Vaijnath Temple - Parle

Pilgrimage

Photo Credit: Flickr

Distance (From Aurangabad): 219 Kms

Trip Duration (Including Travel): 4 Hours/Half Day

Place Location: At Parli

Transportation Options: Bus / Cab

Travel Tips: None

At a distance of 60 km from Latur, 105 km from Nanded, 119 km from Aundha, and 219 km from Aurangabad, Sri Vaijnath Temple is an ancient Hindu temple, located at Parli Vaijnath in the Beed district of Maharashtra, India. This is one of the top places of pilgrimage in Maharashtra, and among the best places to visit near Aurangabad.

Aundha Nagnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered one of the 12 holy Jyotirlinga shrines in India. The other Jyotirlinga shrines in Maharashtra are Aundha Naganath near Hingoli, Trimbakeshwara near Nashik, Grishneshwar near Aurangabad, and Bhimshankar. While the exact date of the building of the temple is not known, experts feel that it belongs to the Yadava period that goes back to the 12th or 13th century CE. There are records stating that the temple was renovated by Ahalyadevi Holkar in the year 1706.

There are many legends associated with this temple. One such is the story of Satyavan and Savitri that is said to have taken place at Parli. There is also the legend from the Ramayana about Ravana halting here while on his way to Lanka with the Shivlinga. It is said that to be able to relieve himself, Ravana asked a herdsman to hold the Shivlinga for a while. However, the boy was unable to do so for long and placed it on earth, which is how the jyotirlinga happens to be here. The belief is that Shiva decided to reside here in the form of Vaidyanatheshwar.

The temple is built on a hill using stones. Facing towards the east, the temple has two doors in the south and north directions. Within the temple complex, there is a huge teak wood hall and spacious corridor for circumambulation. Further enhancing the beauty of the temple are two ponds that too have religious significance. The lingam at Vaidyanath temple is made of Shaligram stone.

The best time to visit the temple is during the festivals of Ekadashi, Vijayadashami and Maha Shivaratri when a large number of devotees come to visit this temple.

Timings: 5 AM - 3.30 PM and 6 PM - 9 PM