Budha Mahadev (the Grand Old Shiv) Temple at Maheshpur in Angara block of Ranchi district in Jharkhand, India, is famous for more than one reasons. It is a place worth visiting on the way to Hundru Falls. Mahesh is an epithet of Lord Shiv and thus the village came to be known as Maheshpur. There was earlier a Shiv Ling here under the serpentine garden of a creeper or creepers. It is yet uncertain whether there is only one creeper or many. Even the root is yet unidentified and nobody can tell where is the main root. The creeper is called Chihad or Kenvati in local dialect. This creeper is hundreds of years old. It seem to jump on the trees their like snake and comes down to earth and make roots at severla places. Its diameter at some places is over one feet, and forms natural Jhoola (swing or cradle) at various points. Figuratively speaking, it seem like locks and snake overhead Lord Shiv. It is a rarest of the rare creeper which is not found in the area, even in the forest. It is one of the endangered species of plant life which need special protection. One needs to see this before it extincts. People also know this place as "Lata wala bag" (Creeper's garden). Tens of people can ride at a time on the tree - like trunks of this creeper. How this Temple came to be known as Budha Mahadev ? There are several explanations. One of the explanation tells us that the Shiv Ling here is very old almost from ancient period. The other explanation links it to the mythological story of Lord Shiv, when he was wandering here and there taking the dead body of his wife goddess Parvati, who had killed herself in the yagya being performed by her father Daksha Prajapati. Lord Shiv abandoned the headless body at Rajrappa where there is now Chhinnamastika Temple. After that he came to Hundru Falls to meditate for some time. He, then, while wandering in the mountains and jungles happen to come to this place and suddenly felt like a grand old person (budha in Hindi or in local language). Mythological speaking, he never became old enough to call him budha, he only felt like that at this place. From onward it came to be known as Budha Mahadev. The place, where he rested for some time, stood a Shiv Ling, naturally built. It has never been ceremonically established through Pran Pratishtha. There are few other stories related to this place. One of the story tells us that an English hunter came here following a deer he had wounded with an arrow. When he reached the place, he found the arrow fell on the floor and the dear making rounds of the Shiv Ling. There were other animals of the jungle including tigers making rounds. He was astonished at the scene and even reported the incident to the then ruler Queen Victoria. Another story tells us that one night some thieves came here in the night to worship Lord Shiv. They asked for a boon of finding heavy things in theft for the particular night. Then they tried their hand at several households and were angered much finding only iron, a heavy metal as compared to jewellery of gold and silver. They they felt that their boon was granted in a way that was not intended by them. When they asked for "heavy things", the meant only a great quantity of yellow and white metal jewelry. They returned to the Shiv Ling and stroke the head of the Shiv Ling with an axe making a small portion of the stone split up. Locals tried to restore the small piece of stone several times in several ways, but they failed. It is yet lying in damaged condition. There is yet another version of the story. It tells that the Shiv Ling was made of Gold. Once, thieves wanted to take it away, but they could not dig it out. Apart from that, the Golden Shiv Ling turned into stone. They, out of anger, hammered on it and the upper portion of the stone is split up. Whatever be the fact, it is very interesting place to visit and spend some time there.