The Significance of Baba Baidyanath Dham Pilgrimage

The prominent Baidyanath Temple is located in Deoghar, Jharkhand. The Baba Baidyanath Temple has a remarkable history. The lore of Jyotirlinga goes back to the Treta Yuga, at the time of Lord Rama.

The Story behind Shiva Linga Sthapana.

It was Treta yuga, according to the ancient stories from Shiva Purana, Ravana, the king of Lanka, thought that if Shiva stays at his place, none of his enemies could touch him. So with his deep meditation and devotion towards lord Shiva, Ravana was allowed to carry the linga with him to Lanka. Lord Shiva told not to place the linga anywhere during his journey and if he does so, the Linga would remain fixed at that place forever. Agreeing to this, Ravana headed towards Lanka.

During his way back home from Mount Kailash, it was time for Ravana to perform his evening prayer and he could not do it with Shiva linga in his hand, so he looked for someone who could hold it for him. Disguised as a shepherd, Ganesha offered help. Ravana requested him to hold the linga while he completed his prayer and also told him strictly not to place the linga on the ground under any circumstance.

Ganesha warned Ravana saying he would leave the linga on the bank of the river and walk away if he did not come back soon. Pretending to be annoyed by Ravana’s delay, Ganesha kept the Linga on the ground. As soon as Ganesha did so, linga got fixed to the ground. Ravana tried to move and pull it out from the ground but he failed miserably. The Gods were happy that the Jyotirlinga did not reach Lanka. Hence the Baidyanath Temple was built. Even though there is no source of water above the temple, we can see a continuous fall of water on the linga till date.

About Temple

Among 22 temples of different Gods and Goddesses, Shiva is considered as the supreme god of all. Baidyanath Temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and is considered as the most sacred residence of Shiva. Being 7 kms from Baidyanath temple, Jasidih railway station is the closest of all. On a normal day, worshipping of the god starts at 4 am. After the head priest worships with Shodashopachar, devotees begin their worship of the Jyotirlinga. The temple door closes normally at 9pm. Darshan timings are extended during special occasion.

Shravan Mela

The famous Shravan Mela is the most celebrated 30 day festival. It usually is celebrated between July & August. Millions of devotees from different parts of India visit this shrine every year and offer holy water of ganges to the deity collected from Sultanganj which is 108km from Baidyanath. The water is also brought by Kanvarias who carry water in Kavadi and walk barefooted all the way to Baidyanath Temple. Large fleet of people with saffron-dyed clothes are seen marching 108km for the whole month. The Pilgrims do not stop even once during their journey from Sultanganj and are called as Dak Bam. The devotees then take blessings from all the gods and goddesses and find peace.

It is said that visiting Baba Dham absolves you of your sins and purifies your soul. So keep faith in god and visit Baba Dham.