Kankalamurti

Kankala-murti ("One with the skeleton"), also known as Kankala ("skeleton") or Kankala-Bhairava, is an iconographical form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is often associated with a fearsome aspect of Shiva, Bhairava and thus considered the latter's aspect too. Kankalamurti is popular in South Indian temples of Shiva, but almost unknown in North India. He is described in legends to have defeated and slain Vishnu's army-chief and gate-keeper Vishvaksena or Vishnu's avatar Vamana. He is depicted as a four-armed man with a kankala-danda (skeleton-staff) in his hand and followed by demonic attendants and love-sick women.

Kankalamurti is one of the three most popular aspects of Bhairava; the others being Brahmashiraschedaka-murti and Bhikshatana-murti. Shiva – as the terrifying Bhairava – cuts the fifth head of the creator-god Brahma (an act iconographically depicted as Brahmashiraschedaka-murti) and that head/skull stuck as kapala (skull-cup) to Bhairava's left palm due to the sin of beheading Brahma. To expiate the sin, Bhairava had to undertake the vow of a Kapali: wandering the world as a naked mendicant with the skull of the slain as his begging bowl. This gentle beggar form is Bhikshatana-murti.

The Kurma Purana narrates that Bhairava, after the encounter with the sages of the Deodar Forest, continued to wander, visiting various countries of gods and demons before he finally reached the abode of the god Vishnu. Vishnu's gatekeeper Vishvaksena did not allow him to enter. Angered, Bhairava slew Vishvaksena, impaled the corpse on his trishula (trident) and carrying it over his shoulder, which added to his sin. Bhikshatana-murti transformed into Kankala-murti, the one with a skeleton. Bhairava, now as Kankala-murti, entered Vishnu's abode and begged for food. Vishnu offered his own blood as food in one version. In another version, Vishnu cut an artery on Bhairava's forehead; a stream of blood spurts into his begging bowl as his food. Vishnu then directed Bhairava to visit the sacred city of Varanasi, where his sin would be expiated. The encounter with Vishnu's gatekeeper is also retold with some variation in the Vamana Purana and the Matsya Purana. Kankala-murti wandered with his begging bowl in his hand and the corpse or skeleton on his shoulder.

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