About Deoghar

Are you planning to visit Jharkhand?

Do you want to explore new places here?

There is a beautiful district in Jharkhand known as Deoghar or Baba Baidyanath Dham which is a must visit place with a great history. The district is the former capital of the Bamra princely state of British India.

Let us explore more about it.

About Deoghar

Deoghar is the main city of the Deoghar District which is located in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand, India.
Raja Shri Basudeb Sudhal Deb was the ruler of this district who belonged to the Ganga Vamsi dynasty and also extended the royal family of the Gajapati emperor of Odisha.
As the name suggests, this place is the main center for Hindu pilgrimage. You can find the famous Baba Baidyanath Dham temple here. It is one of the twelve Shiva Jyotirlingas as well as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India. The place is located 150 km from Bhagalpur, the largest city in the region. Earlier Deoghar belonged to Dumka District and is the 5th largest city in Jharkhand.

Why the name Deoghar?

If we talk about the temple, some parts of its construction were done by Puran Mal who is the ancestor of the Maharaja of Giddhour, in 1596.

Deoghar means abode (‘ghar’) of the Gods and Goddesses (‘dev’). Hence, this is why many people call this place various names like “Baidyanath Dham”, “Baba Dham”, and “B. Deoghar”. In Sanskrit, the place is called Haritakivan or Ketakivan. It is believed that the name Deoghar recently originated and came up after the erection of the Baba Baidyanath Dham temple.

Best time to visit Deoghar!!

Those who worship Lord Shiva must visit Deoghar, especially during the month of Shravan i.e. July and August. During this time, Deoghar Yatra takes place in which devotees from different parts of India come with holy water from various areas of the Ganges at Sultanganj, which is almost 108 km from Deoghar. They offer the water to Lord Shiva at Baba Baidyanath Dham temple with a belief that their wishes will get fulfilled. Apart from that, a line of people in saffron-dyed clothes stretches over the full 108 km. It is followed by a Shrawan Mela, the longest Mela in Asia. You can also visit the temple during the winters which is the period between October to March. During that time, the temperature is low and inviting for travellers.

The best option is to look for Deoghar tour packages if you are interested in traveling the whole city. Under these packages, you can find nice hotels to stay at. But before that, find out some major places you can visit in Deoghar.

Places to visit in Deoghar

Baba Baidyanath Dham Jyotirlinga Temple

It is Lord Shiva or Baidyanath temple in the form of a plain stone structure. It also consists of a 72 feet tall pyramidal tower. On the top you can see three ascending-shaped gold vessels. The Maharaja of Giddhaur had donated it. Also, there is a Punch Sula (five knives in a trident shape) that makes the temple look unique. In the inner top you can find Chandrakanta Mani, an eight-petaled lotus jewel. This temple is also known as Hridya Peeth as the heart of Mata Sati had fallen here. On the occasion of Maha Shivratri, vermilion (Sindur) is donated in this temple as the jyotirlinga (Shiva) and the shaktipeeth (Shakti) are found together.

Ramkrishna Mission Vidyapeeth

It is situated in the heart of Deoghar. It was developed in 1922 and is known as the oldest educational institution. The disciples of Swami Vivekananda used to visit it. Now the institute is turned into a senior secondary school for boys and is run by monks and Brahmacharins. Teachers from all over the world come here. You can visit the museum here which shows the ancient heritage of India. Also there is a medicinal orchard along with a greenhouse.
The major attraction is Shri Ram Krishna temple. Here religious festivals are conducted.

Basukinath

It is situated in the Dumka district of Jharkhand on the Deoghar-Dumka state highway. It is a popular place of worship for Hindus. The most famous attraction at Basukinath is undoubtedly the Basukinath Temple. Large number of pilgrims visit the temple each year from all parts of the country to worship Lord Shiva, who is the presiding deity. The crowd at the magnificent temple drastically increases in the month of Shravan. It is widely believed that the Basukinath Temple is the court of Baba Bhole Nath.

