Somnath Jyotirlinga

So finally I have been to both the Jyotirlingas in Gujrat as well....Somnath is beautiful ...so stunning u cant believe ur eyes!!

Now to reach there is very simple....either just take a train to Veerawal....the closest railway station, or take a flight to ahmedabad and then travel by road, which I think is a better option.  Drive from Ahmedabad to Veerawal is abt 8 hrs, no matter wat ur navigator says.  But the road is perfect, so even that 8 hr drive is not a problem.

Once in Verawal, the temple is only 5-6 kms away from the railway station.  If you want, officially the nearest airport is Diu, which is only 90 KM.

You are not allowed to bring in your cellphones or  purses inside the temple premises.  They  have locker facilities outside where you can keep your stuff.  Ladies though are allowed to carry a small wallet to keep there cash in, but nothing else.  And yes, they check very thoroughly if you do bring in anything to offer inside the temple, so you can't sneak in any cell phones.

Also remember to keep atleast 2 days, because the main temple is huge and beautiful.  There is a lights and sounds show on every night, a gallery with all 12 jyotirlingas made in glass enclosures, with there locations and all written in it etc.   There is also a Somnath Museum.  The temple itself is right next to the most beautiful sea beach so you can enjoy gazing at the setting sun for hours.

If you want to be able to stand for hours  in front of the Jyotirlinga without the rude guards pushing you off, opt for the Rajopchar Puja done early in the morning.  If you get it done, you and your companions wont be pushed back to let in space for other ppl to get the darshan.  I know it sounds money-minded, but why not??  The puja they do is beautiful!!

Last piece of info.....there is another smaller temple right in front of the big one, which they say has the actual Jyotirlinga.....so pls pls pls dont miss it.  The temple is tiny, but one you are inside, you can do all the pooja you like by your own hands if you manage to reach early.  If you ask a panditji for rudra-abhishek, he will make sure you get to do it properly.

I hope this info helps.
Pls do let me know if you need to ask anything else

Pls find below the beautiful Shivlinga photo after the shringar.

All about Babadham: how to reach, where to stay etc.

How to reach is really simple.  Your best bet is you take a flight till Patna, and then take a train towards Jasidih.  Jasidih is just 7 K.M. away from Deoghar, where Babadham is actually located. From Jasidih to Deoghar, you can get a car ride i.e. Taxis or you can take one of those auto-rikshaw thingies.  They are all safe enough, so no need to worry......I was actually quiet scared of setting foot in Bihar, but it is actually quiet safe....every one I came across was friendly.
Anyways....back to how to reach....Patna to Jasidih train ride is about 6 hrs.  If you are coming by train find one that comes right upto Jasidih, or find one from wherever ou are coming from to Patna Junction, and then Patna Junction to Jasidih.
From Jasidih to Deoghar its just a 20 mins ride...but quiet a bumpy one.

Now once you reach there...there are quiet a few hotels and motels all over, but the best one was Hotel Mahadev Palace.
Its the best Hotel around the place, almost a 3-Star.  The link is Hotel Mahadev Palace

Now once you actually enter the Temple premisis.....you are, as usual, mobbed by Panditjis.  Chose anyone if you want to do a proper pooja or just get in the queue for the Darshan, but even once you reach inside, it's crazy....you are pushed and pulled and thrown on the floor.  But dont worry....the actual Darshans are worth it!!  Or for me atleast....falling down was worth it. 

Outside the main temple....there are a lot of tiny little temples, each one is beautiful in its own way.  Or maybe the atmosphere is so devotional, you find everything beautiful.  The main thing is Parvati mata's temple, and you can actually do a gathjoda between Shivji and Parvati Mata's temples.  You pay the Panditji Rs 200(approx), and they give you something that looks like a pom-pom actually, but they send a boy up Shivji's temple, tie one end of it to thetemple, and they throw it down to you....you get a ball of ribbon....you carry it to Parvati Mata's temple, and there they take it up to Parvati Mata's Temples tip and tie it there.  You can also opt for various Pooja's the info for which is available at The Temple website given above

Anyways, I am not going to drag on about what to see and what not to see etc, but if you are planning to go to Basukinath, it is an exact replica of Babadham.

Thats all the info you guys might need....however, if you need to know more you can just contact me through this blog.
Om Namah Shivay!!

Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga

So next I went to Vaidyanath, or Baidyanath Jyotirlinga.  This one is also known as Babadham.

