Prof Ashok Kumar Ghosh
Eco-Scope Bihar
Deoghar – a green destination in the month of Shravan
By Prof Ashok Kumar Ghosh
I am back home after spending three days at Deoghar. Deoghar is one of the main towns of Santhal Parganas in the state of Jharkhand. Deoghar literally means – the abode of GODS. It is a serene place with a picturesque, natural scenic location. Lush green forests of Data Jungle form the northern outskirts of this beautiful little town. Nandan Pahar and Trikutaparbata are two low hills with forest cover which lie to the north-east and west of Deoghar respectively. Many small hills also lie along the southern line. Yamunajor and Dharua are two creeks near the town. The town lies in a hilly tract surrounded by greenery. Deoghar has one of the 12 famous Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva as well as one of the 51 Shaktipeethas of Goddess Durga lying side by side. The place is called Baidyanath Dham and it is the only place in India where a Jyotirlinga and a Shaktipeetha coexist. The Puranas speak of the Baidyanath Jyotirlingam and it dates back to Treta period.
Outskirts of Deoghar
The temple of Baba Baidyanath dham is situated in a spacious courtyard bounded by stone walls. In the temple complex there are 22 other temples. The Baidyanath temple faces east .According to the Shiva Purana, it was in the TretaYuga that the demon Ravana, king of Lanka brought Shiva Lingam to Deoghar. The top of the original Shiva Lingam was slightly broken, in keeping with the legend that it chipped away when Ravana tried to uproot it. The Lingam has since been rebuilt. Near the temple is the Shivaganga Lake. The Chandrakoopa well, near the main entrance is said to have been built and consecrated with water from several pilgrimages by Ravana.
Kanwarias at Deoghar
This time period is very significant for Deogharas pilgrims (Kawarias ) travel from Sultanganj to Deoghar on foot carrying Ganga Jal to be offered to Lord Shiva. The Distance is 105 KMs and the scene on the road is like an ongoing fair for one month. A large number of Kawarias (Dak Bums) cover this distance non-stop within twenty four hours. The festivities known as Shravani Mela continues for one month during which this area becomes the centre of Shiva Aradhana . The devotees offer the holy water to one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Mahadev Shiva. According to my friends residing at Deoghar approximately one lakh devotees offer Ganga Jal to Lord Shiva every day throughout this month. It was a great experience for me to be among the Kanwarias and offer prayers in the temple of Shiva.Their spirit and endurance to complete this journey is exemplary. The best part of my entire trip to Deoghar was that despite lakks of devotees visiting this town every day, it was much cleaner as compared to our stinking city of Patna.
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Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh is Professor-in-Charge in the department of Environment and Water Management, A.N.College [Magadh University], Patna, India.He writes a column on environment and water resources in Bihar, exclusively for BiharDays every Mondays.
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