Deoghar district (pronounced, ''Devo ka ghar'') is one of the twenty-four districts of

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...

state in eastern India. Deoghar, the central city of the district, is also its administrative headquarters. This district is known for the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga shrine and is a part of the

Santhal Pargana division Santhal Pargana division constitutes one of the five district administration units known as the divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Origin of name Santhal Pargana derives its name from two words: " Santhal", a major tribe of India ...

. Deoghar is a Hindi word meaning abode (‘ghar’) of the Gods and Goddesses (‘dev’). Deoghar is also known as “Baidyanath Dham,” and “Baba Dham,”.

History

The district was formed on 1 June 1981 by separating it from the former Santhal Pargana district. A View of the Pagodas at Deogar

Geography

The Deoghar district is located in western portion of Santhal Parganas. It shares its boundary with Banka and Jamui districts in the north, Dumka in the east, Jamtara in the south, and

Giridih Giridih is headquarters of the Giridih district of Jharkhand state, India. The city of Giridih is known for its industrial and health sectors, as well as its scenic beauty. Giridih houses the Giridih Coalfield which is one of the oldest coalfie ...

in the west. The district extends from 24.0.03' N to 23.0.38' N and from 86.0.28' E to 87.0.04' E; it has an area of 2481 km². It had a population of people according to the 2011 Census of India. The district contains several clusters of rocky hills covered by forest with a series of long ridges with intervening depressions. Most of the rolling highlands are cultivated by highland crops. The average elevation of the district is 247 m above mean sea level. There are some hill ranges like Phuljari (750 m), Teror (670 m), and Degaria (575 m). The general slope of the district descends to the southeast. Geologically, the district is mainly covered by Chhota Nagpur granite gneiss of Archean age with patches of alluvium, sandstone, and shale of Gondwana formations. Important rivers flowing in the district include the Ajay and the Paltro. These rivers gather a large number of tributaries that form the landscape full of Tanrs and Dons. Navlakha Temple 3

Cities and villages

Madhupur, Chitra, Sarsa Kushmaha, Majhiyana, Tharidulampur, Jamua, Charakmara, Palojori, Devipur, Sarwan, Sarath, Karon, Mohanpur, Rohni, Babangaua, Ghorlash, Jasidih, Koridih, Raihdih, Gidhaiya, Kalyanpur, Jitjori, Bhojpur, Sirsa, Mahapur, Bandajori, Manigarhi, Balidih, Sonaraithari, Dondiya, Sadhariya, Nawadih, Sabaijore, Goremara

Climate

The district experiences hot summers which usually last from March to May. Heavy

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

rains occur from June to September. Winters are cool, dry and generally last from October to February. The average annual rainfall is 1239 mm, mean summer maximum temperature is 43 °C, and the mean winter minimum temperature is 8 °C. It is one of the 21 districts in Jharkhand currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Politics

Subdivisions and Blocks

The district is composed of two subdivisions: Deoghar and Madhupur. The district comprises ten blocks: Deoghar, Karon, Madhupur, Mohanpur,

Palojori Palojori is a community development block that forms an administrative division in the Madhupur subdivision of the Deoghar district, Jharkhand state, India. Geography Palojori, the eponymous CD block headquarters, is located at . It is located ...

, Sarath, Devipur, Margomunda, Sarwan, and Sonaraithari. There are 3

Vidhan Sabha The State Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha, or also Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in the states and union territories of India. In the 28 states and 3 union territories with a unicameral state legislature, it is the sole legislati ...

constituencies in this district: Madhupur, Sarath, and Deoghar. Madhupur and Deoghar are part of the Godda Lok Sabha constituency, while Sarath is part of Dumka Lok Sabha constituency.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Deoghar district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 1,492,073 (roughly equal to the nation of

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

or the US state of Hawaii), which ranks it the 337th most populated district in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

over the decade 2001–2011 was 28.02%. Deoghar has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species d ...

of 921

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

to 1000 males and a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 66.34%. 12.7% of the population is from Scheduled Castes, 12.1% from Scheduled Tribes. 78.09% are Hindu, 20.28% Muslim and 1.08% Sarna. At the time of the

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

, 65.39% of the population in the district spoke Khortha, 13.92%

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, 9.83% Santali, 6.71%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Bengali as their first language.

Culture

Deoghar city is usually referred to as the cultural capital of Jharkhand. The official languages of the city of Deoghar are

, Khortha, Bengali and Bhojpuri while other native languages like

Angika Angika (also known as ''Anga'', ''Angikar'' or ''Chhika-Chhiki'') is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken in some parts of the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand, as well as in parts of Nepal. It is closely related to languages such as Mai ...

and Santhali are also spoken.

