Rumail Sharma
Situated at Chowk Chabutra in the heart of City of Temples is the Pracheen Bhairav temple where Lord Bhairav is in the form of a natural pindi. An annual bhandara is performed here after Kaal Bhairav Ashtami. The bhandara, which was started with few kilograms of rice and daal, has now attained the form of the biggest bhandara of Jammu. Thousands of people from different parts of the state come here every year to participate in the annual function and seek the blessings of Lord Bhairav, the Fifth Rudra of Lord Shiva.
This year pooja and havan would be performed at the temple on Kaal Bhairav Ashtami on 10th November followed by the bhandara on 11th November, 2017.
On the Bhandara day, Chowk Chabutra and Dhounthly Bazar are colourfully decorated and illuminated. People believe that the bad effects of planets like Shani and Rahu in the Indian Zodiac get nullified by offering prayers in the Bhairav temple. Those, who are troubled by these planets, are usually advised to wear costly stones, especially when one is passing through bad times of one’s life. But Pooja of Bhairav at the temple is enough to get rid of one’s problem.
Several years ago when repair work was going on in Dhounthly Bazar, the debris was dumped near the temple where the pindi of Lord Kaal Bhairav was. The labourers accidently threw debris on the pindi. When the debris was thrown near the Rani Talab at Kachi Chawni, the pindi also got thrown into the pond by mistake. The same night, Kaal Bhairav appeared in the contractor’s dream and asked him to restore the pindi at its original place at Chowk Chabutra. The very next morning, the contractor searched out the pindi from the pond and restored to its original place. He also constructed a temple there later.