Deoghar (pronouncedDevghar) is a city and amunicipal corporation inDeoghar district in the Indianstate ofJharkhand. It is also the administrative headquarters of Deoghar district. It is a holy place ofHinduism. The city is primarily known forBaidyanath Temple, one of the12Jyotirlingas ofShiva, one of the principal deities in Hinduism. The sacred temples of the city make this a place for pilgrimage and tourists. The city is very sacred to the followers of Hinduism.
Deoghar is located at24°29′N86°42′E / 24.48°N 86.7°E /24.48; 86.7.[3] It has an average elevation of 255 metres (833 feet). It is a part of the Indian peninsular plateau which forms a part of the oldest landmass on Earth,Gondwana land.[4] Deoghar is situated on the bank ofAjay river (which originates from Batpar village ofJamui district in Bihar) and its tributary Dadhawa river (which originates from Purnia Lake near Karangarh village24°35′44″N86°28′28″E / 24.595501°N 86.474369°E /24.595501; 86.474369 in Jamui district of Bihar). The city is surrounded with various small relict hills such as Dighriya Pahaad, Nandan Pahaad, Trikuti Pahaad, and Tapovan Pahaad. Dighriya Pahaad forms the western boundary of the city and there is a national park being constructed on these hills. Nandan Pahaad is a children's amusement place and serves as one of the principal recreational places in the city.[5] Tapovan Pahaad has its cultural relevance found in Hindu scriptures. It is one of the amusement places in the city and serves as a habitat for monkeys.[6][7]
According to the2011 Census of India, Deoghar had a total population of 203,123, of which 107,997 (53%) were males and 95,126 (47%) were females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 26,893 (13%). The total number of literate persons in Deoghar was 150,988 out of which 85,439 are males while 65,549 are females. Average literacy rate of Deoghar city is 85.68 percent of which male and female literacy was 91.24 and 79.37 percent respectively.[9][10]
Hinduism is the prominent religion in Deoghar followed by 94.30% of the population. Christianity is second most followed religion in the district by 2.65% of the people. Minorities are Muslims 2.23%, Jainism by 0.07%, Sikhism by 0.03% and Buddhism by 0.03%. Around 0.04% stated other religion and approximately 0.04% stated 'no particular religion.[11]
Jasidih - The main and major industrial hub of the city of Deoghar
The economy of Deoghar is largely dependent on religious tourism and hospitality. Deoghar is the fifth largest city in the state of Jharkhand.[13][14]
Industry in Deoghar is mainly based on IT, agriculture, hospitality, petroleum, tourism, and in the service sector. Various small and middle scale industries are present in Deoghar. Some large industrial projects are also present:
Jalsar Solar Park: Established by Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency
Plastic Park and Plastic Recycling unit
Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology[15]
Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is a company / organization that promotes IT and technology industries. This company has set up manyIT park branches in many cities such asBangalore,Hyderabad,Patna andRanchi. Same as the others, it has set up another IT Park branch in Deoghar. It is almost completed and opened.[17]
Deoghar city is usually referred to as the cultural capital of Jharkhand.[18] The official languages of the city of Deoghar areHindi andKhortha, while other native languages likeAngika andSanthali are also spoken.[19]
Part of the interior of a Hindu Temple, at Deo, in Bahar, from Rees's Cyclopedia, 1802
Tapovan Caves and Hills: This series of caves and hills is located 10 km from Deoghar and has a temple of Shiva called Taponath Mahadeva. In one of the caves a Shiva lingam is installed, and it is said that Sage Valmiki came here for penance.[20]
Naulakha Mandir: The temple stands 146 ft high. It is very similar to the temple ofRamakrishna Mission inBelur Math and it is dedicated to Radha-Krishna. Since its construction cost ₹9lakh, it is also known as Naulakha temple.[20]
Basukinath Temple: Basukinath is a place of worship for Hindus and is located in theDumka district of Jharkhand on the Deoghar-Dumka state highway. Pilgrims visit the temple each year from all of India to worship the presiding deity Shiva. The crowd at the temple drastically increases in the month of Shravan.[21] It is widely believed that the Basukinath Temple is the court of Baba Bhole Nath. The temples of Shiva and Parvati are located in front of each other in the Basukinath Temple. The gates to both of these temples open in the evening, and it is believed that Shiva and Parvati meet each other at this time. Devotees are asked to move away from the front gates of the temple. Other small temples that are dedicated to different Gods and Goddesses can also be found inside the compound.
Satsang Ashram - It's the holy place whereSri Sri Thakur Anukuchandra had spent his life. Many devotees come everyday here to havedarsan ofThakur Parivar . This is the epicenter of the Satsang Revolution and also the chief centre of this movement. In the Ashram many devotees live permanently as natives.[22][23][24]
Trikut Hill is a trendy picnic spot and a pilgrimage site located 21 km from the main city.
Deoghar Airport (IATA: DGH, ICAO: VEDO), served the Deoghar city, which is approximately 12 km (7.4 mi) from the city centre. The airport was inaugurated by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on July 12, 2022.[25][26] As of nowIndiGo operates its flight services only for Ranchi, Patna, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi.[27][28][29][30]
Jasidih Junction is the nearest train station serving Deoghar. It is located on theHowrah–New Delhi main line train route by which it is connected from all over the country.
Deoghar Junction is the railway station located in the city. It is on the Jasidih-Dumka-Rampurhat & Jasidih-Banka-Bhagalpur line. There are trains toRanchi,Dumka, Rampurhat, Munger, Bhagalpur, Banka, Agartala etc.
Baidyanathdham Deoghar railway station is a terminal station located in the city centre connected directly by jasidih junction. It mostly serves passengers trains but some express trains are planned to be started from here as well including aVande Bharat toVaranasi.[31]
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar is a medical school started bygovernment of India. A 40-room outpatient department was inaugurated in 2021, including a night shelter facility for the patients and attendants.[32] Online registration facilities were launched on 3 September 2021.[33] On July 12, 2022, the 250-bed in-patient department (IPD) and operation theatre is opened for public for treatment facilities.[34] The rest 500- bed in-patient department is soon to completed for the patients, making it total 750 beds by the beginning of year 2023.[35][34][36]
District Hospital, Deoghar offer varies treatment and surgeries for patients.
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Deoghar travel guide from Wikivoyage
