Shri Vaijnath Temple (Parli, Beed) vandalised : Shivalinga now open for darshan

Former Mayor Deepak Deshmukh led the vandalism

Beed, Maharashtra – Vandalism was reported at Shri Vaijnath Temple in Parli, Dist. Beed, which houses the 5^th of the 12 Jyotirlingas. A Shivalinga located at the base of the temple’s tower, where locals of Parli traditionally took darshan, was sealed by the ‘Vaijnath Devasthan Trust.’ In protest, former mayor Deepak Deshmukh took an aggressive stance and accompanied by 5 to 7 individuals, used a hammer to break open the sealed area near the temple’s spire, reopening the site for Shiva devotees. Deshmukh also shared videos of the incident on social media.

Deshmukh stated that the Shivalinga had been enclosed in a hidden chamber for years. Despite repeated requests from devotees and himself to the ‘Vaijnath Temple Committee’ to open the space for darshan, there was no response. Therefore, he, along with other Shiva devotees, broke the wall to make the Shivalinga accessible. He emphasized that the issue was that of sentiment and faith.

The Vaijnath Devasthan Trust has filed a complaint with the Parli City Police against Deshmukh. However, the process of registering a formal case is still underway.