Shiva is a Hindu deity. As one of the Trimurti (supreme trinity) in the Hindu pantheon among Brahma and Vishnu, there are a number of temples dedicated to his worship in India and abroad. In Hinduism, Shiva is the supreme being regarded to perform the functions of creation, preservation, as well as the destruction of the universe.[1] Hindu texts describe the worship of Shiva and the establishment of temples and shrines throughout the Indian subcontinent, commonly in the aniconic form of a lingam. The most prominent of these are the Jyotirlinga temples.[2]
The 12 Jyotirlinga temples as mentioned in the Shiva Purana are :-[3]
| Jyotirlinga | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prabhas Patan, Veraval, Gujarat | |||
| 2 | Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh | |||
| 3 | Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh | |||
| 4 | near Indore, Madhya Pradesh | |||
| 5 | Kedarnath, Uttarakhand | |||
| 6 | Pune, Maharashtra | |||
| 7 | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | |||
| 8 | Trimbak, near Nashik, Maharashtra | |||
| 9 | Baidyanath | Deoghar, Jharkhand | ||
| 10 | Dwarka, Gujarat | |||
| 11 | ||||
| 12 | Ellora, Maharashtra | |||
See main article: Pancha Bhuta Sthalam. In South India, five temples of Shiva are held to be particularly important, as being manifestations of him in the five elemental substances.
| Deity | Manifestation | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jambukeswarar | Water | Thiruvanaikaval, Tamil Nadu | ||
| Fire | Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu | |||
| Air | Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh | |||
| Earth | Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu | |||
| Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu | ||||
See main article: Pancharama Kshetras.
The Pancharama Kshetras (or the Pancharamas) are five ancient Hindu temples of Shiva situated in Andhra Pradesh. The lingams at these temples are made from a single lingam. As per the legend, this lingam was owned by the demon king Tarakasura. No one could win over him due to the power of this lingam. Finally, Kartikeya, the son of Shiva broke the lingam into five pieces and killed Tarakasura. The five pieces of lingam fell at five different places on earth namely,
| Arama Name | Shiva's Name | style=#ffc569;" | Consort Name | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amaralingeswara Swamy | Bala Chamundika Ammavaru | Amaravathi village, Andhra Pradesh | ||
| Bhimesvara Swamy | Manikyamba Ammavaru | Draksharama, Andhra Pradesh | ||
| Someswara Swamy | Sri Rajarajeswari Ammavaru | Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh | ||
| Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy | Parvati Ammavaru | Palakollu, Andhra Pradesh | ||
| Kumara Bhimeswara Swamy | Bala Tripurasundari Ammavaru | Samalkota, Andhra Pradesh |
See main article: Pancha Sabhai. The five temples located in Tamil Nadu where Shiva is believed to perform the tandava dance are:
| Sabha | Temple | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pon (Gold) Sabha | Chidambaram | ||
| Velli (Silver) Sabha | Madurai | ||
| Thamira (Copper) Sabha | Tirunelveli | ||
| Rathna (Gem) Sabha | Thiruvalangadu | ||
| Chitira (Picture) Sabha | Kutralam |
See main article: Ashta Veeratta Stalam.
| Temple | Deity | Commemorates | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veerateeswarar | Shiva slaying Andhakasura in the form of Andhakasuramurti | Tirukoilur | ||
| Veerateeswarar | ||||
| Veerateeswarar | Shiva burning Kamadeva with his third eye in the form of Kamari | Mayiladuthurai | ||
| Brahmasirakandeeswarar | Thanjavur | |||
| Amritaghateswarar | ||||
| Veerateeswarar | Mayiladuthurai | |||
| Veerateeswarar | Mayiladuthurai | |||
| Veerateeswarar | Shiva killing Jalandhara in the form of Jalandharari | Mayiladuthurai |
| Sabha | Temple | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sani Parihara Sthalam | ||||
| Sani Parihara Sthalam | Sri Darbarneeswarar Temple | Devasthanam | ||
| Shani Parihara | Chenchadainathar Shiva Temple | |||
| Shani Parihara | Sri Mandeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanam | East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh | - |
Kashiswar Jiu temple is in Andul of Howrah district near the Saraswati river, West Bengal in India. The presiding deity is a Banlinga which was recovered from the river in mid 17th century by Kashiswar Datta Chowdhury, a local zamindar. In 18th century a stone made yoni-like structure (Gauripatta) that symbolizes goddess Shakti has been attached with the lingam after Bargi attacked in 1741 AD. The deity is considered to be one of the oldest in the district.
| Biseshwara | 1785 AD | |
| Nakuleshwara | 19th century circa | |
| Saurendra Mohaneshwara | 18th century circa |
See main article: Shiva Temples of Tamil Nadu.