Legend According to a
Shiva legend from the Shiva Purana, once,
Brahma (the god of creation) and
Vishnu (the god of preservation) had an argument over their supremacy. To settle the debate,
Shiva pierced the three worlds, appearing as a huge, infinite pillar of light, the
jyotirlinga. Brahma and Vishnu decided to ascend and descend across a pillar of light respectively, to find the end of the light in either direction. According to some iterations, Vishnu assumed his
Varaha avatar to achieve this task, while Brahma rode a
hamsa (swan). Brahma lied that he had discovered the end of the light, producing a ketakī flower as proof, while Vishnu admitted that he could not find the end of the light from his journey. The dishonesty of Brahma angered Shiva, causing him to curse the creator deity that he would not be worshipped; he also declared that Vishnu would be eternally worshipped for his honesty. The
jyotirlinga shrines are regarded to be the temples where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.
Original 64 Originally, there were believed to have been 64
jyotirlingas of which 12 are considered to be very auspicious and holy. At all these sites, the primary image is
lingam, representing the beginningless and endless
stambha (pillar), symbolising the infinite nature of Shiva.
Sanskrit shlokas The following
shloka (द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिंग स्तोत्रम्
Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga Stotram) describes the 12
jyotirlingas:
Twelve most sacred sites The names and the locations of 12
jyotirlingas are mentioned in the
Shiva Purana (, Ch.42/2-4). The detailed stories are given in Kotirudra Saṁhitā, chapters 14 to 33. These temples (not in order) are: ==References==