All Twelve Jyotirlingas, Coast to Himalaya — One Continuous 26-Day Pilgrimage
A genuinely complete pilgrimage to all twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, spanning eight states across 26 days — from Bhimashankar in the Sahyadri hills near Mumbai, through Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat's sacred coast, south to Tamil Nadu's Rameshwaram and Andhra Pradesh's Srisailam, and finally north through Varanasi, Jharkhand's Deoghar, and a high-altitude trek to Kedarnath in the Himalaya.
The journey opens in Mumbai with blessings at the Siddhivinayak Temple, before the pilgrimage proper begins: Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar, and Grishneshwar in quick succession across Maharashtra, followed by Shirdi, an overnight train to Ujjain, Omkareshwar and Mahakaleshwar in Madhya Pradesh, a second overnight train to Somnath, and the sacred coastal towns of Somnath and Dwarka in Gujarat — covering seven of the twelve Jyotirlingas within the first ten days.
A flight from Ahmedabad to Chennai and an overnight train to Rameshwaram bring the eighth Jyotirlinga and the Ramayana's sacred coast into the circuit, before the pilgrimage continues to Madurai and Tirupati, with a side excursion to Srisailam for the ninth Jyotirlinga, Mallikarjuna.
The final third of the journey turns north — Varanasi for Kashi Vishwanath, the tenth Jyotirlinga, and the eternal ghats of the Ganges; Deoghar in Jharkhand for Vaidyanath, the eleventh; and finally Haridwar, Rishikesh, and a demanding trek to Kedarnath at 3,583m in the Himalaya — the twelfth and final Jyotirlinga, bringing this extraordinary pan-India pilgrimage to its conclusion.
What makes this journey special
Your journey, unfolded
Arrive in Mumbai, where you'll be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, visit Sri Siddhivinayak Temple to take the blessings of Lord Ganesha — a traditional first step before beginning a major pilgrimage journey.
After an early breakfast, check out and drive to Nashik via Bhimashankar — the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, set in the Ghat region of the Sahyadri hills. After darshan, continue to Nashik. On arrival, check in to your hotel.
After breakfast, drive from Nashik to Trimbakeshwar — the second Jyotirlinga among the twelve. Visit the temple and, after darshan, continue the drive to Aurangabad.
In the morning, drive to Grishneshwar — the third Jyotirlinga among the twelve. After darshan, continue the drive to Shirdi.
After breakfast, transfer to Pune railway station to board the overnight train to Ujjain, stopping en route to visit Shani Shingnapur, the famous doorless village. The train departs at approximately 3:20 PM and takes around 16 hours to reach Ujjain.
Arrive at Ujjain railway station early morning; meet our representative and transfer to your hotel to rest. After breakfast, drive to Omkareshwar — the fourth Jyotirlinga, located on an island formed by the Narmada River. Have darshan at the Sri Omkareshwar Temple, and optionally visit the Panchmukhi Ganesh Temple, Mamleshwar Temple, and Vrahadeshwar Temple. In the late afternoon, drive back to Ujjain.
After breakfast, visit Shri Mahakaleshwar — the fifth Jyotirlinga among the twelve. After darshan, transfer to Ujjain railway station to board the overnight train to Somnath, departing at approximately 10:55 PM and taking around 18 hours to reach Somnath.
Arrive at Somnath railway station in the early evening; meet our driver and check in to your hotel. In the evening, attend the temple's Aarti ceremony and watch the light and sound show, which narrates Somnath's dramatic history of destruction and rebuilding across the centuries.
After breakfast, visit Bhalka Tirth, Triveni Ghat, and the Somnath Jyotirlinga itself — the sixth among the twelve — at Somnath Patan. In the afternoon, proceed to the sacred town of Dwarka.
Morning visit to the Dwarkadhish Temple. Take a holy dip in the Gomti River, then visit Nageshwar — the seventh Jyotirlinga — along with Gopi Talav and Bet Dwarka's Rukmini Temple. In the evening, attend the Aarti ceremony at the Dwarkadhish Temple.
