Omkareshwar Temple is one of the highly revered Jyotirlinga and is located on an island called Shivapuri in the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh.
The word Omkareshwar means βLord of Omkaraβ or the Lord of the Om Sound! According to the Hindu scriptures, once upon a time, there ensued a great war between the Devas and Danavas (Gods and Demons), in which the Danavas won.
This was a major setback for the Devas who then prayed to Lord Shiva.
Pleased with their prayer, Lord Shiva emerged in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and defeated the Danavas.
This place is thus considered to be highly sacred by the Hindus.
5. Baidyanath Jyotirlinga, Jharkhand
Vaidyanath Temple is also known as Vaijnath or Baidyanath.
It is located at Deogarh in the Santal Parganas region of Jharkhand.
This is one of the highly revered Jyotirlinga shrines, and the devotees believe that the sincere worship of this shrine relieves a person from all his worries and miseries.
People believe that one attains moksha or salvation by worshipping this Jyotirlinga.
According to a famous legend, the demon king Ravana meditated and asked Lord Shiva to come over to Sri Lanka and make it invincible.
Ravana tried to take Mount Kailash with him, but Lord Shiva crushed it.
Ravana asked for penance and in turn, was given of the twelve Jyotirlingas on the condition that if it was placed on the ground it would remain rooted to that spot till eternity.
While transporting it to Sri Lanka, Lord Varuna entered Ravanaβs body and he felt an urgent need to relieve himself.
Lord Vishnu came down in the form of a lad and offered to hold the lingam in the meantime.
However, Vishnu placed the lingam on the ground and it got rooted to the spot.
As a form of penance, Ravana cut off nine of his heads. Shiva revived him and joined the heads to the body, like a vaidya and hence this Jyotirlinga came to be known as Vaidyanath.
6. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga, Maharashtra
The Bhimashankar Temple is located in the Sahyadri region of Pune, Maharashtra.
It lies on the banks of Bhima River and is considered to be a source of this river.
The legend about the existence of this Jyotirlinga is related to Kumbhakarnaβs son Bhima.
When Bhima learned that he was the son of Kumbhakarana who was annihilated by Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Lord Ram, he vowed to avenge Lord Vishnu.
He performed penance to please Lord Brahma who granted him immense power. On achieving this power, he started creating havoc in the world.
He defeated the staunch devotee of Lord Shiva- Kamrupeshwar and put him in the dungeons.
This angered the Lords who requested Shiva to descend Earth and put an end to this tyranny.
A war ensued between the two and Shiva ultimately put the demon to ashes.
All the Gods then requested Shiva to make that place his abode.
Shiva then manifested himself in the form of Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga.
It is believed that the sweat which poured from Shivaβs body after the battle is what formed the Bhima River.
7. Rameshwar Jyotirlinga, Tamil Nadu
Rameshwar Temple, the southernmost of the 12 Jyotirlingas, is located on the island of Rameshwaram, off the Sethu coast of Tamil Nadu.
This temple is popularly known for its architecture, more prominently the long ornate corridors, towers, and 36 theerthams.
This has been a time-honoured pilgrimage centre considered by many at par with Banaras.
This Jyotirlinga is closely associated with Ramayana and Ramβs victorious return from Sri Lanka.
It is believed that Ram on his way to Sri Lanka stopped at Rameshwaram and was drinking water on the seashore when there was a celestial proclamation: βYou are drinking water without worshipping me.β
Listening to this Ram made a linga of sand and worshipped it and asked for its blessings to defeat Ravana.
He got the blessings from Lord Shiva who then turned into a Jyotirlinga and resided at the place for eternity.