Grishneshwar

Grishneshwar, also called Ghrishneshwar, is placed twelfth and last in the traditional list of Jyotirlingas and stands in the village of Verul, close to the Ellora caves in Maharashtra. Its name is connected with Ghushma, the devotee in the legend. Because it comes last, it is often the final stop for those who visit all twelve in the traditional order.

The story in the Shiva Purana tradition tells of Ghushma, a pious woman who made and worshipped a hundred and one clay lingams each day and then immersed them in a pond. Her sister, jealous of her, is said to have killed Ghushma's son. Ghushma continued her worship without anger, and when she went to the pond Shiva restored her son. Moved by her faith, he then stayed at the place as Grishneshwar. The tale is read as a lesson in forgiveness.

In regional religion the shrine is seen as the Jyotirlinga nearest to the Marathwada region's heritage sites, and its closeness to the Ellora caves, with their rock-cut Kailasa temple dedicated to Shiva, gives the area a layered sense of Shaiva devotion across many centuries. Compared with the other Maharashtra shrines, it feels more tied to the tradition of the Deccan plateau than to mountains or river sources. Mahashivaratri and Shravan are the periods tradition links with larger gatherings.