The twelve Jyotirlingas are the shrines where Lord Shiva is worshipped as a pillar of light. They are spread right across India, from the Arabian Sea coast of Gujarat to an island in Tamil Nadu, and from a Himalayan valley in Uttarakhand to the plains of Jharkhand. This page gives you all twelve in one place: the name, the town, the state, the nearest station and airport, the darshan timings and the season that suits each one.
Below the list you will find the twelve grouped state by state, the route order that saves the most travel, and the practical rules you should know before you set out. Our pilgrimage team has been arranging this yatra for many years, and every detail here is carried from our own temple guides.
This is the traditional order in which the twelve are recited. Tap any name to open our full guide for that shrine.
| # | Jyotirlinga | Town | State | Nearest railway station | Nearest airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somnath | Prabhas Patan | Gujarat | Somnath, about 0.5 km. Veraval, about 7 km. | Diu, about 85 km. Rajkot and Ahmedabad have more flights. |
| 2 | Mallikarjuna | Srisailam | Andhra Pradesh | Markapur Road, about 85 to 90 km. | Hyderabad, about 230 km. |
| 3 | Mahakaleshwar | Ujjain | Madhya Pradesh | Ujjain Junction, about 2 km. | Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, Indore, about 53 km. |
| 4 | Omkareshwar | Mandhata island, Omkareshwar | Madhya Pradesh | Khandwa Junction, about 77 km. Indore is about 78 km. | Indore, about 85 km. |
| 5 | Kedarnath | Kedarnath, Rudraprayag district | Uttarakhand | Rishikesh or Haridwar, about 215 km. | Jolly Grant, Dehradun, about 240 km. |
| 6 | Bhimashankar | A temple village in the Sahyadri hills, Pune district | Maharashtra | Pune, about 110 km. | Pune, about 110 km. |
| 7 | Kashi Vishwanath | Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi Junction, about 5 km. Banaras station also serves the city. | Lal Bahadur Shastri International, Varanasi, about 25 km. |
| 8 | Trimbakeshwar | Trimbak, Nashik district | Maharashtra | Nashik Road, about 40 km. | Nashik Ozar has limited flights. Mumbai is the main gateway. |
| 9 | Vaidyanath, also called Baidyanath | Deoghar | Jharkhand | Jasidih Junction, about 7 km, on the Howrah to Delhi line. | Deoghar, about 12 km. Kolkata, Ranchi and Patna are the bigger gateways. |
| 10 | Nageshwar | On the Dwarka to Bet Dwarka road, Devbhumi Dwarka district | Gujarat | Dwarka, about 16 km. | Jamnagar or Porbandar, a few hours by road. |
| 11 | Ramanathaswamy | Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram district | Tamil Nadu | Rameswaram, about 1 km from the temple. | Madurai, about 170 km. |
| 12 | Grishneshwar | Verul, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district | Maharashtra | Aurangabad, about 30 km. Daulatabad is about 15 km with limited trains. | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, about 30 km. |
Distances are approximate and are given as a guide for planning. Timings, fees and entry rules do change, so please confirm them before you travel.
Eight states hold the twelve shrines between them. Grouping them this way is the fastest way to see how much ground your yatra has to cover.
Maharashtra has the most Jyotirlingas of any state in this list. You will often hear people say Maharashtra has five. That count adds Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath, which local tradition holds in the same regard. In the classical list of twelve followed here, the state has three.
Both stand on the Saurashtra coast, and both sit close to a famous Krishna temple town. Somnath is near Veraval and Nageshwar is a short drive from Dwarka, so the two are usually done together.
These two are close enough to each other to be covered comfortably from Indore, which makes Madhya Pradesh the easiest pair on the whole circuit.
The only one of the twelve that shuts for the winter, and the only one that asks something of your body. Plan the rest of your yatra around this shrine, not the other way round.
It stands in the old city of Varanasi, and since December 2021 the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor has joined it directly to the Ganga at Lalita Ghat.
Reached most easily through Jasidih Junction on the Howrah to Delhi line.
A hill shrine inside a tiger reserve, most often approached from Hyderabad.
The southernmost of the twelve, on an island reached from Madurai.
