Deoghar is the main city of the Deoghar District in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand, India. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre with the Baidyanath Temple being one of the twelve Shiva Jyothirlingas in India and one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India. It is situated 150 km from region’s largest city Bhagalpur. Deoghar was earlier part of Dumka District. It is the 5th largest city of Jharkhand.
How Deoghar Was Named
Deoghar is a Hindi word and the literal meaning of ‘Deoghar’ is abode (‘ghar’) of the Gods and Goddesses (‘dev’). Deoghar is also known as “Baidyanath Dham”, “Baba Dham”, “B. Deoghar”. The origin of Baidyanathdham is lost in antiquity. It has been referred to as Haritakivan or Ketakivan in Sanskrit Texts. The name Deoghar seems to be of recent origin and probably dates from the erection of the great temple of Lord Baidyanath. Although the name of the builder of the temple is not traceable, certain parts of the front portion of the temple are said to have been built by Puran Mal, an ancestor of the Maharaja of Giddhour, in 1596. Deoghar is a place of worship for Lord Shiva, in the month of Shravan many devotee takes ganga jal from Sultanganj to Deoghar for worship and they get the desire wish of their life.
Deoghar, also known as Baidyanath Dham, is an important Hindu pilgrimage site. It is one of the twelve and also one of the 51 , and is famous for the mela of Shrawan, 4th month according to the Hindu calendar system. It is, along with Shrisailam, one of the few places in India where the jyotirlinga and the shaktipeeth are together, lying sided beside each other. Each year between July and August (on the eve of the month of Shrawan) in Deoghar Yatra, about 7 to 8 million devotees come from various part of India bringing holy water from various areas of Ganges at Sultanganj, which is almost 108 km from Deoghar, in order to offer it to Lord Shiva. During that month, a line of people in saffron-dyed clothes stretches over the full 108 km. It is the longest Mela of the Asia.
The temple of Baidyanath or Lord Shiva is the most important of all the temples in the courtyard. The temple faces the east and is a plain stone structure with a pyramidal tower, 72 feet tall. The top contains three ascending shaped gold vessels that are compactly set, and were donated by the Maharaja of Giddhaur. Besides these pitcher shaped vessels, there is a Punchsula (five knives in a tridenta shape), which is rare. In the inner top, there is an eight-petaled lotus jewel called Chandrakanta Mani.