Tourist attractions

The holy city is home to the various prominent tourists attraction such as :

# Baidyanath Dham Temple: Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple, also commonly referred to as the Baidyanath Dham, is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga in India and is considered to be the most sacred abodes of

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

.The temple is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of

in India. This large temple complex comprises the main temple of Baba Baidyanath, where the Jyotirlinga is installed, along with twenty-one other temples. This temple is also one of fifty one

Shaktipeeth The Shakti Pitha or the Shakti Peethas ( sa, शक्ति पीठ, , ''seat of Shakti'') are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the goddess-centric denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various fo ...

Goddess Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around comb ...

where It is believed that the heart of Sati fell at Baidyanath Dham when

Lord Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

used the Sudarshana Chakra, to cut Sati's corpse in order to stop Shiva's destruction. Here the deity is worshiped in form of Jaya Durga. The temple is mentioned in several ancient scriptures and continues to be mentioned even in modern-day history books. The story of the origin of this Jyotirlinga goes back to the

Treta Yuga ''Treta Yuga'', in Hinduism, is the second and second best of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'' and followed by '' Dvapara Yuga''. ''Treta Yuga'' lasts for 1,296,000 years (3,600 divine ye ...

, in the era of Lord Rama. According to popular Hindu beliefs,

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. ...

The King of Lanka Once felt that his capital would be incomplete and under the constant threat of enemies unless Lord Shiva decides to stay there forever. So, he went to the Himalayas to impress the Lord and started offering his heads one after another. When he was about to cut off his tenth head, Lord Shiva descended on Earth impressed by his devotee. He then cured the wounded Ravana and granted him a boon. Ravana requested Lord Shiva to allow him to take the Shivalinga back to Lanka with him to which the Lord agreed but on one condition. Lord Shiva warned Ravana that he cannot keep the Shivalinga on the ground until he reaches Lanka and if he does so it will get fixed to the ground and he will never be able to uproot it. Ravana agreed to the condition and began his journey. All the other God and Goddess were not happy with the decision because they knew, if Shiva went to Lanka with Ravana, then he would become invincible and his evil deeds would threaten the world. They met Lord Vishnu and asked him to stop Ravana, the demon king from taking the Shivalinga to Lanka. Lord Vishnu asked Lord Varun, the Ocean God to enter the stomach of Ravana at the time he performs Aachamanam during the Sandhya Vandana, the evening prayer. Aachamanam is a process of purifying by sipping drops of water while reciting the 21 names of Vishnu. When Ravana reached Deoghar, it was almost evening so he decided to perform his evening prayers. As asked, Lord Varun entered his stomach during the Aachamanam and Ravana felt an urgent need to release himself. He gave the Shivalinga to a milkman and asked him to take care of the lingam until he comes back. To utter surprise, the more Ravana released himself, the more he felt the urge. He took a long time to come back and the impatient milkman kept the shiva linga on the ground and went away. When Ravana finally returned he saw that the Shivalinga was fixed on the ground. He tried a lot to uproot it but failed miserably. Ravana damaged the Shivalinga in the process. He understood that the milkman was Lord Vishnu who pranked him and left the place in anger. Later, God and Goddess came down from heaven and established the Shivalinga. Every monsoon (in the month of Shravan) millions of devotees undertake arigorous piligrimage on foot from Ajgaibinath, Sultanganj to offer holy water and prayers to Baba Baidyanath. The pilgrimage is deemed complete with homage paid at Basukinath which is almost from Deoghar. # 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. # Naulakha Mandir: It is a temple located 1.5 km from the 146 ft. high main temple. It is very similar to the temple of Ramakrishna Mission in

Belur Math Belur Math () is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India. The t ...

cand it is dedicated to Radha-Krishna. Since its construction cost ₹9 lakh, it is also known as Naulakha temple. # Basukinath Temple: Basukinath is a place of worship for Hindus and is located in the Dumka 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. 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 where Sri Sri Thakur Anukuchandra had spent his life. Many devotees come everyday here to have ''darsan'' of Thakur 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. # Trikut Hill - Trikut Hill is a trendy picnic spot and a pilgrimage site located 21 km from the main city. This Hills contains three peaks, and the highest mountain peak goes up to an elevation of 2470 feet from sea level and about 1500 feet wide ground. However, the single hill conglomeration of 3 peaks that stand together in the form of a trident and hence contributing to the name of the hill, Trikutachal. This three peaks are named after Hindu Gods,

Bramha Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

and Mahesh among which two peaks are only open for tourists. The foothills of the Trikut hill are encircled by the

Mayurakshi River Mayurakshi River (also called Mor River) is a major river in Jharkhand and West Bengal, India, with a long history of devastating floods. It has its source on Trikut Hills, about from Deoghar in Jharkhand state. It flows through Jharkhand ...

