My First Blog Post- Jharkhand's Eye

 1.   BASUKINATH DHAM             

                                 

According to the stories narrated in the Shiva Purana, it was in the Treta yuga that Ravana the king of Lanka, felt that his capital would not be perfect and free from enemies unless Mahadeva (Shiva) stays there forever. He paid continuous meditation to Mahadeva. Ultimately Shiva got pleased and permitted him to carry his lingam with him to Lanka. Mahadeva advised him not to place or transfer this lingam to anyone. There should not be a break in his journey to Lanka. If he deposits the lingam anywhere on the earth, in the course of his journey, it would remain fixed at that place forever.

Basukinath Dham is the Second most famous Temple in and around Deoghar. It is located en-route from Deoghar to Dumka. It is said that Basukinath temple is the court of Baba Bhole Nath. At Basukinath Dham, Shiv and parvati temple are just in-front of each other. In the evening when gates of both the temples are opened then the devotees are suggested to move away from in-front of the gates as there is a belief that Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati meet each other at this time. Basukinath is one of the most ancient temples. There are many other small temples of different Gods and Goddesses also in the same compound.

2.  DASSAM FALLS

Dassam is a changed form of word Da:song which means in mundari language the act of pouring water. Da: means water and song means pouring or measuring. The water fall resembles like somebody is pouring water so the name was Da:song earlier but afterwards the name was changed to Dassam.

The Dassam Falls is a natural cascade across the Kanchi River, a tributary of the Subarnarekha River. The water falls from a height of 44 metres (144 ft).^[2] The sound of water echoes all around the place.^[3] Dassam Falls at one of the edges of the Ranchi plateau is one of the many scarp falls in the region.^[4]

The Dassam Falls is an example of a nick point caused by rejuvenation. Knick point, also called a nick point or simply nick, represents breaks in slopes in the longitudinal profile of a river caused by rejuvenation. The break in channel gradient allows water to fall vertically giving rise to a waterfall.^[5]

The water of the Dassam Falls is very clean and clear. It is natural for a tourist to be enticed to enter the water for a bath or swim but tourists are warned not to do so because of the current that is generated. There have been many cases of drowning in Dassam Falls.^[6] Nine people died of drowning between 2001 and 2006. ^[7]

3.  JAGANNATH TEMPLE

Jagannath Temple is located in Ranchi which is the capital city of Jharkhand. Jagannath Temple serves as the most important and attractive tourist destinations at Ranchi, apart from being its famous pilgrimage center. The Jagannathpur Temple in Ranchi is located at a distance of 10 kilometers from the Albert Ekka or the Firayalal Chawk through the HEC colony.

Legendary account as found in the Skanda-Purana, Brahma Purana and other Puranas and later Oriya works state that Lord Jagannath was originally worshipped as Lord Neela Madhaba by a Savar king (tribal chief) named Viswavasu. Having heard about the deity, King Indradyumna sent a Brahmin priest, Vidyapati to locate the deity, who was worshipped secretly in a dense forest by Viswavasu. Vidyapati tried his best but could not locate the place. But at last he managed to marry Viswavasu’s daughter Lalita. At repeated request of Vidyapti, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind folded to a cave where Lord Neela Madhaba was worshipped.

Vidyapati was very intelligent. He dropped mustard seeds on the ground on the way. The seeds germinated after a few days, which enabled him to find out the cave later on. On hearing from him, King Indradyumna proceeded immediately to Odra desha (Odisha) on a pilgrimage to see and worship the Deity. But the deity had disappeared. The king was disappointed. The Deity was hidden in sand. The king was determined not to return without having a darshan of the deity and observed fast unto death at Mount Neela, Then a celestial voice cried ‘thou shalt see him.’ Afterwards the king performed a horse sacrifice and built a magnificent temple for Vishnu. SriNarasimha Murti brought by Narada was installed in the temple. During sleep, the king had a vision of Lord Jagannath. Also an astral voice directed him to receive the fragrant tree on the seashore and make idols out of it. Accordingly, the king got the image of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshan made out of the wood of the divine tree and installed them in the temple.

4.  MAITHON DAM

Maithon, derived its name from “Mai Ka Sthan”, meaning the place for the Hindu Goddess Maa Kalyaneshwari. It is located on the banks of river Barakar. The Maithon Dam is located about 48 kms from the Coal City of Dhanbad. The dam with an underground power station is one of its kinds in the whole of South East Asia. The lake on which it is built is spread over 65 square kilometers. This was developed by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC Ltd) way back in the year 1948. The dam is about 15712 ft long and about 165 ft long. The underground power station has a capacity to generate around 60,000 KW of electric power.

The Maithon dam itself is located on a picturesque landscape amidst a beautiful lake and beautiful green forests. You could avail boating with friends and family on the lake. Apart from that you could even enjoy a walk in the beautiful green forests around the lake. Watching the sun rise and sunset is delightful for tourists, which you must not miss when you are in Maithon. If you are spiritual minded then you must also visit the ancient temple of Mother Goddess Kalyaneshwari.

5.  NETARGHAT

Falling in the Latehar district of Jharkhand, Netarhat is the highest point of Chotanagpur plateau, popularly known as Queen of Chotanagpur. It is best known for the sunrise and sunset views it offers, especially during summers. When travelling by road from Ranchi to Netarhat, you will cross seven hills on your way and a little more than 96 miles.

Netarhat comes under the tag of lesser-known tourist places. Netarhat is around 156 km to the west of Ranchi and 210 km from Daltonganj. It is also notable for the renowned Netarhat Residential School which was started in the year 1954. Essentials like medicines are a must-carry as there is a low probability of chemist shops being present nearby.

6.  DALMA WILDLIFE-SANTUARY

Lying in the catchment area of Subarnarekha River and adjoining Purulia District of West Bengal, this wildlife sanctuary with an area of 193.22 Sq. Km. on the National Highway No. 33 near Jamshedpur has undulating terrain with high hillocks (Max. 984 M MSL), plateau, deep valley and open fields between hillocks, providing diverse habitat for flora and fauna. The forests here are mostly Dry Mixed Deciduous with few Dry Peninsular Sal, the main tree species being Terminalias, Jamun, Dhaura, Kendu, Karam etc. The sanctuary is very much favoured by the Elephants due to availability of water even during summer. Leopard, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Sloth Bear, Monkey, Giant Squirrel are abundant here.