PM Modi visits Baba Baidyanath Dham: The history of temple and significance in Hindu mythology
PM Modi visits Baba Baidyanath Dham: The history of temple and significance in Hindu mythology
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inagurated a slew of projects in Jharkhand, including Deoghar Airport which will provide direct connectivity to Baba Baidyanath Dham, an important religious destination for devotees from all over the country.
Baba Baidyanath Dham, also known as Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple, is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas – sacred shrines of Lord Shiva in India believed to have been visited by the deity himself and thus have a special place in devotees hearts – and 51 Shakti Peethas in India.
Let’s take a closer look at Baba Baidyanath Dham’s significance and history:
Significance in Hindu mythology
Baba Baidyanath Dham is a temple complex consisting of the main temple of Baba Baidyanath, where the Jyotirlinga is installed, and 21 other temples.
According to Hindu mythology, Ravana is believed to have worshipped Shiva there to get boons. Ravana sacrificed his ten heads one after the other to Shiva. The deity, pleased by Shiva’s offerings, descended to cure Ravana.
Since he acted as a doctor, Shiva is referred to as Vaidhya/ baidhya (doctor). Hence the name Baidyanath.
Another version recounts how Ravana, one of the greatest devotees of Lord Shiva, requested him to make Lanka his home. While Shiva could not agree, he said that the Shiva Linga would be a good substitute.
Shiva put forth one condition – Ravana must not put down the Shiva Linga while transporting it. If he did so, that would be the site of the linga.
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As Ravana was transporting it to Lanka, the gods, fearing the consequences of such a possibility, requested Lord Varuna to intervene. Varuna, the lord of the waters, entered Ravana’s stomach, making the demon king want to relieve himself.
Ravana thus descended to the ground and handed the Linga to a Brahmin (Lord Vishnu in disguise) and asked him to hold it.
As soon as Ravana went to relieve himself, Lord Vishnu placed the Linga on the ground and disappeared. When Ravana returned, he realized that he had been tricked. While he attempted to use all his strength to remove it, he could not.
So Ravana decided to pay obeisance to it on that spot, which is believed to be Deoghar.
History of the temple
Its origin seems to have been lost in antiquity.
However, it has been referred to as Haritakivan or Ketakivan in Sanskrit texts.
Although the name of the builder of the temple is unknown, parts of the front portion of it are said to have been built by Puran Mal, an ancestor of the Maharaja of Giddhour, in 1596.
As per Art of Living, Baidyanath Dham has been famous since the rule of the last Gupta emperor, Adityasena Gupta in the 8th Century AD.
Mughal emperor Akbar’s brother-in-law built a pond at Deoghar known as Mansarovar. This temple appears to have maintained its importance even during the Muslim rule in India.
You will find shrines devoted to Parvati, Ganesha, Brahma, Kalabhairav, Hanuman, Saraswati, Surya, Ram-Lakshman-Janaki, Ganga, Kali, Annapurna, and Lakshmi-Narayan. The Maa Parvati temple is tied to the Shiva temple with red sacred threads.
The main temple has a pyramidal tower with three gold vessels set compactly. These were gifted by the Maharaja of Giddhaur, Raja Puran Singh. There are also five knives in a trident shape (Punchsula) as well as a lotus jewel with eight petals called Chandrakanta Mani.
There is a huge Nandi, Lord Shiva’s mount, in front of the Lord.
Deoghar city and the airport
Deoghar city is around 150 kilometres from region’s largest city Bhagalpur. Deoghar was earlier part of Dumka District. It is the Jharkhand’s fifth largest city.
The name Deoghar seems to be of recent origin and probably dates from the erection of the great temple of Lord Baidyanath.
Deoghar, meaning home of the gods, is famous for the mela of Shravan, the fourth month as per the Hindu calendar.
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 Shravan) 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.
Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Deoghar airport on 25 May, 2018.
The 657-acre airport has been constructed at an estimated cost of around Rs 400 crore.
Modi had on Monday sharing details of his itinerary tweeted: “Will have the fortune of ‘darshan’ and worship at Baba Baidyanath Temple at the holy city of Deoghar just before the beginning of Shravan. On July 12, will get the opportunity of inaugurating the airport. This will make the journey for devotees easier and boost tourism in Jharkhand.”
He had also said Baidyanath Dham Deoghar is “one of the most sacred sites for us” and draws people from all over the world.
Low-cost carrier IndiGo had last week announced that it would launch the Kolkata-Deoghar flight service on 12 July.
Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday announced that Jharkhand is set to get three more airports.
He also said that 14 new air routes will be made available in the state to increase connectivity.
Scindia is accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jharkhand. "Jharkhand will soon have five airports. After Ranchi and Deoghar, we will set up airports in Bokaro, Jamshedpur and Dumka. Also, 14 new air routes will be introduced in the state to increase connectivity,” Scindia said.
With inputs from agencies
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