Only a few days are left for the month of Sawan. This month lakhs of Shiva devotees visit the oldest and most famous Shiva temples of the country with family or friends to visit Bhole Shankar. Although the most famous and ancient Shiva temple is considered to be the Kedarnath temple located in Uttarakhand, there are some such famous and ancient Shiva temples in every corner of India, which you can visit during the month of Sawan or Mahashiv Ratri or any other auspicious day. Can also go for a walk. Lord Shiva is worshiped as the creator of the universe in different Shiva temples of India popularly known as Mahakal Temple, Nataraja Temple, and Mahadev Temple, etc. If you are a history lover as well as a religious lover, then you must visit these major Shiva temples of India.

Kedarnath
The Kedarnath Temple, located in the Garhwal Himalayan range in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, is one of the most revered and sacred Hindu temples in India. Situated at an altitude of 3,583 meters, this temple is the highest of the 12 Jyotirlingas and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Apart from Gangotri, Yamunotri, and Kedarnath, it is also included in Chhota Char Dham. The present Kedarnath temple is said to have been built by Adi Shankaracharya, which was originally built thousand years ago by the Pandavas. Interesting history, spiritual values, and fascinating architecture are many reasons to visit Kedarnath Temple.

Somnath Temple, Gujarat
The Somnath temple in Gujarat is said to be one of the oldest and most famous Shiva temples in India after Kedarnath. Many believe that the Somnath temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. Somnath Temple, included in the ancient and historical temples of India, is a prestigious and sacred temple for crores of Indian and foreign Shiva devotees. If you are going to visit Gujarat and its surroundings, then you must visit Somnath Temple.

Mahakaleshwar Temple, Madhya Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar Temple located in the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh is one of the most famous and most sacred temples for Madhya Pradesh as well as for the whole of India. Apart from Kedarnath, Somnath, Mahakaleshwar temple is also considered one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples present in India. Seeing the sanctity of this temple, many people also address Ujjain as the city of Mahakal. There is a myth about this temple that Mahakal is decorated here with the ashes of a dead person. If you are going to visit Ujjain, then do visit this Mahakal city. He is known as the god of time and death. The idol of Mahakaleshwar is south facing.

Baba Baidyanath Dham, Jharkhand
Baba Baidyanath Dham is the oldest and most sacred temple located in Deoghar, Jharkhand. In the month of Sawan, lakhs of devotees go to Baba Baidyanath Dham by filling water from Sultanjug. Lakhs of devotees set out to offer water to Baba Baidyanath Dham, carrying about 42 km of water. There are more than 20 temples present on the premises of this temple. Just in front of Baba Baidyanath Dham, there is also a temple of Parvati ji, which is a very sacred temple. Many people also know this temple by the name of Baba Dham Temple. In the month of Sawan, there is a crowd of lakhs of Shiva devotees.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Uttar Pradesh
Situated on the west bank of the holy river Ganges, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most popular Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and one of the top 10 temples in India. This temple located in the heart of Varanasi is the center of faith for millions of Hindus. The main deity of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is Lord Shiva, also known as Vishwanath or Vishweshwar which means 'Ruler of the Universe'. The Jyotirlinga present in the temple is considered to be the 12th among all the Jyotirlingas in the country. In olden times, on special festivals like Shivratri, the king of Kashi (Kashi Naresh) would visit the temple for worship, during which no one else was allowed to enter the temple premises. The temple also has several other smaller shrines like Kalabhairava, Vishnu, Virupaksha Gauri, Vinayaka, and Avimukteshwara. This is a very old and grand temple, which is famous all over the world. This is the reason why devotees of Lord Shiva from every corner of the country come here to worship.

Amarnath Dham
The cave of Baba Amarnath, also known as Baba Barfani, is considered to be one of the main shrines of Lord Shiva. Despite being a very difficult route, thousands of devotees come here every year to visit. Amarnath is called the Pilgrimage of Pilgrimages because it Lord Shiva had told Mother Parvati the secret of immortality.

Murudeshwar Shiva Temple
This temple of Lord Shiva is situated in Karnataka. It is situated on the coast of the Arabian Sea, about 165 km from Mangalore. The idol of Lord Shiva installed here is considered to be the second-largest idol in the world.

Bhimashankar
Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is situated on a mountain named Sahyadri in the Pune district of Maharashtra. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga is also known as Moteshwar Mahadev.

Ghrishneshwar Mahadev Temple
Ghrishneshwar Mahadev Temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. This is considered to be the last Jyotirlinga. By visiting here one gets freedom from all sins and gets all kinds of happiness and prosperity.

Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga
Trimbakeshwar Temple, situated at a distance of 28 kilometers from Nashik city, is situated on the banks of river Godavari. As per the request of Gautam Rishi and Godavari, Lord Shiva was pleased to reside in this place. This temple is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Trimbakeshwar Temple was built by Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao. This entire temple is made of black stones, which is counted among the most popular Shiva temples in India. Lord Vishnu, Brahma, and Rudra are shown with three faces in the Shiva Linga of Trimbakeshwar Temple.

Shiva Temple Ramanathaswamy
The Ramanathaswamy Temple established in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu is a famous Shiva temple in South India. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas established in India. Ramanathaswamy Temple is built at the place where Lord Rama worshiped Lord Shiva after killing Ravana to get rid of that sin. The idol was brought from Kailash by Hanuman to worship Lord Shiva.

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga
Shri Nageshwar Jyotirlinga is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in Gujarat. On the premises of Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, there is a huge idol of Lord Shiva in meditation posture.

Meenakshi Temple, Tamil Nadu
Meenakshi Temple situated on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in Madurai city of Tamil Nadu is another of the most famous temples in India it was constructed between the years 1623 and 1655 and its amazing architecture is famous globally. Meenakshi Temple is primarily dedicated to Goddess Parvati, who is known as Meenakshi, and her husband Sundareshwar (Shiva). This temple is quite different from the rest of the temples in the country as both Shiva and Goddess Parvati are worshiped together in this temple. Legend has it that Lord Shiva, born as Sundareswarar, visited Madurai to marry Parvati (Meenakshi).

Lingaraj
The Lingaraj Temple is one of the oldest structures in the city of Bhubaneswar. You can see the wonderful architecture of the Kalinga style in the Lingaraja temple. This huge temple made of sandstone and laterite is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The presiding deity here is Lord Harihara, who is counted among the forms of Lord Shiva. It is believed that the Lingaraja temple was established by the kings of the dynasty.

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