Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga: Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga temple, also known as Baba Baidyanath Dham, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Baidyanath, which is Shiva's most sacred place. It is located in Deoghar of the Santal Pargana Department of Jharkhand State of India. It is a temple complex in which Baba is the main temple of Baidyanath, where Jyothirling is established, and there are 21 other temples.

According to Hindu mythology, monster King Ravana worshipped Shiva at the present place of the temple to receive a boon, by which he later wrecked the world. Ravana sacrificed his 10 heads one after another in the form of sacrifice. Pleased with this, Shiva took Ravan for treatment, where he worked as a physician. Due to this aspect of Shiva, the temple was named Vaidyanath.

Kawand Yatra is an annual pilgrimage to devotees of Shiva, which is known as Kanwaria or "Bholay" for the Hindu pilgrimage sites of Sultanganj in Bihar to bring the sacred water of the Ganges river. To distribute the offerings in the Vaidyanath temple of Jharkhand, millions of participants collect holy water from the Ganges and carry it for hundreds of miles.

The story behind Vaidyanath Jyothirlinga

Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga Temple Story in Hindi

If we talk about the story of this Jyothirlinga, as per as some of the Puranas and Shiva Mahapurana it is believed that there was a time when there was a debate in the context of the supremacy of creation between Brahma and Vishnu ji. In order to test them, Lord Shiva divides the three worlds in the form of a huge infinite Stambh. Vishnu and Brahma divide their ways down and up respectively to find out the end of the light in both directions. Brahma lied that he knew the end, while Vishnu accepted his defeat. Shiva appeared as the second pillar of light and he cursed Brahma that he would have no place in the festivals, while Vishnu would be worshipped till eternity. At the same time, it is also believed that the 64 Jyotirling is basically there but 12 of them are considered to be very auspicious and sacred. The name of the presiding deity is taken in each of the twelve Jyotirlingas.

Shravan Mela – The Best time to visit Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga Temple

In Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga Temple, there are millions of pilgrims who visit this shrine every year. It is famous for the Shravan (one month of the Hindu calendar) between July and August. About 7 to 8 million devotees come from different parts of India and offer holy water of the Ganges to Sultanganj, which is about 108 km from Devgarh and Baidyanath. Water is also brought by the colonists who carry water in the cottage and all barefoot walk. There is a large crowd on the road carrying water. An unbroken line of people in saffron-coloured clothes spans the whole 108 km for a month. Pilgrims are called Daak Bam and they do not stop even for once in the entire journey from Sultanganj to Vaidyanath in Bhagalpur district. Pilgrims of the temple later go to Basukinath temple. Apart from this, thousands of pilgrims come here on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri and worship Lord Shiva in different ways.