12 JYOTIRLINGA DARSHAN

12 Jyotirlinga

12 Jyotirlinga India is a country with thousand race, the land of thousands beliefs and the abode of a million Gods. The most important pilgrim centres particularly for the Shaivities are 12 Jyotirlingas which are situated in different parts of India. Reference of these Jyotirlingas is also found in the Shiv Purana. They are called jyotirlingas because Lord Shiva is said to have revealed himself to his devotees in the form of Jyoti ? light. Even today devotees are said to have got his darshan in the form of jyoti at these places. The 12 jyotirlinga shrines, popularly known as the Dwadasa Jyotirlinga shrines are considered to be very holy by the Hindus. The Jyotirlingas have held an important position in the Indian belief system. The Jyotirlinga temples have a rich tradition and each temple has a legend attached to it. They are situated in different parts of India. The northernmost Jyotirlinga is located in the snow clad Himalayas at Kedarnath. The southernmost Jyotirlinga is situated at Rameswaram. These temples provide a fine view of Indian architecture and definitely add to the rich glory and tradition of Indian history. These places are a must visit both in terms of pilgrimage and as tourist destinations.

The 12 Jyotirlinga temples are the following :-

Somnath Jyotirlinga Shrine
Mallikaarjun Mahadeva Temple
Mahakaleshwar Temple
Nageshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Rameshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Tryambakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple
Kedarnath Jyotirlinga Temple
Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Baijnath (Vaidhyanath) Jyotirlinga Temple
Vishwanath Jyotirlinga Temple


www.12jyotirlinga.com

Kumbh Mela 2013

Kumbh Mela (/ˌkʊm ˈmeɪlə/ or /ˌkʊm məˈlɑː/; Devanagari: कुम्भ मेला) is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather at a sacred river for a bath in the river. It is held every third year at one of the four places by rotation: Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Nasik and Ujjain. Thus the Kumbh Mela is held at each of these four places every twelfth year. Ardh (Half) Kumbh Mela is held at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad, every sixth year. The rivers at these four places are: Ganga (Ganges) at Haridwar, confluence (“Sangam”) of Ganga and Yamuna at Prayag, Godawari at Nasik and Shipra at Ujjain.

“Kumbh” means a pitcher and “Mela” means fair in Hindi. The pilgrimage is held for about one and a half months at each of these four places where — it is believed in Hindu mythology — drops of nectar fell from the Kumbh carried by gods after the sea was churned. The festival is billed as the "biggest gathering on Earth".

Year	Allahabad	Nashik	Ujjain	Haridwar
1983	Ardh Kumbh	-	-	-
1986	-	-	-	Kumbh
1989	Kumbh	-	-	-
1991	-	Kumbh	-	-
1992	-	-	Kumbh	Ardh Kumbh
1995	Ardh Kumbh	-	-	-
1998	-	-	-	Kumbh
2001	Kumbh	-	-	-
2003	-	Kumbh	-	-
2004	-	-	Kumbh	Ardh Kumbh
2007	Ardh Kumbh	-	-	-
2010	-	-	-	Kumbh
2013	Maha Kumbh	-	-	-
2015	-	Kumbh	-	-
2016	-	-	Kumbh	Ardh Kumbh
2019	Ardh Kumbh	-	-	-
2022	-	-	-	Kumbh

Upcoming Kumbh Mela festivals:

• The Kumbh Mela at Nasik in 2015 will also be Known as Simhasth (as Guru will be in Singh Rashi) (August 15 to September 13).
• Ujjain Purna Kumbh Mela 2016

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbh_Mela
http://kumbhmelaallahabad.gov.in