Bhairabkunda Shiva Mandir
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| Bhairabkunda Shiva Mandir | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Samdrup Jongkhar District |
| Features |
|
| Location | |
| Location | Jomotsangkha (Daifam) |
| Country | Bhutan |
  Location in Bhutan | |
| Coordinates | 26°53′36″N 92°05′28″E / 26.8933021°N 92.0910377°E |
Bhairabkunda Shiva Mandir or Daifam Shiv Mandir is one of the most important Hindu temples in Bhutan. It is the only Shakta pitha in Bhutan.[1] It is located in the south east corner of Bhutan near the town of Jomotsangkha (Daifam)[2] and it shares border with the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to East and Assam to the South.[3] It is located 24 km from the Indian town of Udalguri in Assam.[4]
According the Shiva Mahapurana and the Swasthani Brata Katha, after the death of his beloved Sati Devi or Dakshayani, Lord Shiva wandered the earth carrying her corpse on his shoulder. As he wandered, parts of her body fell to earth at different places on the Indian subcontinent. Each of the 51 (sometimes 108) places where her body parts fell, became sacred sites known as Shakta pitha, or seat of Shakti. One such Shakta pitha is identified by many as the Bhairab Kunda.[5]
Later the King of the Gods, Lord Indra descended here on his celestial white elephant Airavata and blessed this place by meditating here for many years. After Indra carried out many fire rituals, Lord Shiva blessed the place with rain. Today it is said that whenever a fire ritual is conducted here, rain immediately falls in Bhairabkunda.[5]
There is a cave located just below the present temple where it is said Lord Shiva meditated and a lake (Kunda) was formed near the site of his meditation. Years later, Bhairab Nath, a fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva was meditating at the same place he discovered a natural Shiva Ling and the place got its name Bhairabkunda (or "Bhairav Lake").[5]
Architecture
The Original Bhairab Kund lake burst during the 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake leaving the Shiv Linga on the bed of the lake. The current lake is the remains of the original lake. The sacred relics were relocated to the present site where a wooden temple was built.
The Construction of the present temple began in 2002 by the contribution from the Bhutanese people and was completed by 2005. The Temple architecture combines the elements of Hindu temple and traditional Bhutanese architecture.[1]