A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India.

It is believed that Lord Shiva first manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga on the night of the Aridra Nakshatra, thus the special reverence for the Jyotirlinga. There is nothing to distinguish the appearance, but it is believed that a person can see these lingas as columns of fire piercing through the earth after he reaches a higher level of spiritual attainment.

The names and the locations of the 12 Jyotirlingas are mentioned in the Shiva Purana (Śatarudra Saṁhitā,C

h.42/2-4). These shrines are:

1. Somnath, 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 in Saurashtra in Gujarat.

2. Mallikārjuna, also called Śrīśaila, is the name of the pillar located on a mountain on the river Krishna.Srisailam, near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda Lahiri here.

3. 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 in Madhya Pradesh on an island in the Narmada river is home to a Jyotirlinga shrine and the Mamaleshwar temple.

5. 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 is very much debated. There is a Bhimashankara temple near Pune in Maharastra, which was referred to as Daakini country, Kashipur was also referred to as Daakini country in ancient days. A Bhimashkar Temple is also present there which is also known as Shree Moteshwar Mahadev. Another Bhimashankar is in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra. Bhimshankar temple near Guwahati, Assam is the jyotirlinga according to Sivapuran.

7. Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is home to the Vishwanath Jyotirling temple, which is perhaps the most sacred of Hindu Temples.

8. Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik in Maharashtra, has a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari river.

9. Vaidyanath jyotirlinga temple 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 Kangara Himachal Pradesh also claimed as Jyotirlinga of Vaidyanath also associated with Ravana.

10. Nageshvara Jyotirlinga shrine in Daruka Vana. The location of this jyotirlinga is in dispute with Dwarka in Gujarat and Aundha Nagnath in Hingoli district of Maharashtra claiming to be the correct location. Jageshwar is a place in Almora, Uttarakhand, where there is a temple called Jageshwar also claims to be Nageswar Jyotirlinga.

11. 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.

12. Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga shrine, in Aurangabad Maharashtra, is located near the rock-cut temples of Ellora. This shrine is also known as Ghushmeshwar.