New Delhi: Also known as Baba Dham and Baidyanath dham, Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand, 8 km from Jasidih junction on the Howrah-Delhi rail route.
It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas It is also observed as the most holiest abodes of Lord Shiva. Millions of devotee visit the temple for the darshan of Lord Shiva during the month of Shravan.
It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas It is also observed as the most holiest abodes of Lord Shiva. Millions of devotee visit the temple for the darshan of Lord Shiva during the month of Shravan. It is a beautiful temple complex consisting of the main temple of Baba Baidyanath, where the Jyotirlinga is installed, and 21 other temples.
It is also addressed by different names such as Harda Peeth, Ravan-Van, Haritaki-Van, and Ketaki-Van in different ancient sources.
According to Hindu mythology, Ravana worshipped Shiva at the current site of the temple to get the boons that he later used to spread terror and destruction. He offered his ten heads to Lord Shiva as a sacrifice.Delighted with this, Shiva descended to earth and treated Ravana who was injured. As he acted as a doctor, he is referred to as Vaidya (“doctor”). From this aspect of Shiva, the temple derives its name
That is why Jyotirlinga here is in the form of a Vaidya (doctor). He is supposed to relieve the devotees of dreadful diseases.
The natural surrounding, infrastructure and climate of Baidyanath is very healthy and fresh.
Therefore, a large number of tourists visit this place also for health reasons.
Difficulty in identifying location of Baidyanath Jyotirlinga:
Baidyanatham chithabhoomau [sivmahapuran kotirudra samhita 1/21-24] is the ancient verse that identifies location of Vaidyanth Jyotirlinga. According to which Baidyantham is in ‘chidabhoomi’, which is the ancient name of Deoghar. While, the same part of text has variation by which, verse is ‘paralyam vaidyanatham’, i.e., Vaidyanatham is in Parli, Maharashtra.
Thus the three temples are:Baiydanath temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand,Vaijnath temple in Parli, Maharashtra and Baijnath temple in Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh. All these three claim their shrines as ‘real’ jyotirlinga of Vaidyanath.
Various Puranas and beliefs consider Vaidhyanath Jyotirlinga as one that fulfills all wishes and desires of the devotees – spiritual as well as material. Therefore it is also called the Kaamna Linga.
Local people believe that the name Baijnath has been derived from the first pujari of this Jyotirlinga who was a cowherd called Baiju.
According to facts related to the establishment of the Jyotirling illustrated in various Puranas, Ravana wanted to take Lord Shiva to Lanka in the Treta Yug. Happy and satisfied with his devotion, Bhagwan Shiv gave him a Jyotirlinga. As Ravana could not take it to Lanka,he had to establish it on the way.
According to Devi Puran, this is the place where the heart of Bhagwati Sati had fallen and therefore, the place came to be known as Harda Peeth.
Many scholars connect this Shivling with the Rudra which is mentioned in Rigveda , and is considered as the God of illnesses.