Baidyanath Dham Deoghar
One of the twelve Jyotirlingas where Lord Shiva manifested as the divine physician, drawing kanwariyas from across eastern India.
About this yatra
Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar, Jharkhand, enshrines one of the twelve sacred Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and is revered as the place where Mahadev appeared in the form of Vaidyanatha, the cosmic physician who heals all afflictions. The Puranic legend recounts how the demon king Ravana performed severe penance here and won a Shiva-lingam to install in Lanka, only to set it down at Deoghar on the way; the lingam took root and could never be moved again, becoming the self-manifest jyotirlinga worshipped today. The temple complex contains twenty-two shrines arranged around the main sanctum, all built in the distinctive eastern Indian sikhara style with whitewashed lime-mortar towers, the most striking being the trishul-and-panchashulam crowning the central spire which is unique among Indian temples. During the month of Shravan (July-August) more than a crore kanwariya pilgrims walk the 108-kilometre route from Sultanganj on the Ganga to Deoghar carrying pots of holy water on bamboo poles to abhishek the lingam, making it among the largest religious gatherings on earth. Our package includes pickup from Patna or Deoghar airport, three nights of accommodation in a comfort-category hotel near the temple, VIP shighra-darshan passes, a panda-guided abhishekam with Ganga jal and bel patra, prasadam from the temple bhog, a half-day visit to nearby Naulakha Mandir and Trikuta Parvat, and an excursion to Basukinath temple 42 kilometres away which is traditionally visited in the same pilgrimage.
Best time to visit
October to March for comfortable weather; Shravan Mela July-August for the great kanwariya pilgrimage; Mahashivratri in February-March
How to reach
Fly to Deoghar (DGH) 12 km or Patna (PAT) 280 km; nearest railhead Jasidih Junction 7 km on the Howrah-Delhi main line; regular buses from Patna, Ranchi and Kolkata
What to expect
Twelve Jyotirlinga abhishekam, Ravana legend sanctum, 22 sub-shrines, kanwariya pilgrim energy, panda-led rituals, Basukinath excursion, prasadam bhog