The twelve are not on one road, and no single straight line joins them. The sensible way to plan is by cluster. Four clusters cover all twelve, and you can either join them into one long journey of about eighteen days, or take one cluster at a time over a few years. Many families prefer the second way, and there is no loss of merit in it.
Gujarat and Maharashtra together hold five of the twelve, and they sit close enough to be joined into one comfortable leg. Most pilgrims start here, because the roads are good, the temples are open all year, and the season from October to March suits every one of them.
Ujjain and Omkareshwar are both worked from Indore. This is the shortest leg of the whole circuit and the easiest to add on to a western trip.
Srisailam is reached from Hyderabad and Rameswaram from Madurai. These two are far apart from each other, so allow flying time between them rather than a long road journey.
Varanasi and Deoghar sit on the same broad rail corridor. Kedarnath is the one that decides your calendar, because it is closed from November to April. If you want all twelve in a single journey, this leg has to fall between May and October.
One rule governs the whole calendar. Kedarnath is shut from November to April. If you want all twelve in a single journey, that journey has to run between May and October. If you are travelling in the winter months, plan the other eleven now and keep Kedarnath for a separate summer trip.
| Jyotirlinga | Darshan timings |
|---|---|
| Somnath | Darshan generally runs from 6 in the morning to 10 at night, with aarti three times a day. |
| Mallikarjuna | Opens around 4:30 in the morning with the Suprabhatam and closes at night around 9:30 or 10, with breaks for sevas. |
| Mahakaleshwar | The day begins around 4 in the morning with the Bhasma Aarti, and darshan continues till late evening. |
| Omkareshwar | Mangal Aarti around 4:30 in the morning. Darshan from about 5 in the morning to around 12:20, then again until about 9:30 at night. |
| Kedarnath | The day begins with the morning abhishekam and darshan continues through the day, with a break in the afternoon. Timings shift with the season. |
| Bhimashankar | Kakada Aarti around 4:30 in the morning, darshan from about 5, and the temple closes around 9:30 at night. |
| Kashi Vishwanath | Mangla Aarti from about 3 to 4 in the morning, Bhog Aarti around noon, Saptarishi Aarti around 7 in the evening, and Shayan Aarti near 11 at night. |
| Trimbakeshwar | Open from early morning until about 9 at night. Brahma puja about 7 to 8:30, Mahadev puja about 10:45 to 12:30, and Vishnu puja in the evening. |
| Vaidyanath, also called Baidyanath | Doors open around 4 in the morning and close in the early afternoon around 2. They open again around 6 in the evening and close for the night around 8. |
| Nageshwar | Doors open around 6 in the morning and darshan continues till about 12:30. It resumes from about 5 in the evening till about 9:30 at night. |
| Ramanathaswamy | The temple opens at 4 in the morning and darshan begins at 5. Main darshan runs until the temple closes at 1 in the afternoon, and it reopens at 3 with darshan until 8 at night. |
| Grishneshwar | Doors open early, around 5:30 in the morning with the first aarti, with a short break around midday, and close about 9 at night. |
Timings change on festival days, during Shravan, and at Mahashivratri, when queues at every one of these temples are far longer than usual. Kedarnath timings shift with the season. Please confirm on the day.
For eleven of the twelve, the window from October to March is the most comfortable. The heat is gone, the roads are dry, and the queues are shorter than in Shravan. Kedarnath is the single exception, because it is closed in exactly those months.
The busiest days across all twelve are Mahashivratri and the Mondays of Shravan. The darshan on those days is beautiful, but if you are travelling with elders or small children, an ordinary weekday in the cool season will serve you better.
The first of the twelve, standing on the shore of the Arabian Sea. It was rebuilt along with free India itself.
Before you go: Mobiles, cameras, smartwatches and all electronic items are strictly not allowed inside. Free lockers and a shoe house are provided. Entry is free.
A Jyotirlinga and a Maha Shakti Peetha stand in the same complex, so one yatra gives you the blessings of both the Lord and the Mother.
Before you go: Sparsha Darshan, where you touch the linga, is limited and needs advance booking. Free Sarva Darshan is always open. The ghat road runs through a tiger reserve, so travel it in daylight.
