Deogarh - An Abode of Shiva

Deogarh, an Abode of Shiva is of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India and also one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India. It is also known as Baidyanath Dham. Deoghar is a Hindi word and the literal meaning of 'Deoghar' is abode ('ghar') of the Gods and Goddesses ('dev'). It is in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand.

How to reach
Deogarh can be reached in a number of ways. By rail one can come up to Jasidih and from there take another rail to Deogarh. One can also hire private taxi, trekkers(type of jeep) or auto from Jasidih. There are also several buses plying between the both towns.

There are different places of interest in and around Deoghar which attracts attention of various people.

Baidyanath Temple
During the month of Shravan (June-July) pilgrims from across the country come to offer ganga jal to the divine Shivaling. The Baba Baidyanath temple is a campus of 21 temples. Nearby, this location you have Chandrakoopa Well is a historic well situated at the entrance of the temple is a fame.

Leaving aside the main attraction there are other places of interest like Nandan Pahar, Naulakha Mandir, Tapovan, Trikut Parvat, Rama Krishna Mission etc.

Nandan Pahar is a small hill in the western side of the town which has a famous Nandi Temple. It has now been beautifully maintained by the local administration and an amusement park is also set up. This hill faces the famous Shiv temple. It is an ideal destination for view of sunrise and sunset.

Naulakha Mandir is a beautiful temple of Radha-Krishna on the outskirts of Deogarh. It is famous for the idols of Radha and Krishna whose height is 146 feet. The amount spent in construction of the temple was about Rs. 900,000 (9 lakhs). Hence it became known as Naulakha Temple.



Satsang Ashram is also a holy place for the followers of Thakur Anukulachandra. It also has a museum and a zoo with a sarva dharma mandir. It is situated in the south-west of Deoghar.

Tapovan is situated 10 kms from Deogarh. There is a temple of Shiva which is the centre of attraction for pilgrims. One has to climb a few steps to reach the top of the temple. It is he saying that Sri Sri Balananda Brahmachari obtained Siddhi (success through penance) here. There are a number of caves in this hill. One has to go through one of such cave to do a darshan of a Shiva lingam. Adventurous tourist can go further up the hill to the top to get a picturesque view of the surroundings.

For more adventurous tourists, Trikut Parvat is the destination. It is situated 16 km away from Deoghar on the way to Dumka. There are three main peaks on the hill which is why it is called Trikutachal. It is the source of the River Mayurakshi. The height of this hill is 2,470 feet (750 m). There is also a temple of Shiva at this place known as Trikutachal Mahadeva Temple.

There is a short trek to the top of the Hill total time of which takes around 6 hours including rest and leisure time. There are various names/stages of the hill depending on the climb nature. They are PaJhinjhin, Hapani, Sursuri, Sita Chatal, Hanuman Choti, Dharparia and Hamaguri. One can take a guide to hear amazing stories about the stages\places on this hill, though most of them may be just stories rather than facts. There is a special type of leaf (named as Sita Patra) in this hills where in one can write with any hard substance and as per the myth if anything is written on the leaf, that wish is fulfilled.

Recently a ropeway project is undergoing in the Trikut hills and will probably start pretty soon.

You will find unmetered taxis or hired cars, auto rickshaws, tongas (Horse pulled vehicles) and cycle rickshaws to visit most of the important places in the town. There are numerous hotels near the station area and the temple area, so staying would not be a problem in Deoghar.

There are several other places nearby Deoghar as well like Basakinath Temple, Massanjore Dam, Giridih etc which attracts tourist attention round the year.

Deoghar has some food specialities and is famous for Peda - a type of milk-based sweet-meat is the Deoghar speciality. A visitor to Deoghar must not miss it.
Tilkut made of til and sugar mixed and crushed together, mostly available from the month of December to February is another of such food speciality.

Hope this will leave an impression of Deoghar among the readers and attract them to visit the place.