Baidyanath Jyotirlinga Dham, Deoghar, Jharkhand

The Baidyanath Jyotirlinga Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and is considered as an abode of purity, power, and sacredness. It is also regarded as the most important Jyotirlinga among the ’12 sacred Jyotirlingas of India’. Devotees believe that Lord Shiva himself descended from the Kailash Parvat, and visited Deoghar, the ‘home of Gods’ where the temple is currently located.

The Baidyanath Dham also possesses ‘one of the 51 Shakti Peethas’ of Maa Parvati, which fell off when the Sudarshana Chakra of Lord Vishnu dissected the body of Sati from her loved husband, Shiva. The place is also known as Hardapeetha, since the heart of Sati fell in the site where the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga is present. Devotees are blessed under the protective and loved shelter of both the Jyotirlinga as well as the Shakti Peetha within the temple premises. According to the Shiva Purana, the union of Shiva and Shakti is deemed as highly sacred, since the union symbolises the creation of the world. Hindus regard that the temple premises hold the pious blessings that a married couple seeks for.

The main temple premises hold twenty-one other temples, besides the predominant Baidyanath Jyotirlinga fortress. The Maa Parvati Temple is adjacent to it, and shows the unity of Shiva and Parvati with long red threads attaching to the Baidyanath Temple. Every day the doors of the temple are open to the devotees from 4:30am, where the head priest starts off with the rituals of Shodashopachar. Followed by this, the priests pour Kucha Jal upon the lingam. Pilgrims follow the directions of the priests and pour water, offer Bilva leaf, flowers, etc. to pay their respect to the almighty god. The evening rituals, or Shringer Puja takes place around 6:00 pm in the evening. Regular puja timings are extended during the holy month of Shravan.

The temple notes special importance during the holy month of Shraavan where millions of devotees throng to pour the holy water of the Ganges over the Shivlinga. Saffron-clad Kanvaries carry the water on Kavadi, or the well decorated hanging pots, and walk barefoot towards Baidyanath Dham to appease and deity and seek his blessings for admonishing their prosper and welfare in life.

Several legends and folklores are attached to the Baidyanath Dham. One of the popular legends reveal that the Demon-King, Ravana worshipped Lord Shiva in the present-day temple premises to be granted the boon of being the all-powerful. To satisfy the destroyer, Lord Shiva, Ravana cut off his head one after the other. The pleased God descended to cure the Demon-king. Thereby, he acts as the Baidya here, or the Doctor from where the temple secures its name from.

Another popularized folklore in the Shiv Mahapuram reveal that Shiva sought to resolve the disagreement among the supreme gods, Brahma and Vishnu as to who secure a higher authority in creation. Shiva pierced all the three world in terms of the jyotirlinga, or the unending beam of light. Lord Shiva asked each of the two gods to find out the end of the light beam. Both the gods split in two directions to find out their answer. Lord Brahma lied that he found the end of the light pillar, but lord Vishnu accepted the defeat. The furious Shiva cursed Brahma that he would not be part of any ceremonies, whereas Vishnu would be worshipped till the eternity.

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