Naomi
05-13-2007, 09:54 PM
The following is an excerpt from a fascinating article [link below] that describes a statue of Bhairab in Kathmandu, said to have miraculously fallen from the heavens. A deity with the Bhairab or Bhairav name is considered to be a fierce emanation of Siva, the destroyer.
" He wears an ornate golden headdress, snakes writhe from his ears instead of earrings and coil about his neck, and in his hands holds an upraised sword, a chakra, a trident, severed heads and a bowl so reddened with vermilion it might contain blood. Carved flames dance about the tableau.
Purists would have the statue cleaned of its colour but here it is unnecessary, the black figure hung with red arid yellow and white against a raw cobalt sky in which are set a vermilion and yellow sun and moon with human faces, projects a stunning force no ordinary stone could achieve. There is sacrificial blood on the figure which appears necessary for so powerfully primitive a god who instils majesty with fear and protects with terror.
From dawn till late evening there are worshippers at the spot, mostly women wrapped in shawls and making offerings of rice, vermilion, incense and oil lamps and flowers.
How so massive a statue was brought to where it now stands in the old palace square, miles apart from where it was discovered, is yet another riddle that attaches to the image.
When it was raised in its present position, guarded by two stone lions and attended by a panel of ashtamatrikas, it took on a new quality.
People accused of cheating or lying were brought before the Bhairab to swear their innocence. If they lied, they would surely die of a mysterious bleeding. Modern justice has discontinued the practice, but it is possible that in dark ceremonies no passersby see, oaths are still taken before the frightening presence. "
From The Mystery of the Black Bhairab - http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue/11/Culture/8882
"Sati's (Lord Shiva's wife's) father Daksha slighted Shiva by not inviting him to a yajna which was attended by other gods. Lord Shiva was enraged when Sati immolated herself in the sacrificial fire. He killed Daksha, and carried Sati's lifeless body around the Universe performing the 'tandava' dance. Lord Vishnu realized that the end of the world was near. He cut Sati's body with his Sudarsana chakra, and the pieces fell in various parts in and around India. These places came to be famous as shakti peethas or places of worship of the Mother goddess. Since then, Lord Shiva protects these temples in the form of Lord Bhairav."
From "Lord Bhairav" http://www.thereligiousproducts.com/lord-bhairav.html
" He wears an ornate golden headdress, snakes writhe from his ears instead of earrings and coil about his neck, and in his hands holds an upraised sword, a chakra, a trident, severed heads and a bowl so reddened with vermilion it might contain blood. Carved flames dance about the tableau.
Purists would have the statue cleaned of its colour but here it is unnecessary, the black figure hung with red arid yellow and white against a raw cobalt sky in which are set a vermilion and yellow sun and moon with human faces, projects a stunning force no ordinary stone could achieve. There is sacrificial blood on the figure which appears necessary for so powerfully primitive a god who instils majesty with fear and protects with terror.
From dawn till late evening there are worshippers at the spot, mostly women wrapped in shawls and making offerings of rice, vermilion, incense and oil lamps and flowers.
How so massive a statue was brought to where it now stands in the old palace square, miles apart from where it was discovered, is yet another riddle that attaches to the image.
When it was raised in its present position, guarded by two stone lions and attended by a panel of ashtamatrikas, it took on a new quality.
People accused of cheating or lying were brought before the Bhairab to swear their innocence. If they lied, they would surely die of a mysterious bleeding. Modern justice has discontinued the practice, but it is possible that in dark ceremonies no passersby see, oaths are still taken before the frightening presence. "
From The Mystery of the Black Bhairab - http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue/11/Culture/8882
"Sati's (Lord Shiva's wife's) father Daksha slighted Shiva by not inviting him to a yajna which was attended by other gods. Lord Shiva was enraged when Sati immolated herself in the sacrificial fire. He killed Daksha, and carried Sati's lifeless body around the Universe performing the 'tandava' dance. Lord Vishnu realized that the end of the world was near. He cut Sati's body with his Sudarsana chakra, and the pieces fell in various parts in and around India. These places came to be famous as shakti peethas or places of worship of the Mother goddess. Since then, Lord Shiva protects these temples in the form of Lord Bhairav."
From "Lord Bhairav" http://www.thereligiousproducts.com/lord-bhairav.html