ഘൃഷ്‌ണേശ്വരക്ഷേത്രം: എല്ലോറ ഗുഹകൾക്കരികിലെ അവസാന ജ്യോതിർലിംഗം

The Myth and Origin of Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga

The Shiva Purana recounts the moving tale of Kusuma, a devoted woman from the Deccan region who worshipped Shiva daily by making one hundred eight lingas from earth, immersing them in a sacred lake, and offering prayers with complete love. Her devotion was so pure that her step-son was blessed and her household radiated divine peace. Her co-wife Sudeha, burning with jealousy over Kusuma's grace-filled life, committed the horrific act of killing Kusuma's son and throwing his remains in the same lake where Kusuma performed her daily rituals. When Kusuma discovered the truth, she remained unshaken — she immersed her hundredth linga in the lake and prayed with complete surrender. Lord Shiva, moved beyond measure by her unflinching devotion even in the face of her greatest loss, appeared before her and restored her son to life. Kusuma then begged Shiva to reside permanently at that spot so that all who came in grief could receive his grace. Shiva agreed and manifested as Grishneshwar — understood by tradition as the Lord who liberates the world's pain, or the Lord who shows compassion without condition. This twelfth Jyotirlinga is considered the most accessible in terms of spiritual merit, as tradition holds that the great Jyotirlinga yatra concludes here.