Devotees offer liquor to this deity | Fusion - WeRIndia

India is a land of temples. Each temple has its own significance. Some temples are popular for their offerings or prasad. Kala Bhairava temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh is one such temple, where liquor is offered to the deity.

Kal Bhairava is represented with a fiery expression and a coiled snake around his neck. In Shaivism, Ashta Bhairavas are worshipped and Kal Bhairava is the chief of all of them.

Offering liquor is one of the five tantric ritual offerings. In ancient days, all five offerings were made to the deity. But, now, only liquor or alcohol is offered, and the remaining four rituals are performed symbolically.

Devotees believe that Kal Bhairava guards the city. Country liquor is offered to the deity here and also given as prasad or prasadam to devotees. There are many vendors near the temple who sell a puja basket, which consists of coconut, flowers and a quarter of country liquor. Besides, foreign liquor is also available.

It is believed that the deity drinks up the liquor within a couple of minutes. The daily rituals at this temple start with the offering of a big bottle of red wine to the deity. The temple priest pours the liquor into a cup or saucer and keeps it close to the mouth the of deity, which has a slit. The priest tilts the cup or plate slightly, and the liquor slowly goes down and disappears eventually. The leftover liquor is given to devotees. Normally, two-thirds of the bottle is offered to the deity, and the remaining one-third is given to devotees as prasad.

During festivals, hundreds of liquor bottles are offered to the deity. The tradition has been going for many years. Though many people tried to find out the mystery behind the miracle of the deity drinking alcohol, they are not allowed to examine the statue.

Image Credit: K.vishnupranay / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lord_Kal_Bhairav,_Ujjain.jpg