Now many of you must have read the stories of the origin of this jyotirlinga....but here is an excerpt from the website of the jyotirlinga itself:

The Puranas speak of the Baidyanath Jyortiligam. According to the Shiva Purana, it was in the Treta yuga that the demon Ravana, king of Lanka, felt that his capital would not be perfect and free from enemies unless Mahadeva stays there forever, he paid continuous meditation to Mahadeva. Ultimately Shiva got pleased and permitted him to carry his lingam with him to Lanka. Mahadeva advised him not to place or transfer this lingam to anyone. There should not be a break in his journey to Lanka. If he deposits the lingam anywhere on the earth, in the course of his journey, it would remain fixed at that place forever. Ravana was happy as he was taking his return journey to Lanka.

His fate willed otherwise. The gods took it ill. They never liked to see Mahadeva as his protector. They devised a plan for outwitting Ravana. They requested Varuna to enter into the belly of Ravana. So, on his way Ravana felt a severe urge to release water. He began looking for a man to whom he could temporarily entrust the lingam. Vishnu appeared before Ravana in the guise of a Brahmin. Unaware of the mystery, Ravana handed over the lingam to the Brahmin. Unfortunately, Ravana could not ease himself soon. In the meanwhile the Brahmin placed the lingam at this place which was and which is now Baidyanathdham.

Ravana tried hard to remove the lingam from the spot where it had been placed. He could not turn out the lingam even an inch. This made him frustrated. He used violence but he only succeeded in pushing  the lingam by thumb. Later on he felt guilty of his doings and begged for pardon.

He returned to Lanka but visitied daily to worship the lingam. This continued forever. The place where Ravana descended on the earth is identified with the present Harilajori about four miles north of Baidyanathdham and the place where the lingam was kept, is now Deoghar and the lingam itself is known to all as Baidyanath Jyotirlingam.

The very name of Baidyanath bears the history of Ravana as mentioned in the Shiva Purana which is as such:

Shri Shiva Mahapurana, Kotirudra Samhita 28th Chapter

Meaning:

Ravana asked Shiva for limitless power and if Shiva pleases upon him then nothing will be rare for him. Shiva was pleased and granted all as Lord is kind enough and gave his wishes fulfilled. He also preached him for future. Looking into heads of Ravana with graceful vision and repaired his heads as there were in the original form. By the grace of Lord Shiva he gets all fruits of his deeds. Being in a posture of grace and love Shiva was prayed by Ravana and since then Shiva is known to all as Baidyanath in the famous three worlds. By means of worshipping and seeing the emblem of Maheshwar as Jyotirlingam, one gets the pleasure of world and becomes free from the bondage of this corporal power and becomes helpful to all. He came to worship this great Jyotirlingm and worshipping in a special way. He came and worshipped this lingam to conquer the three worlds.

 

The Padam Purana also mentions the story of Baidyanath Jyotirlingam.

Matsyapurana narrates about the sanctity of the holy place where Shakti remains forever and frees people from diseases i.e. Arogya Baidyanathe tu.

Brihad Dharmapurana mentions about the Jyotirlingam of Baidyanath. It describes Haridranagar (Baidyanathdham - Deoghar) where the lingam of Baidyanath exists.

Debi Bhagwat also mentions the abode of Baidyanath in course of its pith nirnaya.

Bhavishyapurana also narrates the existence of Baidyanath. It refers to the tract comprising the present district and Birbhoom as Narikhand, and describes it as follows: Narikhande is district abounding in thickets. It lies west of the Dwarikashwari River. It extends along the Panchakuta hills on its west, and approaches Kikta on the north. The forests are very extensive, chiefly of Sakhota, Arjuna and Sal trees with a plentiful addition of brushwood. The district is celebrated for the shrine of Baidyanath. The deity is worshipped by people from all quarters, and is the source of every good in the present age.

This is the link of the website:

http://www.babadham.org/index.php

 

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga

Well this was my very first Jyotirlinga.  Usually you can make a 2 day program and visit all 3 jyotirlingas easily.  I however did not have enough time so just did Bhimashankar. 

To reach I took a Delhi-Mumbai flight and from Mumbai and rented a cab from there.  By road it's a 6 hour drive.  You can also go to Pune and by road it will be around three hour drive. 

