Baidyanath Temple, Deoghar – Religious Significance

Baidyanath Temple, Deoghar – Religious Significance

Jyotirlinga:

According to Shiva Mahapuraan, Brahma (The Creator) and Vishnu (The Preserver) once had a disagreement about which of them was supreme. To test them, Shiva pierced the three worlds as an immeasurable pillar of light, the Jyotirlinga. Vishnu and Brahma parted company to determine the extent of each end of the pillar. Brahma, who had set off upward, lied that he had discovered the upper end of the pillar, but Vishnu, who had gone in the direction of the base of the pillar, admitted that he had not. Shiva then appeared as a second Jyotirlinga and cursed Brahma, telling him that he would have no place in the ceremonies, though Vishnu would be worshipped until the 'end of eternity'.

The Jyotirlinga is the supreme indivisible reality from which Shiva appears. jyotirlinga shrines commemorate this time when Shiva appeared. It was believed that there were originally sixty-four Jyothirlingas. Twelve are considered to be especially auspicious and holy. Each of the twelve sites takes the name of the presiding deity and each is considered a separate manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the primary deity is a lingam representing the beginning less and endless Stambha pillar, symbolizing the Shiva's infinite nature.

The twelve jyotirlingas are;

·        Somnath in Gujarat,

·        Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, 

·        Mahakaleswar at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, 

·        Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, 

·        Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, 

·        Bhimashankar in Maharashtra, 

·        Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, 

·        Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra, 

·        Vaidyanath at Deoghar in Jharkhand,

·        Nageshvara Jyotirlinga, 

·        Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu,

·        Grishneshwar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

Sakthi Peeth:

The mythology of Daksha Yaga and Sati's self-immolation is the main theme in the origin of Shakti Peethas. Shakti Peethas are divine temples of Adi Parashakti. The cause of the presence of Devi's presence is due to the falling of body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi. The heart of Sati Devi's body is believed to have fallen here. There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit.

Other Names:

Deogarh is also known as Vaidyanath, Haritaki Vana, Ketaki Vana, Ravana Vana, Chithabhoomi and Hardapeetha.

Location Controversies:

Some schools of thought believe Vaidyanath near Parali in Andhra Pradesh to be the Vaidyanatha Jyotirlinga. Other schools of thought claim that Kiragram in Punjab and Dabhoi in Gujarat are the Vaidyanatha Jyotirlinga temples.

Prajwalika Nidhanam:

Baidyanath Jyothirlinga is located at Prajwalika Nidhanam. Prajwalika Nidhanam is a funeral place that is also called chithabhoomi. This place is famous for burning corpses/cremation and death ceremonies are performed here. Here lord Shiva is worshiped as smasan vasin (meaning, residing in crematorium), sava bhasma bhushita (meaning, smearing the body with ashes of burnt bodies).