which flows majorly through the state of West Bengal, just adjacent to Jharkhand, before eventually emptying out into the Hooghly River and joining the Ganges. The origin of the Mayurakshi River, the substance of many popular literary epithets and texts in Bengali culture and tradition has its source of origin in the Trikut Pahad or Trikut Hill in English. The Trikut Pahad is also a significant location for its natural elevation for solar power projects as well as a very ambitious ropeway project that it can be accessed by which provides a panoramic view of the scenery and landscape around. The Trikut Pahad itself also provides for great view and is an ideal spot for photographic exploits. It serves as major touristic destination where people come every year to picnic and to indulge in fun activities such as Trekking, Ropeway and Wildlife Adventures It is covered by clouds in the rainy seasons and gives rise to many rivulets and streamlets that form from its slopes and continue as waterfalls before emptying into Tapovan, the spot for the famous Tapovan Mahadev temple, the revered shrine of the Hindu deity Shiva. # Rikhiyapith - Rikhiapeeth is where

Swami Satyananda Satyananda Saraswati (25 December 1923 – 5 December 2009), was a Sanyasi, yoga teacher and guru in both his native India and the West. He was a student of Sivananda Saraswati, the founder of the Divine Life Society, and founded the Bihar Sc ...

lived the life of a Paramahansa Yogi, for twenty years performing long and arduous yogic sadhanas before taking Samadhi here in 2009. In keeping with the yogic and spiritual legacy he left behind, the sprawling ashram has evolved into a vibrant epicentre where serious yoga lovers and sincere spiritual seekers from all walks of life, flock to experience the peace, harmony and true joy of living a Yogic lifestyle. # Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar

Shravani Mela

The importance of Baba Baidyanath Dham increases during the month of Shrawan. During this period, many devotees crowd gathered here for worship to Baba Baidyanath. Most of the tourists and devotees first visit Sultanganj, which is 108 km from Deoghar In Sultanganj, the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

flows to the north. Devotees collect water from the river in their kanwars and walk 109 km up to Baba Baidyanath temple at Babadham, reciting Bol Bam on the way. On reaching Babadham, the kanwarias first take a dip in the Shivaganga to purify themselves and then enter the Baba Baidyanath temple, where the Ganges water is offered to the Jyotirlingam. This pilgrimage continues during the whole of Shravan for 30 days, from July–August. This is the longest religious fair in the world. The sight on the way from Sultanganj to Babadham is of a 109 km long human chain of saffron-clad pilgrims. It is estimated that during Shravan around 5.0 to 5.5 million pilgrims visit Baba Baidyanath Dham.

Education

GD DAV PUBLIC SCHOOL is one of the best school in Deoghar . That was Formed in 1990 by Mahatma ND Grover . ''(LKG TO 12) (Bhandarkola Satar Road) website : gddavdeoghar.org'' Deoghar College in Deoghar city was founded in 1951. It is one of the constituent colleges of

Sido Kanhu Murmu University Sido Kanhu Murmu University (SKMU), formerly Siddhu Kanhu University, is a public university situated in the Santhal Parganas region of Jharkhand state in eastern India. It has its headquarters at Dumka, the second capital of Jharkhand. The univ ...

at Dumka. Other colleges include AS College and RD Bajla Mahila College. Best government school jnv rikhiya deoghar Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar is a residential school founded in 1922 and is known for its quality education in the secondary and higher secondary section. The school is affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE), New Delhi and it is managed by Rama Krishna Mission, Belur, in Kolkata. It has a residential secondary and senior secondary school, a well-equipped charitable medical unit with modern diagnostic facilities, a centre for academic coachings to school-going children for their overall growth and career building. Birla Institute of Technology, Deoghar is an educational institute offering

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

courses located in Deoghar, Jharkhand, India since 2007. It is an extension center of BIT, Mesra, Ranchi from 2007 It admits students through the JEE (Mains) entrance examination and counseling. Recently a new school Takshashila Vidyapith, Deoghar, has also been built with the latest facilities in the year 2010. There are two branches of the G.D. D.A.V. Public School: the G.D D.A.V. Public School Bhandarcola in the city suburbs, and G.D. D.A.V. Public School Castair's Town in the town center, near Tower Chowk. A branch of All India Institute of Medical Science opened in 2019 at the extension in Deoghar district. It has been inducting MBBS students through

NEET NEET, an acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training", refers to a person who is unemployed and not receiving an education or vocational training. The classification originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, and its use ha ...

exams since 2019. It admitted 50 students in the first batch and increased it to 62 in the year 2021.

Healthcare

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar (AIIMS Deoghar) is a public medical school and hospital located in Deoghar, Jharkhand, India. It is also one of the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMSs) that started operation in ...

is a medical school established by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India under the ''Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna'' (PMSSY), with the aim to provide better medical facilities and health care treatments. As of now 40-room outpatient department was inaugurated by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya, on 24 August 2021, including a night shelter facility for the patients and attendants. Online registration facilities were launched on 3 September 2021. The 750- beds inpatient department(IPD) and operation theatre will soon be opened for public. The inauguration is set to done by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

* District Hospital, Deoghar offer treatment and surgeries. Blood bank facility is also provided for needy donor.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deoghar District Districts of Jharkhand 1986 establishments in Bihar