01Two readings of one line
The Dvadasha Jyotirlinga stotra is recited in two forms. In the text of the Shiva Purana the line reads “Vaidyanatham chitabhumau”, Vaidyanath on the cremation ground, and that is taken for Deoghar in Jharkhand. The form popular in Maharashtra reads “Paralyam Vaidyanatham”, Vaidyanath at Parli, and the Marathi country worships here as at a Jyotirlinga. The two are not set against each other; pilgrims of each region keep their own reading. At Parli the linga is a smooth stone, and anyone may touch it and pour water, a privilege many Jyotirlingas no longer allow.
02Ahilyabai’s work
The temple stands on a low hill in Parli town, built of dark stone with a broad flight of steps and a walled court. Maharashtra Tourism dates the first temple to the Yadava age; its present form owes much to Ahilyabai Holkar, the Maratha queen of Indore, who restored temples across Bharat in the 18th century. Shravan Mondays and Mahashivaratri bring the largest crowds, and the temple is part of a circuit with Aundha Nagnath and Grishneshwar for pilgrims of the Marathwada Jyotirlingas.
Parli Vaijnath station is on the Parbhani–Latur line; the temple is about 2 km away. Touch-darshan is allowed outside festival rush.
