Kala Bhairava, “terrible” or “Frightful”, is a fierce manifestation of Shiva. He is one of the most important deities of Nepal, and is sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. Bhairava is invoked in prayer, and asked to destroy the enemies.
According to one of the legends, to punish Brahma for his arrogance, Bhairava–Shiva incarnated in the form of Bhairava– beheaded one of the Brahma’s five heads. When depicted as Kala Bhairava, he is shown carrying the amputated head of Brahma. However, cutting off Brahma’s head made him guilty of having slain brahma, and as a result, was forced to carry around the head for years, until he had been absolved of his sin.
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