Worshiping Shiva as Kaal Bhairav
Lord Shiva is one of the most important gods in the Hindu pantheon. He is supposed to be both the creator and the destroyer and is worshiped in both Hinduism and Buddhism. He is the national deity of Nepal. One of Shiva’s manifestations is Kaal Bhairava. In fact, Kaal Bhairav is supposed to have 8 other manifestations and apparitions.
This manifestation of Shiva is often depicted in a way that scares people. He has a frown and angry eyes. Additionally, he is depicted with sharp tiger teeth and flaming hair. The god Bhairav is depicted absolutely nude except for wearing a garland of skulls and a coiled serpent as a necklace. The deity is supposed to have four hands and each of his hands carries a rope, a trident, a drum and a skull. He is usually accompanied by a dog that is his transportation vehicle. Kala Bhairava Asma or birth anniversary which occurs in December/January is an important day to worship the Lord.
There are many temples dedicated to the worship of Kraal Bhairav. But the one in Ujjain, which by the way is considered one of the most important places of Hindu pilgrimage, is very important. This temple located about 12 km from the city center is full of antiquity. In the temple there are some traces of beautiful paintings that have resisted the ravages of time. The worship of the eight Bhairavas is part of the Saivite tradition. This temple is near the bank of the Shipra river. One of the methods of praying to the god is through liquor, even now every day devotees offer liquor including wine and whiskey to the deity in the temple.
Kala Bhairava was referred to as the Black Bhairava or the Fierce. Lord Kala Bhairava is also known as Kshetrapalaka, the guardian of the temple. In honor of this, the keys of the temple are ceremonially handed over to Lord Kaila Bhairava at the time of closing the temple and received from him at the time of opening.
Legend has it that Lord Kaila Bhairava is the guardian of people who go on long journeys or travel to distant lands. Therefore, before embarking on a long journey, it is required that a garland of cashew nuts be presented to Lord Kala Bhairava. As the travel vahana (Vehicle) of the lord is the dog, therefore feeding and caring for the dogs will please God. The sages recommend feeding 11 dogs with hallwa and puri (This is a typical Indian dish) every Saturday.
Kala Bhairava refers to time. Therefore, as a god, he does not accept people who do not value time and who waste it. Worshiping Kala Bhairava really means that they worship Shiva. In this way, he can have time on his side and avoid mishaps, accidents and other serious events. The worship of Lord Bhairav is very helpful in conquering your enemies and achieving success. It is very easy to please lord Bhairav by doing normal worship every day. A visit to Ujjain and the opportunity to worship at the feet of Kaal Bhairav are not to be missed. But bring a bottle of good liquor to please the god.