stops in India. Complete means all 12 visited.

The Shiva Purana names twelve places where Shiva is present as a jyotirlinga, a pillar of light rather than a made image. The verse that lists them is memorised and recited, which is part of why the set has stayed stable. They are spread across the country: two in Gujarat, three in Maharashtra, two in Madhya Pradesh, one each in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Four of them overlap other journeys. Kedarnath is in the Chota Char Dham, Rameswaram is in the Char Dham, Kashi Vishwanath is in Varanasi and Mahakaleshwar is in Ujjain.

This is the most widely travelled multi-site route in Hindu practice after the Char Dham, and it is the clearest example of a canonical list that people actually complete. It also stitches together very different kinds of place. Somnath was destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly and is now a post-independence building. Grishneshwar sits beside the Ellora caves. Kedarnath is at 3,583 metres and shut half the year.

There is no single season. Kedarnath forces the plan: roughly late April to early November. Everything else is open year round. Sensible clusters are Somnath with Nageshwar and Dwarka, Trimbakeshwar with Bhimashankar and Grishneshwar in Maharashtra, Mahakaleshwar with Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, and Kashi Vishwanath with Baidyanath in the east. Several temples run paid quick-darshan queues. Mahakaleshwar's Bhasma Aarti needs booking in advance.

Where it goes

The stops, in order

What a visit means here. A visit means being in the authorised visitor area of each temple. The journey is complete when all twelve are visited.

1. 1

   Somnath Temple

   સોમનાથ મંદિર

   Prabhas Patan, India

   

   Somnath is counted first among the twelve Jyotirlingas and stands on the Arabian Sea coast at Prabhas Patan. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt many times over a thousand years. The present building was completed in 1951 in the Chalukya style after independence.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple precinct and the seafront terrace behind it.

   Access

   Phones, cameras and bags are not allowed inside and are left at the counters. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

2. 2

   Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple

   శ్రీశైలం మల్లికార్జున స్వామి

   Srisailam, India

   

   Srisailam holds both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha, which is rare, and sits on a hill above the Krishna river inside a tiger reserve. The fortified walls around the temple carry long relief friezes from the Vijayanagara period. Pilgrims have come here since at least the Satavahana centuries.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple compound within the fort walls.

   Access

   The approach road runs through a tiger reserve with night restrictions. Darshan queues are ticketed. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

3. 3

   Mahakaleshwar Temple

   महाकालेश्वर मंदिर

   Ujjain, India

   

   Mahakaleshwar is the Jyotirlinga of Ujjain and the only one considered dakshinamukhi, facing south. The Bhasma Aarti before dawn is particular to this temple. The Mahakal Lok corridor was added around the complex in 2022.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple precinct and the corridor around it.

   Access

   The Bhasma Aarti requires a booked pass and has its own dress rules. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

4. 4

   Omkareshwar Temple

   ओंकारेश्वर मंदिर

   Khandwa district, India

   

   Omkareshwar stands on Mandhata island in the Narmada, which is said to take the shape of the syllable Om. Two shrines share the Jyotirlinga tradition here, Omkareshwar on the island and Mamleshwar on the south bank. Pilgrims walk the parikrama around the whole island.

   What counts as a visit

   The island temple precinct and the parikrama path.

   Access

   The island is reached by bridge or boat. The parikrama takes several hours on foot. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

5. 5

   Kedarnath Temple

   केदारनाथ मंदिर

   Rudraprayag district, India

   

   Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and the third stop of the Chota Char Dham, at 3,583 metres below the Kedarnath peak. The stone temple is credited to the Pandavas and was rebuilt by Adi Shankara. In the 2013 floods a boulder split the water above the temple and the building survived while the town did not.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple courtyard, reached by the sixteen kilometre walk from Gaurikund or by helicopter.

   Access

   Open roughly late April to early November. Registration is required and the walk is long and high. Checked 2026-09-17.

   SeasonalHigh altitude

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

6. 6

   Bhimashankar Temple

   भीमाशंकर मंदिर

   Pune district, India

   

   Bhimashankar is the Jyotirlinga of the Sahyadri hills and the source of the Bhima river. The temple is in the Nagara style with Maratha period additions, including a bell brought from Vasai. It sits inside a wildlife sanctuary that protects the Indian giant squirrel.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple courtyard at the foot of the stone stairs.

   Access

   Reached by a long stair from the road head, inside a wildlife sanctuary with its own rules. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

7. 7

   Kashi Vishwanath Temple

   काशी विश्वनाथ मंदिर

   Varanasi, India

   

   Kashi Vishwanath is the Jyotirlinga of Varanasi and the temple the city is named for. The present building was put up in 1780 by Ahilyabai Holkar after earlier temples on the site were demolished. The Vishwanath Dham corridor opened in 2021 and connects it to the Ganga ghats.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple precinct and the Vishwanath Dham corridor to the river.

