AHMEDABAD: Gujarat may be one of India’s best known dry states- where consumption of alcohol is prohibited by law. But at a temple near Bhuj town in Kutch district- the region devastated by a powerful earthquake in 2001, is a temple dedicated to Kalbhairav- a fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva- associated with annihilation. Believers who tend to flock this temple offer only the best foreign booze to the deity.
Bottles of Teachers, Smirnoff, Antiquity and Johnny Walker can be spotted at the altar. The tipple, they hope will earn them invaluable blessings from the ‘guardian god’ who- mounted on a dog and brandishing a trishul (trident) is believed to remove sins of devotees- especially pride and ego.
According to a report in the Times of India, devotees who visit this temple on the Bhuj-Mundra road make it a point that their offering is one of the costliest brands of liquor. This is not all, one can also spot some police vehicles stopping by to seek blessings.
Locals say, this temple was only established recently by the roadside but has already gained popularity. “This Kalbhairav temple is a small replica of the one in Madhya Pradesh. If you were to make an offering there are small stalls near the temple that would provide you small amounts of good liquor to be offered at temple for a fee,” says a street vendor Prasadi Kanani.
While there is no clear explanation for the tradition of offering liquor to the diety, even at the better known Kalbhairav temple in the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, a similar practice has been in vogue. Hundreds of people are reported to visit that temple with faith and reverence to offer liquor to the god- which also happens to be the only Prasad given to the devotees after prayers.
India TV reports that liquor is poured into the mouth of deity in Ujjain.Kala Bhairav is conceptualized as the Guru of the planetary deity Shani (Saturn). Bhairav or Bhairava is known as Bhairavar or Vairavar in Tamil where he is often presented as a Grama devata or village guardian who safeguards the devotee on all eight directions (ettu tikku). Known in Sinhalese as Bahirawa, he protects treasures.
Lord Bhairava is the main deity worshipped by the Aghora sect. He is depicted ornamented with a range of twisted serpents, which serve as earrings, bracelets, anklets, and sacred thread. He wears a tiger skin and a ritual apron composed of human bones. Bhairava has a dog (Shvan) as his divine vahana (vehicle).His temples or shrines are present within or near most Jyotirlinga temples, the sacred twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva, across India, including Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi and the Mahakaleshwar Temple at Ujjain, where at the Kal Bhairav Temple, he is worshipped by the Kapalika and Aghori sects of Shaivism. There one can also find the Patal Bhairav and Vikrant Bhairav shrines.Kal Bhairav is one of the most important deities in Nepal, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand, who originated in Hindu mythology and is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, alike.
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