Jyotirlinga Series: Vaidyanath Temple

Jyotirlinga Series: Vaidyanath Temple at Jharkhand is another one of the 12 main Jyotirlingas of the country. The legend of this temple is directly associated with the notorious rakshasa and devout devotee of Shiva - Ravana. So, let's find out the legend associated with this temple, shall we?

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The rakshasa king of Lanka, Ravana, had performed severe penance to please Shiva and get some boons from him.

Initially, Shiva did not appear and so Ravana began offering his heads one by one to Shiva, by cutting them off!

When he was about to cut off the tenth and last head, Shiva finally pleased, appeared before him.

Shiva blessed Ravana with immense strength and even cured him and made him ten-headed once again.

But Ravana was not satisfied. He wanted Shiva to come with him to Lanka and stay there. Shiva agreed and gave him a linga to ev installed in Lanka, but warned him that once the linga was placed on the ground, it would stay there forever.

Ravana heard the instructions and then carrying the linga in his hands, began the journey to Lanka.

Halfway through the route, he felt an urgent need to answer nature's call and so he handed over the linga to a cowherd who was walking near him.

The cowherd held the linga for sometime but it began getting heavier and heavier and he finally kept it down as he couldn't bear its weight.

On coming back, Ravana was extremely disappointed and had to return to Lanka empty handed. And this is how the Vaidyanath Temple came into existence.

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