Deoghar district (pronounced, Devo ka ghar) is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand 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. 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.
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 district in the east, Jamtara district in the south, and Giridih district 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.
Cities and villages Madhupur, Chitra, Sarsa Kushmaha, Majhiyana, Singhjori, 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 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, Sarath, Devipur, Margomunda, Sarwan, and Sonaraithari.
There are 3 Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) 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.
Administration and local governance
The administration of Deoghar district is headed by the Deputy Commissioner (DC), an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The DC acts as the head of the district and orders subordinate departmental officers to perform their duties. The office also coordinates the functioning of government departments, oversees the execution of development schemes, and implements welfare programmes for the district.
The Superintendent of Police (SP), an officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS), is responsible for maintaining law and order in the district. The SP works in close coordination with the DC and other officials of the police department.
In terms of urban governance, Deoghar district has two major urban local bodies (ULB):
Deoghar city is administered by the Deoghar Municipal Corporation, which looks after civic amenities such as water supply, sanitation, solid waste management, roads, and street lighting. Madhupur town is administered by the Madhupur Municipality, which performs similar functions for the town's residents.
The rural areas of the district are governed through a three-tier system of Panchayati Raj institutions, consisting of village panchayats, panchayat samitis at the block level, and the Zila Parishad at the district level. These bodies are responsible for local development, implementation of welfare schemes, and delivery of basic services in villages.
Demographics
CD BlockHindu %Muslim %Other %Deoghar92.276.940.79Madhupur60.4038.071.53Margomunda47.1648.354.49Karon75.7322.581.69Mohanpur87.8211.530.65Palojori65.3231.133.55Sarath83.8314.201.97Devipur80.9617.311.73Sarwan88.6211.180.20Sonaraithari71.1027.511.39
According to the 2011 census, Deoghar district has a population of 1,492,073 (roughly equal to the nation of Gabon 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 over the decade 2001–2011 was 28.02%. Deoghar has a sex ratio of 921 females to 1000 males and a literacy rate of 64.85%. 17.32% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 12.74% and 12.13% of the population respectively.
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 65.39% of the population in the district spoke Khortha, 13.92% Hindi, 9.83% Santali, 6.71% Urdu, and 2.19% 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 Hindi, Khortha, Bangla while other native languages like Angika 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 Shiva.The temple is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand 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 of Goddess Durga where It is believed that the heart of Sati fell at Baidyanath Dham when Vishnu 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, in the era of Rama. According to popular Hindu beliefs, Ravana The King of Lanka Once felt that his capital would be incomplete and under the constant threat of enemies unless Shiva decides to stay there forever. So, he went to the Himalayas to impress the deity and started offering his heads one after another. When he was about to cut off his tenth head, Shiva descended on Earth impressed by his devotee. He then cured the wounded Ravana and granted him a boon. Ravana requested Shiva to allow him to take the Shivalinga back to Lanka with him to which the deity agreed but on one condition. 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 Vishnu and asked him to stop Ravana, the demon king from taking the Shivalinga to Lanka. Vishnu asked Varuna, 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, Varuna 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 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 a rigorous pilgrimage 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: The Naulakha temple stands 146 ft high. It is very similar to the temple of Ramakrishna Mission in Belur Math and 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.