Kayavarohan

Coordinates: 22°04′01″N 73°15′00″E / 22.067°N 73.2500°E / 22.067; 73.2500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kayavarohan
village
UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationGJ-06
Websitegujaratindia.com

Kayavarohan or Karvan is a village in the

pashupata doctrine. It is an important religious place on account of its Lakulisha temple.[1]

History

Kayavarohan (Karvan) is an ancient town believed to have existed through each of the

Lord Shiva transmigrated into the form of a Brahmin
child. Thus the place came to be known as Kayavarohan [Kaya (Body) + Avarohan (Descent) = Where the body of the Lord has descended].

A number of copper coins and a stone quern have been found from here. A beautiful head of Tapas, the image of Kartikeya and an idol of Uma Maheshwara are some of the archaeological specimen discovered from here that are preserved locally in a museum.

Religious Significance

The Kayavarohan temple

Kayavarohan is one of the sixty-eight ‘teerthas' (Pilgrimage) of

Lord Shiva as mentioned in the Shiva Purana. However, Kayavarohan is not among the 12 Jyotirlingas as mentioned in the Shiva Purana
.

It is of great significance to the

Pasupatas (Followers of the Pashupati), those in the spiritual following of Lakulish, for it is considered to be the place of Shiva's appearance on earth in that incarnation. Lakulish is considered to be the 28th birth of Shiva
. Shiva had come to the earth in the form of Lakulisha through Kayavarohan, literally meaning ‘Descent of the form’.

Kayavarohan harbours the Brahmeshwar Jyotirshivlang temple, claimed to have been founded by Maharshi

Vishwamitra. It has been held that the incarnation of Shiva in Lakulish has merged with the linga in Shambavi Mudra
.

The Kayavarohan lingam represents the "formless" but a unique, exceptional iconic form of Shiva bearing the image of a meditating yogi, who holds parchments in one hand and citron (Matulinga) in the other.

It is believed the main place of pilgrimage was Ichhapuri in

Linga of Lord Shiva during the Ramayana
period.

In the

Hindu
Gods.

The myth has it that during the barbarian invasion of Mahmood of Ghazni, the luminous jyotirlinga with

Lakulish merged the light of all of the other 12 jyotirlingas
into its form and disappeared.

Presently, there is an underground meditation cave at the Kayavarohana temple used for seclusion and meditation.

There is a Swaminarayan Hindu temple built by Haricharandas Swami in

Vadtal Gadi
. It is located by Kayavarohan Tower near Gam panchayat.

Maha

Shivratri
is most famous festival in Kayavarohan. During the sacred day, hundreds of men wear Lord Mahadev's attire and appear at the temples.

Archaeological Significance

Ancient site (Excavated) at Kayavarohan

The village and its surrounding areas are of great archaeological significance. Ancient sculptures and relics belonging to the second century have been excavated from this place.

The Shiva temples at Karvan are said to have been destroyed during invasions of 11th-17th century. However, the

Lingas
of the destroyed temples survived and remained at the site.

The temple of Lakulish and temples of Karvan were rebuilt and restored during the late twentieth century by the Hindu spiritual leader Kripalvanand.[2]

Prabhavali, dated 10-12th century, found from Kayavarohan. Now in Archaeological Museum of Kayavarohan.

Numerous Hindu icons, number of copper coins and a stone quern have been found from Kayavarohan. A grand head of Tapasvi, the image of Kartikeya and an idol of Uma Maheshwara are some of the rare and unmatched archaeological specimen discovered from Kayavarohan. Kayavarohan is a place of great archaeological importance and the A.S.I. Archaeological Survey of India has listed Karvan as a heritage site and has set up a special museum for the remains found around this site. Karvan is one of the major sites of Indian Heritage.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kayavarohan.

References

  1. ^ "Home". ktss.in.
  2. ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5
    .
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