Kailasa: A Jyotilinga at Ellora

Summary

In this note, M. K. Dhavalikar discusses the identification of the Jyotirliṅga called Ghūṣmeśvara, one of the twelve most revered Śaiva shrines mentioned in the Śiva Purāṇa. The Purāṇic verse lists the Jyotirliṅgas and includes ‘Ghūṣmeśvara’ without specifying its location. In the modern period, the shrine at Ghruṣṇeśvara near Aurangabad, a temple reconstructed by the Maratha queen Ahalyabai Holkar in the late eighteenth century, is venerated as the Jyotirliṅga of that name. Dhavalikar questions this identification on historical grounds. He argues that the present Ghruṣṇeśvara temple is an example of Maratha architecture and is comparatively recent, while the Purāṇic reference must pertain to a much older monument. The author proposes that the celebrated Kailāsa temple (Cave XVI) at Ellora, constructed by the Rāṣṭrakūṭa king Kṛṣṇa I in the eighth century, should be recognised as the Jyotirliṅga intended by the Purāṇa. He notes that the Kailāsa cave was called ‘svayambhū’ in Rāṣṭrakūṭa inscriptions and was lavishly decorated and patronised by successive kings, indicating its special sanctity. Dhavalikar examines the legend of Ghūṣmā, in which a pious woman named Ghūṣmā endures the murder of her son by her co‑wife and forgives her, leading Śiva to resurrect the child and establish himself as a Jyotirliṅga at the site. He suggests that this legend may have originally referred to a shrine at Ellora rather than the later temple at Ghruṣṇeśvara. Furthermore, the tenth‑century Arab geographer al‑Mas‘ūdī described the Kailāsa cave as a celebrated pilgrimage site, hinting at its renown. Dhavalikar concludes that the destruction of the liṅga in medieval times led local worshippers to transfer the cult to a smaller shrine, which evolved into the present Ghruṣṇeśvara temple. Recognising Kailāsa as the Jyotirliṅga restores coherence to the textual and archaeological evidence.