   Access

   Phones and bags go into lockers before entry and there is security screening. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

8. 8

   Trimbakeshwar Temple

   त्र्यंबकेश्वर मंदिर

   Nashik district, India

   

   Trimbakeshwar stands at the source of the Godavari below Brahmagiri hill. The lingam here is three faced, which the name records. The black stone temple was built in the eighteenth century by the Peshwa Nanasaheb.

   What counts as a visit

   The temple courtyard and the Kushavarta tank beside it.

   Access

   Entry to the inner sanctum has its own rules and dress code. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

9. 9

   Baba Baidyanath Dham

   बैद्यनाथ धाम

   Deoghar, India

   

   Baidyanath Dham at Deoghar is the Jyotirlinga of Jharkhand and is also counted among the Shakti Peethas. Twenty one temples stand inside one walled compound. In the month of Shravan a stream of people walk more than a hundred kilometres from Sultanganj carrying Ganga water.

   What counts as a visit

   The walled temple compound at Deoghar.

   Access

   The Shravan season brings very large crowds and a managed queue. Checked 2026-09-17.

   Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

10. 10

    Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

    નાગેશ્વર જ્યોતિર્લિંગ

    Dwarka district, India

    

    Nageshwar stands between Dwarka and Bet Dwarka on the Saurashtra coast. The lingam is underground and the shrine is small, but a twenty five metre seated Shiva outside makes it visible from a distance. Most people come here as part of the Dwarka circuit.

    What counts as a visit

    The temple shrine and the statue courtyard.

    Access

    Cameras are not allowed inside the shrine. Checked 2026-09-17.

    Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

11. 11

    Ramanathaswamy Temple

    ராமநாதசுவாமி கோயில்

    Rameswaram, India

    

    Rameswaram is the southern seat of the Char Dham and one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Rama is said to have set up the lingam here after the war in Lanka. The temple has the longest pillared corridor in India, running more than a kilometre around the outer court, and twenty two wells that pilgrims bathe at in order.

    What counts as a visit

    The temple corridors and the outer prakaram. The inner sanctum has its own rules.

    Access

    Bathing at the wells is done in wet clothes and has a separate ticket. Phones are restricted inside. Checked 2026-09-17.

    Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

12. 12

    Grishneshwar Temple

    घृष्णेश्वर मंदिर

    Ellora, India

    

    Grishneshwar is the last of the twelve Jyotirlingas and stands a kilometre from the Ellora caves. The red basalt temple was rebuilt in the eighteenth century by Ahilyabai Holkar over older work. Its walls carry carved figures in the Maratha style.

    What counts as a visit

    The temple courtyard and shrine.

    Access

    Men are asked to remove shirts before entering the sanctum, a rule the temple still applies. Checked 2026-09-17.

    Check access · last checked September 17, 2026

Respect and access

Phones and cameras are banned inside at most of these and go into lockers before the queue. Dress rules differ by temple and some are strict about what men wear in the sanctum. Grishneshwar still asks men to remove their shirts before entering. Entry to touch the lingam is often restricted or ticketed separately, and at some temples is limited to Hindus. Accept the rule the temple sets.

Seasonal

Access follows a season, a calendar or an event rather than being open year round.

High altitude

The place sits high enough that altitude affects who can reach it and how long it takes.

Opening times, prices, permits and eligibility change. Nothing on this page is a statement about today. Follow the Check access link on a place before you plan around it.

Sources

• gujarattourism.comhttps://www.gujarattourism.com/saurashtra/gir-somnath/somnath-temple.html · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/andhra-pradesh/kurnool/srisailam-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/madhya-pradesh/ujjain/mahakaleshwar-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/maharashtra/jalgaon/omkareshwar-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• badrinath-kedarnath.gov.inhttps://badrinath-kedarnath.gov.in/ · checked September 17, 2026
• maharashtratourism.gov.inhttps://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/treasures/bhimashankar · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/uttar-pradesh/varanasi/kashi-vishwanath-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/maharashtra/nashik/trimbakeshwar-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/jharkhand/deoghar/baba-baidyanath-dham · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/gujarat/dwarka/nageshwar-jyotirlinga · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/tamil-nadu/rameswaram/sri-ramanathaswamy-temple · checked September 17, 2026
• incredibleindia.gov.inhttps://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/maharashtra/chhatrapati-sambhaji-nagar/grishneshwar-temple · checked September 17, 2026

TravelDay selected and grouped these places. Naming a custodian, a government agency or UNESCO as a source is not a claim that any of them endorsed this journey.