Baidyanath Templeਬੈਦਯਨਾਥ ਮੰਦਰ

Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the shrines where Hindus worship Shiva as a self-manifested pillar of light. Tradition says the demon king Ravana was carrying a Shiva lingam from Mount Kailash to Lanka when the gods tricked him into setting it down here, where it rooted itself forever, and Shiva took residence in Deoghar.

What is Baidyanath Temple?

Baidyanath Temple, also called Baba Dham or Vaidyanath Dham, stands in the town of Deoghar in Jharkhand's Santhal Parganas region. It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most revered circuit of Shiva shrines in India, and the main lingam here is known as the Kamna Linga, the wish-fulfilling lingam. Deoghar takes its name from the temple itself: deva-ghar, the house of the god. The name appears in several spellings, Baidyanath, Vaidyanath and Baba Baidyanath Dham, and all of them name this same temple.

The Ravana legend: the lingam that refused to move

The temple's founding story, told the same way by the Jharkhand tourism department and the temple tradition, belongs to the demon king Ravana. Ravana performed fierce penance and received from Shiva a lingam called the Kamna Linga to carry back to Lanka, on one condition: he must never set it down on the way. The gods, alarmed at a demon carrying such power home, conspired through Vishnu and Varuna to make Ravana need to relieve himself near present-day Deoghar. Vishnu, disguised as a shepherd boy named Baiju, offered to hold the lingam, then set it on the ground, where it rooted itself permanently.

When Ravana returned and found the lingam immovable, he pressed his thumb into it in frustration before departing, which is why the top of the lingam is uneven. Shiva, the story goes, took residence in Deoghar instead of Lanka. Devotees still point to the lingam's broken crown as the mark of Ravana's thumb.

Why is the Shravani Mela so important?

Every year in Shravan, the monsoon month, Baidyanath becomes the centre of one of India's largest religious gatherings. Millions of Kanwar pilgrims walk roughly 100 kilometres on foot from Ajgaibinath at Sultanganj, carrying Ganges water in vessels slung from a bamboo pole, the kanwar, to pour over the lingam. The pilgrimage is considered complete only with homage at Basukinath temple, about 43 kilometres from Deoghar.

The mela fills Deoghar for the whole month: the lanes around the temple turn saffron, loudspeakers play bhajans through the night, and the town's economy runs on the pilgrims. For many Shiva devotees of eastern India, the walk to Baba Dham is the defining pilgrimage of their lives.

Inside the temple complex

The complex holds twenty-two temples in all: the central Baba Baidyanath shrine and twenty-one smaller ones. The main temple's white pyramid shikhara, about 72 feet tall, dominates the skyline of Deoghar, and the complex is built in the Nagara style of North India. The Matsya Purana knew the place as Arogya Baidyanathitee, and the shrine was long under the Gidhaur kings; after the East India Company took administration in 1757, officer Keating handed full control back to the high priest in 1788.

Planning a visit to Deoghar

Deoghar is well connected for pilgrims. Jasidih Junction, on the Howrah to Delhi line, is about 7 kilometres away, and Deoghar Airport, about 9 kilometres out, has flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. The temple is open through the year, but the Shravani Mela month is when it is at its most intense; winter mornings offer a quieter darshan. One note for travellers: there is a namesake Baidyanath Dham in Nepal, so when booking travel, make sure the ticket says Deoghar, Jharkhand.