Deoghar, 470 kms from Varanasi, is the headquarters of the Deoghar District of the state of Jharkhand. Deoghar is a holy city beside the Mayurakshi River. The ancient Baba Baidyanath Temple complex is a significant Hindu pilgrimage site. Nearby, Shiv Ganga is a sacred pool where devotees of Shiva bathe. There is a shrine to Krishna in the ornate, stone-carved Naulakha Mandir temple. Northeast of town, Harila Jori is the site of a whitewashed Shiva temple and a sacred water tank.
Deoghar (the house of Gods) is a centre of peace and harmony that features many socio-cultural and industrial units. It is a popular health resort and an important Hindu pilgrimage. The ancient temple of Baba Baidyanath (kamana-linga), is one of the twelve jyotirlingas. Deoghar is believed to be the place, where Ravana carrying Lord Shiva on his way to Sri Lanka had stopped, betraying the conditions of a non-stop journey. This failed him in his mission of taking the Lord to Lanka and the Lord remained rooted here. The place is known as Baidyanath Dham after Lord Shiva, also known as Baba Baidyanath. Every monsoon (in the month of Shravan) countless devotees undertake a rigorous 100 km pilgrimage on foot from Ajgaibinath (Sultanganj) to offer holy water to Baba Baidyanath. The pilgrimage is deemed complete with homage paid at Basukinath, almost 43 kms from Deoghar. Within the precincts of the main temple, there are 12 other temples, dedicated to different Gods, including Lord Mahadeva.
Naulakha Mandir
Situated 1.5 kms from Baidyanath Dham is the Naulakha Temple, so called because Rani Charushila of Pathurighat royal family spent 9 lakh rupees on building it. The main deities in the temple are Radha and Krishna. The temple’s architecture closely resembles that of Belur Math (Ramakrishna Mission’s Headquarters) in West Bengal and its view is architecturally splendor for tourists.
Tapovan Hill
Located 10 kms south of Deoghar is considered to be the site of meditation for many sages. Tapowan is believed to be the ‘tap’ bhoomi (meditation site) of Sita.