Parli Vaijnath Temple

History

Maharashtra Tourism’s Parli Vaijnath page describes the Vaidyanath form and the Ravana legend linked to the linga.

The Jyotirlinga leaflet groups Parli with Aundha Nagnath for Maharashtra Shiva yatras.

Stories

Ravana and the Lord of Healers

Tradition links the Vaidyanath form of Shiva to Ravana, the king of Lanka, who is said to have worshipped Shiva with great austerity. Shiva appeared as a healer, vaidya, and from this the name Vaidyanath, 'lord of physicians', is explained.

Maharashtra Tourism's page on Parli Vaijnath also describes this Ravana legend as tied to the linga. The shrine is therefore associated with healing, and devotees come in the hope of relief from illness.

One of Several Claimants to the Name

Parli Vaijnath in Beed district is counted as the fifth of the twelve Jyotirlingas in the order recited in the traditional list. Other places, such as Deoghar in Jharkhand, are also held by devotees to be the Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga.

Which of them is meant in the ancient verse is a matter on which traditions differ, and each place has its own long-standing following. Devotees at Parli hold theirs to be the true one.

Size, Entry and Dress Custom

The temple rises roughly 75 to 80 feet and has a brass-plated door at its east entrance. The town lies in Beed district, in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. At the abhishek, the ritual bathing of the linga, male devotees are not permitted to wear clothes above the waist. The town of Parli Vaijnath has its own railway station, and Nanded is the nearest airport.

Good to know

Vaijnath Jyotirlinga — Maharashtra Tourism

Beed district forested setting

Opposite tulsi–bilva offering tradition noted on tourism page

Getting there

Nearest airport: Aurangabad (~225 km). Parli railway station is ~3 km from the temple.