Once you reach the parking there will be those "guides" who claim you can take your car further.....well they are lying.  It's safer not to take the car.  Once you reach the head of the stairs you will find a few "palki wallahs" or the chair ride.  They take a moderate amount....
and will take you down the flight of stairs and up again on the chair ride, a good option if you have some one with you who is old or injured or ill. 

For more information you can visit the Jyotirlinga website : http://bhimashankar.in/index.htm

Next up is Nageshwar Jyotirlinga.  Coming up soon!!

Till then....Bye and Take Care!!!

List of Jyotirlingas

#	Jyotirlinga	Image	State	Location	Description
1	Somnath		Gujarat	Prabhas Patan, Saurashtra	Somnath is the first amongst the holy shrines and traditionally, the Dwadash Jyotirlinga pilgrimage begins with the Somnath Temple. It is the prime abode of Lord Shiva and is considered to be holiest of all the Jyotirlingas. The temple was destroyed and re-built six times, is held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, tradition, and history. It is located at Prabhas Patan (Somnath - Veraval) in Saurashtra in Gujarat.
2	Mallikārjuna		Andhra Pradesh	Srisailam	Mallikārjuna, also called Śrīśaila, is located on a mountain on the river Krishna.[1] Srisailam, in Kurnool District in Andhra Pradesh enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda Lahiri here.[citation needed]
3	Mahakaleshwar		Madhya Pradesh	Mahakal, Ujjain	Mahakal, Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbhagriha (where the Shiv Lingam sits).
4	Omkareshwar		Madhya Pradesh	Island in the Narmada River, Omkareshwar	Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada River is home to a Jyotirlinga shrine and the Mamaleshwar temple.
5	Kedarnath		Uttarakhand	Kedarnath	Kedarnath in Uttarakhand is the northernmost of the Jyotirlingas. Kedarnath, nestled in the snow-clad Himalayas, is an ancient shrine, rich in legend and tradition. It is accessible only by foot, and only for six months a year.
6	Bhimashankar		Maharashtra	Bhimashankar	Bhimashankar is very much debated. There is a Bhimashankara temple near Pune (pictured) in Maharastra, which was referred to as Daakini country, but Kashipur in Uttarakhand was also referred to as Daakini country in ancient days and a Bhimashkar Temple known as Shree Moteshwar Mahadev is present there. Another Bhimashankar is in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra. Bhimshankar temple near Guwahati, Assam is the jyotirlinga according to Sivapuran. According to "LINGA PURAN", Bhimasankar temple in Bhimpur near Gunupur of Rayagada Dist in South Orissa is also believed as Bhimasankar Jyotirlinga, which is situated at the western part of the holy Mahendragiri mountains and at the river bank of Mahendratanaya(which is also believed as the Daakini area by many historian), was excavated in the year 1974, having quadrangular Shakti around the Linga and decorated by a Upavita as per the puran.Please visit official website of Bhimasankar Jyotirlinga.
7	Kashi Vishwanath		Uttar Pradesh	Varanasi	Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is home to the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga shrine, which is perhaps the most sacred of Hindu shrines.
8	Trimbakeshwar		Maharashtra	Trimbakeshwar, Near Nashik	Trimbakeshwar Temple, near Nasik in Maharashtra, is a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari river.
9	Vaidyanath		Jharkhand	Vaidyanath	The location of Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga is also debated. Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga also called Baidyanth Temple is in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand. It is the only place in India where the jyotirlinga and the saktipeeth are together. They lay side by side. Baijnath Shivdham in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh and Parli Vaijyanath in the Beed district of Maharashtra also claim as Jyotirlinga of Vaijyanath also associated with Ravana.This is located at Gokarna in Karnataka
10	Nageshvara		Gujarat	Dwarka	Nageshvara Jyotirlinga shrine in Daruka Vana. The location of this jyotirlinga is in dispute with Jageshwar (pictured) near Almora in Uttarakhand, Dwarka in Gujarat and Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli district of Maharashtra, all claiming to be the correct location; but it is widely believed and accepted that the correct location is Dwarka.
11	Rameshwar		Tamil Nadu	Rameswaram	Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It enshrines the Rameśvara ("Lord of Rama") pillar.[2]
12	Grishneshwar		Maharashtra	Near Ellora, Aurangabad district	Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga shrine, in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, is located near the rock-cut temples of Ellora. This shrine is also known as Ghushmeshwar.