Baidyanath Temple or Lord Shiva Deoghar Temple of India
Baidyanath Temple
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Religion |
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Location |
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Location |
Deoghar |
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State |
Jharkhand |
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Country |
India |
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Architectural Details |
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Raja Puranmal (Builder of present Temple),
Vishwakarma God (Builder of ancient Temple) |
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The Baidyanath Temple, also known
as Baba Baidyanath Dham or Deoghar Temple, is one of the most revered
shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in
India. Here's a detailed overview:
About Baidyanath Temple
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Location:
Deoghar, Jharkhand, India
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Deity:
Lord Shiva (Vaidyanath or Baidyanath, "the Lord of Physicians")
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Significance:
o One
of the 12 Jyotirlingas (the most
sacred abodes of Shiva).
o Considered
a Shakti Peetha, where the heart
of Sati (consort of Shiva) is believed to have fallen.
o The
temple is also part of the Char Dham of
Jharkhand.
Mythological Background
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According to legend, the demon king Ravana worshipped Lord Shiva and offered
his ten heads in devotion.
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Pleased, Shiva came to cure him, hence the name "Vaidya" (doctor).
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Another version says Ravana tried to take the
Jyotirlinga to Lanka, but it got fixed at Deoghar when he stopped to rest.
Architecture
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The temple complex houses the main shrine (Jyotirlinga) and around 21 other temples.
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The central temple is built in Nagara style, about 72 feet high, with a trident (trishul) on top.
Pilgrimage & Rituals
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Shravani
Mela (July-August): During the Hindu month of Shravan, millions of Kanwariyas carry holy water
from the Ganga at Sultanganj and walk ~108 km to offer it to Baba Baidyanath.
- Daily Rituals: Abhishekam (water and milk offerings), chanting of mantras, and Aarti.
How to Reach
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Nearest
Railway Station: Jasidih Junction (JSME) (about 7 km from the temple)
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Nearest
Airport: Deoghar Airport (Domestic)
Baidyanath Temple also known as Baba Baidyanath Dham, is
a Hindu temple dedicated
to Shiva. It is located
in Deoghar, in the State of
Jharkhand of India. The temple complex comprises the central shrine of Baba
Baidyanath along with 21 additional temples. It is significant to the Hindu
sects of Shaivism as this temple
is referred to as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
Legend
According to the legends, Ravana was
performing penance in the Himalayan region to appease Shiva. He offered nine of
his heads as an offering to Shiva. As he was to sacrifice his tenth head, Shiva
appeared before him and expressed satisfaction with the offering. Then, Shiva
asked what boon he desired. Ravana asked to take the "Kamna Linga'' to the
island of Lanka (Now, Sri Lanka) and expressed his desire to take Shiva from
Kailash to Lanka.
Shiva agreed to Ravana's request but with a
condition. He said that if the lingam was placed en route, it would become the
permanent abode of the deity and could never be moved.
Celestial gods became worried upon hearing that
Shiva had departed from his abode on Mount Kailash.
They sought a resolution from Vishnu. Vishnu asked Varuna,
the deity associated with water, to enter Ravana's stomach through achamana, a
ritual that involves sipping water from the palm of one's hand. As a
consequence of performing achaman, Ravana departed for Lanka with
the lingam and felt the need to urinate in the vicinity of Deoghar.
The story states that Vishnu took the form of a
gwala (Cowboy) named Baiju Ahir. While Ravana went to perform Surya
Namaskaram, he gave a lingam to this cowherd. Due to the presence of
Varun Dev, Ravana took a very long time. Baiju got angry, having to wait for
Ravana, for a very long time. He then positioned the lingam on the ground and
left the place. Upon returning, Ravana attempted to pick up the lingam, but was
unsuccessful in his endeavor. Ravana became upset after realizing this was the
doing of Lord Vishnu and proceeded to press his thumb onto the lingam before
departing which partially damaged the Shiv Lingam. The Shiva lingam was then
worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu, and other deities and they constructed the
Baidyanath Temple. Since then, Mahadev has taken up residence in Deoghar as the
embodiment of the Kamna Linga.
Jyotirlinga
According to Shiv
Mahapuran, once Brahma (the Hindu God of creation) and Vishnu (the
Hindu God of preservation) had an argument in terms of supremacy of creation. To
test them, Shiva pierced
the three worlds as a huge endless pillar of light, the Jyotirlinga.
Vishnu and Brahma split their way downwards and upwards respectively to find
the end of the light in either direction. Brahma lied that he found out the
end, while Vishnu conceded his defeat. Shiva appeared as the second pillar of
light and cursed Brahma, that he would have no place in ceremonies while Vishnu
would be worshipped until the end of eternity. The jyotirlinga is
the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. The jyotirlinga shrines,
thus are places where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light.
Originally there were believed to be 64 jyotirlingas while 12 of them are considered to be very auspicious and holy. Each of the twelve jyotirlinga sites takes the name of the presiding deity — each considered a different manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary image is lingam representing the beginningless and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the infinite nature of Shiva. The twelve jyotirlinga are
- Somnath in Gujarat,
- Mallikarjuna in Andhra Pradesh,
- Mahakaleswar in Madhya Pradesh,
- Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh,
- Kedarnath in Uttarakhand,
- Bhimashankar in Maharashtra,
- Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh,
- Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra,
- Baidyanath in Jharkhand,
- Nageshvara in Gujarat,
- Rameshwar in Tamil Nadu, and
- Grishneshwar in Maharashtra.
Description
The Matsya Purana called
the place Arogya Baidyanathitee. This whole area of Deoghar was
under the rule of the Kings of Gidhaur who were much attached with this temple.
Raja Bir Vikram Singh founded this princely state in 1266. In 1757 after
the Battle of Plassey the officers of the East
India Company paid their attention to this temple. An English man, Keating was
sent to look at the administration of the temple. Mr. Keating, the first
English collector of Birbhum, took interest in the administration of the
temple. In 1788, under Mr. Keating's order Mr. Hesilrigg, his assistant, who
was probably the first English man to visit the holy city, set out to supervise
personally the collection of the pilgrim offerings and dues. Later, when Mr.
Keating himself visited Babadham, he was convinced and forced to abandon his
policy of direct interference. He handed over the full control of the temple to
the hands of the high priest.
The Havan Kund temple of Baba dham opens only once
a year, there is a special tradition associated with the Navratri festival.
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