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The twelve jyothirlinga are Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh,  Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in thr Himalayas,  Bhimashankar in Maharashtra,  Viswanath, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra, Vaidyanath at Deoghar in Jharkhand, Nageshvara Jyotirlinga, Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Grishneswar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

Vaidyanath Jyotir linga is claimed to be at Parli, Maharashtra too! Also, Naganath Jyotir Linga temple is claimed to be at Aundh, Maharashtra too!

The Shiva Purana says Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is in 'the Darukavana', which is an ancient name of a forest in India. 'Darukavana' finds mention in Indian epics, such as Kamyakavana, Dvaitavana, Dandakavana.

A narrative in the Shiva Purana about the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga tells of a demon named Daaruka, who attacked a Shiva devotee named Supriya and imprisoned him along with many others in his city of Darukavana, a city under the sea inhabited by seasnakes and demons. 

At the urgent exhortations of Supriya, the prisoners started to chant the holy mantra of Shiva and immediately thereafter the Lord Shiva appeared and the demon was vanquished, later residing there in the form of a Jyotirlinga.

The demon had a wife, a demoness named Daaruki who worshipped Goddess Parvati. As a result of her penance and devotion, Goddess Parvati enabled her to master the forest where she performed her devotions, and renamed the forest 'Darukavana' in her honour. 

Wherever Daaruki went the forest followed her. In order to save the demons of Darukavana from the punishment of the gods, Daaruki summoned up the power Parvati had given her. She then moved the entire forest into the sea where they continued their campaign against the hermits, kidnapping people and keeping them confined in their new home under the sea, which was how that great Shiva devotee, Supriya, had wound up there.

The arrival of Supriya caused a revolution. He set up a lingam and made the prisoners recite the mantra Om Namaha Shivay in honour of Shiva while he prayed to the lingam. The demons' response to the chanting was to attempt to kill Supriya, though they were thwarted when Shiva appeared and handed him a divine weapon that saved his life. 

Daaruki and the demons were defeated and Parvati saved the remaining demons. The lingam that Supriya had set up was called Nagesha; it is the tenth lingam.

Shiva once again assumed the form of a Jyotirlinga with the name Nageshwar, while the Goddess Parvati was known as Nageshwari. Lord Shiva then announced that He would show the correct path to those who would worship Him.

A 25 m tall statue of Lord Shiva in sitting posture and a large garden with a pond are major attractions of this rather serene place.

The Nageshwar temple has a unique design that follows the ancient principles of Vastu Shastra and is in complete affirmation with conservative Hindu temple design.

The temple is planned on the basis of the posture of Sayanam of the Human Body. The Mahadwar, entrance and porch, prayer halls (Sabha Mandapa), Antarala (Nandi’s Place), Inner Sanctum (Garbha Griha) are the portions of the temple. Here the different structures have the following significance.

Mahadwar is the body’s feet: the devotee enters through the feet. Entrance Porch is between the two sacred vigrahams of Lord Hanuman and Lord Ganesh: hands of the human body

Sabha Mandapa contain the prayer seats: they are the abdomen and chest of the body.

Antaralaa is the worship place of Nandi. Holy Shiva Linga in Garbha Griha i.e. the Body’s head.

The total height of the temple is 110 feet above Ground level and it has many beautiful elements like arches, rounded flute shaped columns, lotus themed capitals, windows made of pure marble etc.; the whole structure is interspersed with swastika and Kalash, traditional Hindu worship symbols.

The temple has three different levels. The Garbhagriha or the first level is 6 inches below ground level while Rangamandapa is 2 inches above the ground level (second level). The Antarala is situated somewhere in between and it guards the Shiva Linga in Garbha Griha. The Antarala is believed to be the transition place between God (Linga) and the devotees in Mandapa. The Antarala is therefore called as the level of Pujari.

Temple address: Lord Nageshwar temple, Daarukavanam, Dwaraka District, Gujarat 361345.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Nageshwar Temple is one of the oldest temples mentioned in the Shiva Purana. The Jyotirlinga has a special significance in Nageshwar as this is believed to be the first of all 12 Jyotirlingas. The Swayambhu lingam enshrined in the underground chamber at Nageshwar Temple is known as Nageshwar Mahadev and attracts thousands of pilgrims all-round the year. This powerful Jyotirlinga symbolizes protection from all poisons and is believed that one who prays here obtains freedom from all kinds of poison including snake poison.

The temple is a simple structure with typical Hindu architecture. The temple is more popular for its rich and evocative spiritual history rather than its architectural beauty. This temple is unique in the sense that the Shiva Lingam faces to the south and the Gomugam faces towards the east. The Shivalinga at Nageshwar is a Tri-mukhi Rudraksha which is around 40 cm high and 30 cm in diameter. At Nageshwar one can also find goddess Parvati as Nageshwari along with the Shivalinga. There is also a 25 m giant statue of Lord Shiva in the temple complex that mesmerizes tourists and pilgrims alike with its aesthetic appeal.