bharat desh ki sanskritik rajdhani aur mandiron ki mahangri varansi men mandiron ki koi kami nahin. kashi tirth men uttar se lekar dakshin tak aur purab se lekar pashchim tak ek se badhakar ek manyata prapt pauranik devalay hain par inki kul sankhya kitni hai yah gahan shodh ka vishay hai. samay ke saj par yahan kitne mandir bane fir kalantar men ujad hote chale gae...
svarnim yug se avsan ka yug praranbh ho gaya par in sabon ke madhya varansi ke kal bhairav mandir ki apni vishisht mahatta hai jise desh ke khyati prapt bhairav tirthon men pratham sthan par parignit kiya jata hai. kashi tirth ke bhairav nath muhalle men virajman kal bhairav ko kashi tirth ka kshetrapal kaha jata hai aur kashi ke kotval ke nam se inki prasiddhi sanpurn janbudvip men hai. yahan sthal marg (kashi vishvanath se age) v jalmarg (ganga ji men nav se hokr) donon se ana sahaj hai.
bhartiya vangamay men vivaran milta hai ki brahma aur kritu ke vivad ke samay jyotirnigatmak shiv ka jagat pradurbhav hua, jab brahma ji ne ahankaravash apne panchven mukh se shivji ka apman kiya tab unko dand dene ke lie usi samay bhagvan shiv ki agya se bhairav ki utpatti hui. bhagvan shiv ne bhairav ji ko vardan dekar unhen brahma ji ko dand dene ka adesh diya.
sadashiv ne bhairav ka namakaran karte hue spasht kiya ki apse kal bhi darega. is karan is lok men ‘kal bhairv’ ke nam se apki prasiddhi hogi. kashi men shri chitragupt aur jayram ka koi adhikar to nahin hoga varan kashi men pap-punya ka lekha-jokha aur papi vyakti ke shamn-daman ka ekmev adhikar apke hathon men hoga.
vivaran hai ki bhairvji ne brahma ji ka panchvan sir trishul se kat diya. aise kahin-kahin yah bhi charcha hai ki shri bhairav ne apne baen hath ke nakh (nakhun) se brahmaji ka panchvan sir noch liya. lekin iske bad vah kapal inhin ki hathon se sata raha aur prabhu bhairav ji ko ‘brahm hatya’ ka pap lag gaya. sabhi lokon aur tirth uptirth men bhraman karte-karte jab bhairav baikunth lok pahunche to unhen bhagvan vishnu ne bhagvan shankar ke trishul par virajman tinon lokon se nyari kashipuri jane ka paramarsh diya. iske bad bhairav kashi tirth ae.
kashi men inke hath se jahan vah kapal vimukt hua vah tirth kapal mochan ke nam se jagatakhyat hua. kashi ke tirthon men kapalmochan ek puratan tirth hai jiske darshan se bhairav katha ki vah ghatna jivant ho jati hai. vivaran hai ki kal bhairav ji ke darshan v aradhna ke bina kashi vishvanath ki puja-archana v kashi-vas purn safal nahi hoti, aisi sthiti men sadhak adhogti ko prapt karta hai.
kashi tirth men kal bhairav ki itni prasiddhi hai ki kya hindu, kya muslman, kya sikkh, kya isai, kya deshi, kya videshi sab ke sab baba ke shri charnon men apna sir jarur hi navate hain aur baba harek natamastak ka kalyan avashya karte hain. n sirf kashi varan pure desh men is bat ki charcha hai ki kalbhairav men jo jis bhav se ata hai uski sanpurti prabhu bam-bam bhairav avashya kiya karte hain. prachya kal men baba kal bhairav ka mandir kab aur kisne banaya spasht nahin hota par akabar ke shasan kal men sanpurn kashi kshetra men raja mansinh ne sava lakh devalyon ka ya to nirman karaya ya navshringar ......
usi men is devalay ki bhi ganna ki jati hai. vivaran hai ki 1825 i. men bajirav dvitiya ne svayan nirdeshit kar kashi ke kotval kal bhairav ji ke devalay ka nav shringar karaya. ajadi ke bad is mandir ki vyavastha v marg men aur bhi sudhar kie gae.
kal bhairav mandir ke pratham darshan se hi iski prachinta ka spasht anubhav hota hai. yahan garbhagrih men unche path pith par kalbhairav ki akarshak v prabhavotpadak vigrah dekhi ja sakti hai jo chandi se madhi hai aur bhakt vatsal bhav se ot-prot hai. mandir ke age bade mahavir ji v dahine mandap men yogishvari devi ka sthan hai. mandir ke pichle dvar ke bahar kshetrapal bhairav ki murti hai. pas men hi dandpani mandir, kamrup, navagraheshvar mahadev v thodi dur par kaleshvar mahadev ka puratan sthan hai.
svayan bhairav ji ke is mandir men ek se badhakar ek pura v tantrik mahatva ke vigrah shobhayman hain. gyatavya hai ki kashi ke devi-devtaon men shri kashi vishvanath sahit 15 vinayak, 9 durga, 8 gauri, 12 aditya v 16 keshav ke sath asht bhairav ki ganna ki jati hai aur inke sthan bhi yahan nirdisht hain. inke nam batuk bhairav, krodh bhairav, dandpani (shul pani), bhut bhairav (bhishan bhairv), kapal bhairav, chand bhairav, asitang bhairav v anand bhairav milte hain.
dharmagyaon ki ray men desh bhar men kal bhairav ke tripradhan tirth hain ujjain ke bhairavagadh ke kal bhairav, kashi ke kal bhairav aur gaya ke shri bhairavasthan ke kal bhairv; par in tinon men aur sanpurn desh ke bhairav tirthon ka shri pati ‘kal bhairv’ ko svikara jata hai. aise to harek din bhakton ka yahan agaman hota hai par pratyek varsh margashirsh krishn ashtami ko hone vale varshik mahapujan men yahan dur-desh ke bhakton ke agaman se mela lag jata hai.
astu ! desh bhar ke bhairav tirthon men kashi ke kal bhairav ki mahatta akshunn hai. bhairav pujan v sadhna-aradhna ka yah sthal jagrit hai tabhi to bhairav kripa se kam men vighn nahin hota aur samast marg sahaj hi khul jate hain.