The only one of the twelve that faces south, and a swayambhu lingam. This is Shiva as the Lord of time.
Before you go: The Bhasma Aarti must be booked in advance. Traditional dress is required if you want seating close to the sanctum. The Nagchandreshwar shrine above opens only one day a year, on Nag Panchami.
The shrine sits on an island shaped like the sacred syllable Om. The Lord appeared here in two forms, so darshan at Mamleshwar completes the visit.
Before you go: You reach the island by bridge or by boat. A paid quick darshan queue is available. The seven kilometre parikrama takes two to three hours and is optional.
The highest of the twelve, at about 3,583 metres. It is both a Jyotirlinga and one of the Chota Char Dham.
Before you go: The temple is closed from November to April, when winter worship moves to Ukhimath. The walk from Gaurikund is about 16 km and takes six to eight hours. Helicopter services run from Phata, Sirsi and Guptkashi. Char Dham registration is compulsory for everyone.
The Jyotirlinga of the forests. It stands inside a wildlife sanctuary that is home to the Shekru, and the Bhima river rises here.
Before you go: This temple was closed from January 2026 for major renovation and reopened on 15 June 2026 with limited daily slots and online registration. Please check the current position before you travel. There are about 150 steps down from the parking area.
Since December 2021 the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor joins the temple directly to Lalita Ghat on the Ganga.
Before you go: Mobile phones, cameras, smart watches and other electronics are not allowed inside. The Mangla Aarti is ticketed and should be booked ahead. Cars stop near the Godowlia crossing, so the last stretch is on foot.
The lingam shows three small faces together, for Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. This is also the birthplace of the Godavari.
Before you go: Entry into the sanctum area is regulated, and most devotees have darshan from outside the garbhagriha in the queue. The temple can close at short notice during very heavy rain warnings.
Shiva as the divine physician. This is both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha, and the Shravani Mela kanwar walk from Sultanganj covers about 108 km.
Before you go: During the Shravan mela darshan can take many hours, and elders may prefer another month. Two other temples, Parli Vaijnath in Maharashtra and Baijnath in Himachal Pradesh, are also linked by tradition to this name.
The Lord of Serpents, worshipped in an underground sanctum beneath a seated Shiva statue about 80 feet tall.
Before you go: If you wish to enter the inner sanctum and do jal abhishekam, traditional dress rules apply. A few other temples in India are also linked by tradition to the name Nageshwar.
A Jyotirlinga and the southern Char Dham together. The bath in the twenty two theerthams is offered at no other temple in India.
Before you go: The temple expects traditional dress. Mobile phones are not allowed inside. There is a small fee for the theertham bath, and wet clothes are not appropriate in the sanctum.
The twelfth and last Jyotirlinga, barely 2 km from the world famous Ellora caves, and one of the few where devotees may come close and touch the shivling.
Before you go: Men must remove their shirt and upper garment before entering the sanctum. Ladies should wear traditional or modest dress. Permission to touch the linga can change on heavy festival days.
Two entries in the list of twelve are held differently by different traditions, and we would rather tell you plainly than pretend the question does not exist.
The first is Vaidyanath. Our guide places it at Deoghar in Jharkhand, which is the most widely followed view. Parli Vaijnath in Maharashtra and Baijnath in Himachal Pradesh are also linked by tradition to the same name, and each has devotees who hold it as the true Jyotirlinga.
The second is Nageshwar. Our guide places it near Dwarka in Gujarat. A few other temples in India are also linked by tradition to the name Nageshwar.
There is also the question of Maharashtra, where you will often hear that the state has five Jyotirlingas rather than three. That count includes Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath. Follow the tradition your family keeps. None of these differences takes anything away from your yatra.
If you would like the whole circuit arranged for you, with the trains, the hotels, the darshan bookings and the Kedarnath season handled together, our pilgrimage desk can plan it around your dates. We also arrange the shorter regional circuits for families who would rather take the twelve a few at a time.
See the complete 12 Jyotirlinga yatra →Explore all sacred temple circuits →Compiled by the Way to India pilgrimage team from our own temple guides. Timings, fees and entry rules are stated as they were recorded on those guides and can change without notice. Please confirm current details with the temple before you travel.
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