Kala Bhairava Temple is located at K-32/22, Bhairavnath in Varanasi. This is a very famous temple, Kala Bhairava Temple, just a short distance from Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Kala Bhairava is known as Kashi Kotwal and the part of the city where his temple is located is known as Kotwalpuri. Kala Bhairava is considered to be the fearsome form of Shiva. Kala means 'time' and 'death' and Kala Bhairava is beyond all these. He is black who has also assumed the duties of the Lord of Death in Kashi. On entering the temple through the door, two stone dogs are seen in the courtyard, in the center of which is the main temple of Bhairava. Only the silver face of Kala Bhairava, adorned with flowers, is visible from the door of the inner sanctum. The image of Bhairava is said to be that of a man holding a trident while sitting on a dog, which is hidden behind a drapery of cloth. The Kaal Bhairav Temple has an interesting Nagra architectural style temples of Varanasi. The temple is open from 5:30 am to 1:30 pm and then from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm.
Mythological Story: This temple is one of the ancient temples mentioned in Kashikhand. The mythological belief of this temple is that Shri Kashi Vishwanath, who is the king of Kashi himself, has appointed Kaal Bhairav as the protector of Kashi.
Kaal Bhairav cut off the fifth head of Lord Brahma, which was burning with anger, with the tip of the nail of his left hand finger. Kaal Bhairav became black due to the proximity of brahmahatya, as per the orders of Mahadev, he took the Kapalik fast, went to many parts of the world with Brahma ji's head in his hand, bathed in many pilgrimages and worshipped various gods, but still he did not get salvation from that brahmahatya. Finally, Kaal Bhairav went on a journey to Moksha Puri Kashi. The moment Kaal Bhairav entered Kashi, Brahmahatya started screaming, crying and finally disappeared in the universe. Brahma's head (kapal) fell at a place and that place became famous by the name of Kapalmochan, which later came to be known as Kapalmochan Tirtha. After this, Kaal Bhairav made Kashi his permanent abode, and started giving shelter to all his devotees.
Significance: The Ashtami Tithi (eighth day after the full moon) of Margashirsha month is considered to be an important day for the worship of Kaal Bhairav, which is celebrated as Bhairavashtami. According to the belief, apart from Sunday and Tuesday, Ashtami and Chaturdashi are considered important for the worship of Kaal Bhairav. Devotees from far and wide reach this temple especially on Sunday and Tuesday and by worshipping as per the rituals, they get rid of all their obstacles, troubles and sorrows and achieve the fulfillment of their wishes. There is also a tradition of offering liquor here on some occasions. Dog is identified as the vehicle of Baba Kaal Bhairav, who is fed white barfi. A person who circumambulates Kaal Bhairav 8 times will be freed from all the sins committed by him. It is also believed that a devotee who worships Kaal Bhairav for 6 months will attain all kinds of siddhis. (As mentioned in Kashi Khand Chapter 31.) It is also believed that without visiting Kaal Bhairav temple, one cannot get the benefit of visiting Kashi Vishwanath temple, i.e., visiting Kashi Kotwal is also mandatory. There is also a belief in Kashi that any living being has to face the torture of Baba Kaal Bhairav's stick as Yam torture before death, yes, but it is also believed that the Kedar Khand Kashi resident does not have to suffer Bhairav torture.
During the Aarti, the sound of drums, bells and damru is very captivating. People come here especially for the treatment of ghosts and spirits, and get cured by the grace of Baba. Here the devotees are given black threads (Ganda), which makes the devotees free from fear. There is a belief in Kashi that whenever the residents of Kashi go out of the city for a short trip, they visit and worship Kaal Bhairav, (take his permission) and on returning to Kashi, they again visit and worship Kaal Bhairav. It is said that those who live in Kashi or go there, must visit and worship Kaal Bhairav and he gives protection/shelter to all his devotees. Kaal Bhairav is known as the Kotwal, Kshetrapal and Inspector of Kashi, this is the reason why officials from administrative to judicial department, MPs, MLAs, Mayors, all visit and worship here before assuming their charge, otherwise their daily work gets affected. A photo of Kaal Bhairav is placed on the main chair of the Thanedaar in the nearby Kotwali, where decisions are taken only with his permission. Kaal Bhairav is known for giving rewards to devotees as well as punishment for bad deeds. It is believed that if he gets angry at someone, the person cannot leave Kashi for his entire life. There are eight different forms of Kaal Bhairav in different parts of the city of Kashi.
History: The current temple was built in the 17th century. This ancient temple is believed to have been destroyed during the Islamist victories over northern India and rebuilt in the 17th century. For many centuries, this temple was a spiritual center for the Shiva ascetics "Kapalis" in Kashi and their later descendants, the Gorakhnathis. Today, however, the temple is no longer the exclusive domain of such extremist yogis.
Distance From
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport: 24km
Varanasi Junction: 3.8km
Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple: 1.6km
Nearest Ghat: Brahma Ghat 650m
Dashashvamedh Ghat: 1.9km
Sri Kaal Bhairav
