There is a Jyotirlinga which was established by Ravana himself and this place has a very interesting story attached to it. This Jyotirlinga is Baidyanath Jyotirlinga situated in Deoghar, Jharkhand. It is a temple complex consisting of the main temple of Baba Baidyanath, where the Jyotirlinga is installed, and 21 other temples.
Origin Of Baidyanath Jyotirlinga
It has two interesting and great legacies regarding the origin of this temple.
According to the first story, Baidyanth was the place where the demon king Ravana prayed to Lord Shiva. Ravana was seeking boons that would make him invincible. As a sacrifice, he offered each of his ten heads one after another. This pleased Lord Shiva, who came down to earth and cured the injured Ravana. The act of curing made Lord Shiva equivalent to a doctor or vaidhya/baidhya. Hence, the name of this place came to be known as Baidyanath.
Another version of the story says that Ravana, one of the greatest devotees of Lord Shiva, requested him to make Lanka his home. Lord Shiva could not accept it but said that he will go with Ravana in the form of Shivalinga. He placed the condition that while transporting the linga, Ravana must not put it down anywhere. If he did, the place where he put it down would be the site of the linga. As Ravana was transporting it to Lanka, the gods feared the consequences of the linga at Ravana’s kingdom.
They requested Lord Varuna, lord of the waters, to break his journey. Varuna entered Ravana’s stomach, making the demon king want to relieve himself. He descended to the ground and handed the linga to a Brahmin who was 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. The linga was fixed to the ground. He tried with all his might to displace it. However, he could not. So, he worshiped it right there and that place now resides the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga.
Shravan mela and Kanwar yatra
Millions of pilgrims visit this shrine every year. It is famous for the mela of Shraavana, between July and August. About 8 to 10 million devotees visit the place from various parts of India and offer holy water of Ganges to the deity collected from Sultanganj, which is almost 108 km from Deoghar and Baidyanath. The water is also brought by the Kānvarias, who carry the water in Kavadi, and walk all the distance, on barefoot.
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