After breakfast, proceed to Jamnagar. On arrival, check in to your hotel. In the afternoon, visit Lakhota Lake and Lakhota Museum. In the evening, visit Bala Hanuman Temple, known for its non-stop Ramdhun chant continuing since 1956 — recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. The evening is free for shopping.
After breakfast, drive to Ahmedabad. On arrival, transfer to the airport to board a flight to Chennai. On arrival in Chennai, transfer to your hotel.
After breakfast, enjoy a local city tour of Chennai. In the evening, transfer to Chennai railway station to board the overnight train to Rameshwaram.
Arrive at Rameshwaram and transfer to your hotel. Rameshwaram — home to the eighth Jyotirlinga — is one of the most venerated places for followers of the Hindu faith. According to Hindu mythology, it was from here that Lord Rama built a bridge to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from Ravana. Visit the Ramanathaswamy Temple, Gandhamadhana Parvatham, and Dhanushkodi.
After breakfast, check out and drive to Madurai (172 km, ~3 hours). On arrival, check in to your hotel. Visit the magnificent Meenakshi Amman Temple, Koodal Azhagar Temple, and Alagar Koyil.
After breakfast, check out and travel to Tirupati (by road or a short flight, depending on availability). On arrival, check in to your hotel. Proceed to the Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple for darshan of Lord Balaji.
After breakfast, proceed to Srisailam — the ninth Jyotirlinga among the twelve. The Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple here is one of the greatest Shaivite shrines in India, and is also one of the eighteen Shakti Peethas of Goddess Parvati. Seek darshan, then drive back to Tirupati in the afternoon.
After breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for your flight to Varanasi (via a connecting hub if a direct service is unavailable). On arrival, transfer to your hotel. In the evening, witness the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat — a choreographed fire ceremony on the banks of the Ganges.
Early dawn boat ride along the ghats, watching the city's morning rituals unfold. Visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple — the tenth Jyotirlinga among the twelve, and one of the holiest Hindu temples in India. In the afternoon, visit Sarnath, where the Buddha delivered his first sermon.
After breakfast, check out and travel to Deoghar in Jharkhand (by flight via a connecting hub, or by train). On arrival, check in to your hotel, with the evening free to rest ahead of tomorrow's darshan.
After breakfast, visit the Vaidyanath Temple (Baba Baidyanath Dham) — the eleventh Jyotirlinga among the twelve, and also revered as one of the Shakti Peethas. Spend the day exploring the temple complex and surrounding pilgrim town.
After breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for a flight to Delhi, connecting onward by road to Haridwar (approximately 220 km, ~5 hours). On arrival, check in to your hotel.
After breakfast, visit Har Ki Pauri and the ghats of Haridwar, then drive to Rishikesh (approximately 25 km) to visit its riverside temples and ashrams. In the evening, return to Haridwar to witness the Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri.
After breakfast, check out and drive toward Sonprayag/Guptkashi, the gateway for the Kedarnath trek (approximately 220 km, 7-8 hours), following the Ganga and Alaknanda river valleys. On arrival, check in to your hotel, with the evening free to rest ahead of the trek.
Early morning, drive to Gaurikund and begin the 16 km trek to Kedarnath (3,583m) — the twelfth and final Jyotirlinga among the twelve, and one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites in the Himalaya. The trek takes approximately 6-7 hours on foot, with pony, palanquin, and helicopter options also available. On arrival, check in to your guesthouse and attend the evening Aarti at the temple.
