Harla Jori/HariNath/Haritkinath Deoghar Jharkhand

There is another place of worship about 5 kilometers north of the Baba Temple in Baba Nagari Deoghar, which despite being of very ancient and mythological importance, is still missing. This is Harla Jori, due to which it is not much discussed, only a few knowledgeable devotees are able to reach here. There are many popular stories behind the origin of the name Harla Jori, one of them being the pairing of Hari i.e. Vishnu and Har i.e. Shiva at this place, hence the name of this place is considered to be Harla Jori.

It was here that Ravana handed over Shivlinga to Lord Vishnu who was wandering in the form of a shepherd.

Harla Jori place has mythological importance. It is said that Ravana was taking Baba Bhole Nath from Mount Kailash to Lanka. Then Ravana felt a little suspicious. Then at this very place he had asked Lord Vishnu in the form of a shepherd to hold the Shiva Linga. It is known to everyone that if this incident had not happened, today Vaidyanath Temple would have been established not in Jharkhand but in Sri Lanka.

It is mentioned in the mythology that when Shivalinga was placed on the earth by Vishnu in the form of a cowherd and as a result Lankapati Ravana got angry when he could not take it to Lanka, a tree fell with a blow of his fist, then a Shivalinga appeared under its roots. Who is known as ‘Haritkinath’, This same Shivalinga is established here today, and being a self-proclaimed Shivalinga given by Shiva, it is considered to be Shiva in person. Apart from Shivalinga, idols of other Gods and Goddesses are also installed in this temple complex, but the most special one is the footprint of Lord Vishnu in the form of a shepherd and a water source which is linked to the small incident of Ravana. This Ravana is called Jori.