Baba Dham, Baidyanath Dham or the Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga is one of the most sacred temples of Lord Shiva. Deoghar, in Jharkhand is the home to this famous temple. It is believed that Ravana, the demon king worshipped Lord Shiva at this place to get his blessings so that he could take the world under his control. Ravana sacrificed his ten heads to get the Lord’s blessings and succeeded in his effort. Lord Shiva was pleased and he cured all his injuries. Thus, here, Lord Shiva acted as a doctor or Vaidya and from this the place got its name.
But three different places have claimed themselves as the real sites for the jyotirlinga of Vaidyanath. Thus there are three different temples- Baidyanath temple in Deoghar, Vaijnath temple at Parli in Maharashtra and Baijnath in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. It is believed that the temple site in Deoghar was a Chidabhoomi where dead bodies were burnt and after-death rituals were carried out. This temple attracts millions of pilgrims every year. The famous Shrawan Mela is held in the months of July and August.