Morning darshan at the Kedarnath Temple, with all twelve Jyotirlingas of the pilgrimage now complete. Trek back down to Gaurikund (16 km) and drive to Haridwar (approximately 220 km, ~7-8 hours). On arrival, transfer to Haridwar railway station or Dehradun Airport for your onward journey. Tour concludes.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Included ✓
- ✓ 25 nights accommodation on twin/triple-share basis (hotels, guesthouses & one overnight at altitude)
- ✓ Buffet meals as specified in the itinerary
- ✓ All inter-city train tickets and the Ahmedabad-Chennai & later domestic flights as specified
- ✓ Private chauffeur-driven AC vehicle for all road transfers & sightseeing
- ✓ 1 bottle of mineral water per person per day
- ✓ All applicable Indian GST
Not Included ✗
- ✗ International airfare to/from Mumbai or Haridwar/Delhi
- ✗ Visa charges
- ✗ Pony/palanquin/helicopter charges for the Kedarnath trek (optional, payable locally)
- ✗ Entrance fees / camera charges at temples and attractions
- ✗ Special/VIP darshan fees at any temple (optional, payable locally)
- ✗ Tipping — an entirely personal gesture
- ✗ Laundry, drinks, and items of a personal nature
Your questions, answered
Yes — this itinerary is designed to cover all twelve: Bhimashankar, Trimbakeshwar, Grishneshwar, Omkareshwar, Mahakaleshwar, Somnath, Nageshwar (Dwarka), Rameshwaram, Mallikarjuna (Srisailam), Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi), Vaidyanath (Deoghar), and Kedarnath. A note on this page: the source listing's day-by-day detail was confirmed in full only through Day 14 (Rameshwaram); from Day 15 onward, we have reconstructed the remaining route using the same listing's own meta-description and title, which explicitly name Tirupati, Baidyanath, Kedarnath, Rishikesh, and Haridwar as the tour's later stops, combined with the standard sequence needed to complete all twelve Jyotirlingas before the stated Haridwar finish. We recommend confirming the exact Day 15+ routing with us at the time of booking, as some operators sequence this final third of the journey slightly differently.
A genuine pan-India circuit touching Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand cannot realistically be done by road alone within 26 days — overnight trains (Pune-Ujjain, Ujjain-Somnath, Chennai-Rameshwaram) and a domestic flight (Ahmedabad-Chennai) are used specifically to cover the longest inter-regional distances efficiently, preserving more daylight hours for darshan and sightseeing rather than driving.
This is a long and genuinely demanding pilgrimage, both in duration and pace — multiple overnight trains, several long single-day drives (up to 260 km), and a final high-altitude trek to Kedarnath (3,583m). We recommend this complete circuit only for travellers in good general health and with realistic expectations about the cumulative fatigue of 26 days of near-continuous travel. If the full circuit feels too demanding, we can split it into two or three shorter regional trips — for example, our existing 3 Jyotirlinga Tour of Maharashtra or 2 Jyotirlinga Tour cover portions of this same route at a far gentler pace.
Absolutely. Every Discover India tour is fully private and built around your preferences. We can adjust the train/flight balance, add extra rest days, or split the journey into separate regional legs. Submit an enquiry and our specialists will tailor it for you at no obligation.
Cancellations 60+ days before departure receive a full refund minus a small admin fee. 30–59 days: 75% refund. 15–29 days: 50% refund. Under 15 days: no refund. We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance.
October to March offers the most comfortable temperatures (15–28°C) for the ghats, boat rides, and temple queues. April–June is hot on the Gangetic plain (up to 42°C); the monsoon (July–September) raises the Ganges considerably, which can affect ghat access in both cities.
The new Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir draws very large crowds, particularly on weekends and during festivals such as Ram Navami and Diwali. We schedule darshan with queue time built into the itinerary; carrying a valid photo ID is recommended, as security screening is in place at the main temple complex.
Absolutely. Every Discover India tour is fully private and built around your preferences. We can adjust the duration, add Lucknow, or swap Chitrakoot for additional time in Prayagraj. Submit an enquiry and our specialists will tailor it for you at no obligation.
Cancellations 60+ days before departure receive a full refund minus a small admin fee. 30–59 days: 75% refund. 15–29 days: 50% refund. Under 15 days: no refund. We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance.
