Budhanath Temple, Bhagalpur

Budhanath Temple, also called Baba Bal Vridheshwarnath or Vriddheshwarnath, is a Shiva temple at Jogsar (Adampur) in Bhagalpur, Bihar, on the Uttarvahini Ganga, a rare stretch where the river flows north. It is widely believed to date back to the Treta Yuga and is counted among the 108 Nath temples named in the Shiva Purana. The lingam is held to be self-manifested, said to have been consecrated by Sage Vashishtha.

The complex spreads over about 3 acres in a local Nagara style, with images of Durga, Radha-Krishna, Hanuman, Parvati and Nandi beside the main lingam, and a shrine to Maa Bhavani whose idol, tradition says, floated down the Ganga from Munger. Maha Shivaratri and the month of Shravan are the main occasions; in Shravan over a million devotees perform Jalabhishek and Rudrabhishek along the Ganga ghats, and a large Kanwar Yatra sets out for Baba Basukinath Dham. During Durga Puja a Muslim family has played the shehnai here morning and evening for three generations.