Nandan Pahar
Nandan Pahar is an amusement park built on top of a hill in the district of Deoghar in Jharkhand, India. It is famous as a picnic spot with several activities for one and all. One can have fun on one of the joy rides or go boating in the region or offer their prayers at the Nandi Temple. The park has frequent visitors from nearby localities from almost all age groups because there is something for everyone here. Sunrises are a treat to the eyes as the rising sun sets its rays towards the earth to illuminate every corner of Nandan Pahar. Sunsets are mesmerising too as the sun gently fades away letting the starlit skies take over.

Nandan Pahar consists of a garden, a pond, and serves as an amusement or recreational park with several joy rides that one can enjoy amidst the lush green garden. The theme houses at the park must be visited too. This is where your child-like fantasies will be re-kindled, and this is where you will feel youthful once again. The Nandi temple, which is situated on the top of Nandan Pahar, is very famous in the locality. Nandan Pahar is managed and promoted by the Jharkhand State Tourism Development Corporation. If you are visiting Deoghar this year, a visit to Nandan Pahar is a must.

Dev Sangha Ashram
This ashram is also called Nav Durga Mandir. It is a temple created after the name of the nine avatars of Goddess Durga. It also has temples of Lord Shiva, Goddess Saraswati, Annapurna etc. During the time of Durga Puja, this temple is highly crowded with devotees visiting from West Bengal and Orissa. You can also see the samadhi of Acharya Narendranath Brahmachari placed in the premises of the temple.

Naulakha Temple
The temple is situated 2km away from the Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple. It is a shrine of the idols of Radha and Krishna. It is another major attraction in Deoghar and the important Hindu pilgrimage centre. The height of the temple is 146ft. It is a calm and peaceful place to be at. The temple was constructed in 1948 by the saint Shree Balananda Brahmachari. It is said that the queen from the Pathuria Ghat royal family, Rani Charushila, donated the money for construction of the temple. It is believed that she had lost her son and husband and so she approached the saint. He guided her to build this temple. You can find this temple 8km away from Tapovan— another tourist attraction with a number of caves. Here the saint Balananda used to meditate. In one of the caves, there is a Shiva lingam installed.

How to reach Deoghar?

By flight: Deoghar Airport also known as (Baba Baidyanath) or Deoghar International Airport. It is a domestic airport and is situated approximately 08 kilometres from the city centre. The airport was launched recently on 12th July 2022, whose foundation stone was laid by PM Narendra Modi.

By Train: Another convenient way to reach Deoghar is by train. The Baidyanath Dham Railway Station is located 7km from the city. Once there, you can hail a cab or a rickshaw to reach the city center.

By Road: Major cities of Bihar and Jharkhand are connected to Deoghar through bus routes. You can board the daily buses from Ranchi or Patna and reach the city.

Eating places in Deoghar

Due to Jharkhand being part of Bihar, you can find a lot of Bihari food in Deoghar. It includes vegetarian dishes like Litti-Chokha, Bamboo shoots, Rugra, Kanda, Mahua, Arsa Roti, and Dubhai Roti. You can also enjoy street food like rice flakes and corn. There are selected restaurants serving cuisine of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Assam.

Where to stay in Deoghar?

Deoghar tour packages offer various options for stay which also includes high-end hotels. There are budget friendly and comfortable lodges too and are fully packed during the month of Shrawan. The expensive hotels are near the tourist spots and center of the city.Hence, for tourists, Jharkhand is an amazing place with some great destinations like Deoghar, a religious heritage. It is a place both for pilgrims and tourists. Every year around 8 million devotees in large groups visit the place. Those who want to explore the religious places, should visit Deoghar once in their lifetime. It will give you inner peace and bring you near to spirituality.

Are you interested to know about the Indian diversity and its culture?

Then start planning your vacation to this wonderful place. Trust me you will enjoy each and every attraction here. So grab your cameras to capture the magnificent temples and landscapes of Deoghar. Although some places have restrictions on using cameras, you can still use it at places like Nandan Pahar and Tapovan Caves.