Kankhal is a city and holy location (tirtha) located three miles south of Haridwar, Uttar Pradesh.
The Daksha Mahadev temple, dedicated to the deity Shiva in
his incarnation as "Daksha's Lord," is the most prominent attraction
in Kankhal.
The founding tale of this temple is one of the most
well-known Shiva myths.
Daksha is one of the deity Brahma's sons and the father of
Sati, the goddess whom Daksha marries to Shiva.
When Daksha believes Shiva has not given him appropriate
reverence, he organizes a grand sacrifice to which all the gods are invited,
but Shiva is purposefully left out.
When Sati inquires about her husband's exclusion, Daksha
reacts with a barrage of insults, branding Shiva as worthless and disgusting.
Sati com mits suicide, humiliated.
When Shiva learns of Sati's death, he becomes enraged and
creates the ferocious deities Virabhadra and Bhadrakali.
He then storms the sacrificial field with his henchmen
(gana), utterly ruining the sacrifice, and chopping off Daksha's head.
Daksha is finally brought back to life, repents of his
stupid pride, and requests that Shiva stay at that location indefinitely, which
Shiva agrees to.
Near the Daksha Mahadev temple, there are a number of minor
temples, some of which are devoted to characters from the narrative, such as Virabhadra.
A big ashram, or religious community, has been erected
across the street from the Daksha temple by followers (bhakta) of the Bengali
mystic Anandamayi Ma.
Her samadhi shrine, or last resting place, is also located
within the ashram.
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