Kilkari Baba Bhairav Nath Temple, Delhi

There is hardly any other religious place like Bhairavnath Temple in Delhi that would amaze you with high sacred significance and unique rituals. Also popular as Kilkari Baba Bhairav Nath Mandir, Bhaironath Temple is one of the highly revered ancient temples in Delhi that was built by Pandavas during the time of Mahabharata. Located right behind Old Fort near Pragati Maidan, this temple is devoted to Lord Shiva who is worshipped here as Bhaironath Devta.

The temple perfectly reflects the ancient heritage of the capital city, and thus, is counted amongst the top tourist attractions in Delhi. Throughout the year, you can see a large number of pilgrims coming to seek the blessing and offer their prayers to the deity; particularly every Sunday. The idol of Lord Bhaironath at this temple, which is believed to be installed by Bhimsen - one of the five Pandavas, only has the head with blues eyes and a trident in hand. Apart from the Bhaironath, the deities that are also worshipped in the temple are Lord Ganesha and Goddess Durga; the images of which are also installed in the temple.

The temple has two wings - one is Dudhiya Bhairav Temple where milk is offered as a religious ritual and another is Kilkari Bhairav Temple where devotees offer alcohol as a tradition. However, liquor is not sold in the temple, so thus, one must carry it from outside if he/she wish to offer it to the deity. The offered liquor is also distributed as prasad (holy food) amongst devotees.

It is said that to get the blessings of the Lord, one must taste the liquor. Along with that, meat offerings are also performed at the temple; sometimes alive chickens are offered to the Lord. Apart from all this, outside the temple, a sight that catches the eyes of many pass Byers is the large packs of dogs that are said to be the holy vehicle of Lord Bhaironath. The temple attracts a large number of devotees round the year, however, these numbers increases during the festive days of Shivratri and Navratri.

History

As per the folklore, Bhaironath Temple in Delhi traces its history from the Mahabharata era and it was constructed by Pandavas. Whereas, the legend goes back to the time when Goddess Vaishno went into a cave asking ‘Veer-Langur’ not to allow anyone to enter the cave. However, Bhaironath tried to break the entrance, upon which, the Devi Vaishno took the form of Goddess Chandi and killed Bhaironath.

Even after cutting his head from her sword, Bhaironath asked for mercy to Goddess Chandi. She felt pity for Bhaironath, and thus, showered him a boon of liberation. Since then, Bhaironath is being worshipped at various places; Bhaironath Temple in Delhi is one of them.

Architecture

Undoubtedly, Bhaironath Temple is one of the most visited religious places in Delhi. The architectural design of this beautiful temple is simple, yet, enticing. It is built in rectangular and is perched on a high platform. Besides, the roof of the temple is ornamented with a sikhara. The temple also has multiple arch openings which are adorned with intricately carved columns. Moreover, the roof of the temple also includes various intricate details that add charm to the magnificent architecture of the temple.