THE LIVING ARCHIVE
About Vaidyanath Traditions
A Jyotirlinga is a particularly revered manifestation of Shiva worshipped as a linga. The Shiva Purana lists Vaidyanatheshvara among twelve such manifestations and separately tells how Ravana, ruler of Lanka and a devotee of Shiva, tries to carry a sacred linga away. The list establishes its place in the sacred group; the story explains why it remains where it is installed.
More About Vaidyanath Traditions
Multiple shrines claim the Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga identity; this entry keeps the competing traditions visible.
AT A GLANCE
Identity & Context
- Identity
- Location
- Form
- Living sacred geography
- Tradition
- Hindu religious traditions
THE STORY
Origins & Stories
ROLE & ESSENCE
Attributes & Significance
The story gives both devotion and limitation a concrete form. Ravana succeeds in obtaining Shiva’s favor and a sacred linga, but the boon includes a condition that his strength cannot cancel once the object reaches the ground. The shrine’s permanence follows from that condition and the interruption of his journey.
Ancient / Sacred Name
Vaidyanath Traditions
Modern Identification
Deoghar, Parli and other regional claims, India
Identification Confidence
Uncertain identification
Country / Region
Deoghar, Parli and other regional claims, India
Sacred Significance & Narrative
Multiple shrines claim the Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga identity; this entry keeps the competing traditions visible.
Events / Battles
See the linked narrative records.
Historical / Archaeological Evidence
This overview does not identify a site-specific excavation report. A living physical place does not prove every event traditionally associated with it.
Textual Geography Notes
Ancient regions, literary geography and modern pilgrimage identifications are distinguished.
Tradition Notes
Names and accounts can vary by recension, region and commentary. This entry distinguishes attested details from identifications still requiring a passage-level source.
Archive Classification Notes
Original archive annotations are retained here. The current playable classification is shown in the side panel.
- Tradition Dependence
- High — compare the identified textual or regional account.
- Kingdom / Dynasty
- Not established in the passage; no additional claim is made here.
TRADITION & MEANING
Traditions & Interpretations
Deoghar’s Baidyanath Dham and Maharashtra’s Parli Vaijnath each maintain a recognized local claim to the Jyotirlinga identity. Their names, temple communities and regional settings should be kept distinct even when their traditions draw on a related Ravana narrative.
The cowherd is unnamed in this Purana passage. Other installation stories identify a divine figure in disguise, but those details should follow their own local account. They should not be inserted here merely because the no-ground condition resembles another shrine’s story.
Names and accounts can vary by recension, region and commentary. This entry distinguishes attested details from identifications still requiring a passage-level source.
From the Sacred Texts
Explore the sacred texts behind these stories in the Suvarnaveda library.
FOLLOW THE THREADS
Connected Cards
2 connected profiles. Every path leads to an original record.
Characters & Cosmic Entities2
Shiva restores Ravana, grants the linga and is worshipped as Vaidyanatha.
Ravana obtains the linga, which becomes fixed after the cowherd sets it on the ground.