Vaidyanath Temple, Deoghar

It is believed that Ravana, king of Lanka, pleased Shiva through intense penance on Mount Kailash and won permission to carry his Atma Linga to Lanka, on condition that it never touch the ground along the way. Fearing his growing power, the gods devised a trick to stop him, in one popular version, Vishnu appeared as a cowherd boy and persuaded Ravana to hand him the linga, which he then placed on the ground. This is how the lingam came to be fixed permanently at Deoghar.

'Vaidyanath' means 'Lord of the physicians', Shiva is worshipped here as a divine healer, curing ailments and suffering. This temple is also one of the fifty-one Shakti Peeths, where Sati's heart is believed to have fallen, which is why it is also called 'Hridaya Peeth' (heart-seat), making it the only one of the twelve Jyotirlingas that is also a Shakti Peeth.

Vaidyanath Temple is the destination of one of the world's largest walking pilgrimages, the Kanwar Yatra. During Shravan month, lakhs of 'Kanwariyas' carry Ganga water on foot from Sultanganj (about 105-109 km away) to offer here on the Shivalinga. The Shravani Mela held during this period is counted among Jharkhand's largest religious gatherings.

Within the temple complex, alongside the Shivalinga, stands a temple to Parvati, with a sacred thread tied between the two, symbolising the oneness of Shiva and Shakti. Outside Shravan month, the temple is comparatively quiet, allowing for easy darshan.