History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t2.303

v5.c74.t2.303

Four of the most important and holy tīrthas have been dealt with at some length so far. It is not possible in the space allotted to the section on tīrthas to pursue the same procedure as regards other famous tīrthas. It is proposed to devote a few pages to each of half a dozen or more tīrthas and then to give a somewhat comprehensive list of tīrthas with a few references in the case of each. But before proceeding further reference must be made to certain popular groupings of tīrthas. There is a group of seven cities that are deemed to be very holy and the bestowers of *mokṣa*.¹⁵³⁵ They are Ayodhyā, Mathurā, Māyā (i. e. Haridvāra), Kāśī, Kāñcī, Avantikā (i. e. Ujjayinī), Dvārakā. In some works it is Kāntī and not Kāñcī that is mentioned. Badarīnātha, Jagannātha Purī, Rāmeśvara and Dvārakā—these four are styled Dhāma There are said to be twelve Jyotirliṅgas of Śiva, according to the Śivapurāṇa viz. Somanātha¹⁵³⁶ in Saurāṣṭra, Mallikārjuna on Śrīśaila hill (in Karnul District and about 50 miles from the Krishna station on the G. I. P. Railway), Mahākāla (in Ujjayinī), Parameśvara in Oṃkāra-kṣetra (an island in the Narmadā), Kedāra in the Himālayas, Bhīmāśaṅkara (north-west of Poona at the source of the Bhīmā river) in Dākinī, Viśveśvara in Banaras, Tryambakeśvara on the banks of the Gautamī i. e Godāvarī (near Nasik), Vaidyanātha in Citābhūmi, Nāgeśa in Dārukāvana, Rāmeśvara in Setubandha and Ghṛsneśa in¹⁵³⁷ Śivālaya (i. e the modern shrine at the village of Elura, 7 miles from Devagiri or Daulatabad). The Śivapurāṇa (Kotirudra-saṁhitā) chap. 1 names the twelve Jyotirliṅgas and chapters 14-33 narrate the legends connected with the twelve liṅgas. The Skandapurāṇa I (Kedārakhaṇḍa) chap. 7 verses 30-35 enumerate several liṅgas including most of the twelve Jyotirliṅgas. The Bārhaspatyasūtra (edited by Dr. F. W. Thomas) mentions eight great tīrthas each of Viṣṇu, Śiva and Śakti, that yield all *siddhis*1537a.