AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Budhanath Temple is one of the 108 Nath shrines listed in the Shiva Purana, dedicated to Lord Shiva in his form as Vriddheshwarnath—the "ancient lord." Perched on the banks of the rare northward-flowing stretch of the Ganga known as Uttarvahini, this temple in Bhagalpur, Bihar, is believed to have been consecrated in the Treta Yuga by Sage Vashishtha himself, making it one of India's most mythologically ancient Shiva sites.↗↗
Far more than a quiet neighbourhood shrine, Budhanath draws over a million pilgrims during the holy month of Shravan and serves as the starting point for a major Kanwar Yatra to Baba Basukinath Dham. The complex also holds a unique tale of communal harmony: a Muslim family has performed shehnai music here for three generations during Durga Puja.↗
A Temple from the Age of Epic Legends
According to tradition, Sage Vashishtha established the Shiva lingam at this spot after slaying the demoness Tadaka (in the region of present-day Buxar) and journeying to Bhagalpur with his royal disciples Ram and Lakshman. The lingam is believed to be Swayambhu—self-manifested—rather than carved by human hands. Its mention in the twelfth chapter of the Shiva Purana cements its place among the subcontinent's most sacred Shiva sites.
