Kaal Bhairav, the Kotwal of Kashi
How Kaal Bhairav became the guardian of the eternal city of Shiva.
A Creator Who Forgot
Lord Brahma once had five heads. In time he grew proud and spoke with disrespect, claiming a greatness above even Lord Shiva.
The Birth of Kaal Bhairav
To humble that pride, Shiva manifested as the fierce Kaal Bhairav, the master of time. Bhairav severed Brahma’s fifth head.
The Skull That Would Not Fall
The skull clung to Bhairav’s hand, and he wandered the worlds in penance. Wherever he went, it would not fall — until he entered Kashi. There it finally dropped, at the place now called Kapal Mochan.
Kotwal of the Eternal City
Shiva then appointed Bhairav as the Kotwal — the guardian and keeper of order — of Kashi. Tradition holds that no one may stay in Kashi without his permission.
So pilgrims take his darshan first, and many say a visit to Kashi is incomplete without it.
ॐ कालभैरवाय नमः
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