Kayavarohan
Encyclopedia
Kayavarohan is a village in the Vadodara district
of the state
of Gujarat, India
. Kayavarohan is popularly known as Karvan and is situated on the National Highway 8 at a distance of 30 km from Vadodara
. Kayavarohan is the birth place of Lakulish
, the 2nd Century C.E. Shaivite revivalist, reformer and propounder of the pashupata
doctrine. It is an important religious place on account of its Shiva
temple in Lakulish avatar
.
. As per Shaivite mythology, Lord Shiva in the Lakulish manifestation appeared at this place. According to mythology and puranas, from here 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].
Kayavarohan is one of the sixty-eight ‘teerthas' (Pilgrimage) of Lord Shiva as mentioned in the Shiva Purana
. Hpwever, Kayavarohan is not among the 12 Jyotirlinga
s 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 Kayavaroha, 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 that Ichhapuri was the main place of pilgrimage in Satyuga, Mayapuri in Treta Yuga, Meghavati in Dwapar Yuga, and Kayavarohan in the present Kali yuga
. This temple has a Lingam of Lord Shiva, made up of black stone. It is believed that Maharshi Vishwamitra had installed this Linga of Lord Shiva
during the Ramayana
period.
In the Vedic
times, Kayavarohan/Karvan was a popular centre of learning and education and used to house numerous Vedic Universities, Yajna Shalas and the temples of many 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 jyotirlinga
s into its form and disappeared. 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.
Presently, there is an underground meditation cave at the Kayavarohana temple used for seclusion and meditation.
times is found here. Ancient sculptures and relics belonging to the 2nd century have been excavated from this place.
Later during the dark ages of Hinduism (Muslim invasions and subsequent reign from 11th century CE. to 17th century CE), starting with the attacks of barbarian Muslim marauder Mahmud Ghazni, who looted and destroyed the temple of Somnath
in Gujarat, all the Shiva temples at Karvan were desecrated and razed by the iconoclast Muslim invaders. However, the Shiva
Lingas of the destroyed temples still survive and remain at the site, without temples around them. The Shivalayas and temples of Karvan were rebuilt and restored during the late Twentieth century by the Great Yogacharya Swamiji Krupaluanandji Maharaj.
Numerous Hindu icons, number of copper coins and a stone quern
have been found from Karvan. 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 Karvan. Karvan is a place of great archeological 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.
Vadodara district
Vadodara District is a district in the eastern part of the state of Gujarat in western India. The city of Vadodara , in the western part of the district, is the administrative headquarters. Vadodara District covers an area of 7,794 km². It had a population of 3,641,802 of which 45.20% were...
of the state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Gujarat, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Kayavarohan is popularly known as Karvan and is situated on the National Highway 8 at a distance of 30 km from Vadodara
Vadodara
Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million...
. Kayavarohan is the birth place of Lakulish
Lakulish
Lakulisha was a prominent Shaivite revivalist, reformist and preceptor of the doctrine of the Pashupatas, one of the oldest sects of Shaivism...
, the 2nd Century C.E. Shaivite revivalist, reformer and propounder of the pashupata
Pashupata
The Pashupatastra , in Hindu mythology, is the irresistible and most destructive personal weapon of Shiva, discharged by the mind, the eyes, words, or a bow. Never to be used against lesser enemies or by lesser warriors, the Pashupatastra is capable of destroying creation and vanquishing all beings...
doctrine. It is an important religious place on account of its Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
temple in Lakulish avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
.
History
Kayavarohan (Karvan) is an ancient town believed to have existed through each of the Four AgesHindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
. As per Shaivite mythology, Lord Shiva in the Lakulish manifestation appeared at this place. According to mythology and puranas, from here Lord Shiva transmigrated into the form of a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
child. Thus the place came to be known as Kayavarohan [Kaya (Body) + Avarohan (Descent) = Where the body of the Lord has descended].
Religious Significance
Shiva Purana
The Shiva Purana is one of the s, a genre of Hindu religious texts dedicated to Shiva. According to a tradition which is stated in the of this text, the original text was known as the ....
. Hpwever, Kayavarohan is not among the 12 Jyotirlinga
Jyotirlinga
A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India....
s as mentioned in the Shiva Purana
Shiva Purana
The Shiva Purana is one of the s, a genre of Hindu religious texts dedicated to Shiva. According to a tradition which is stated in the of this text, the original text was known as the ....
.
It is of great significance to the Pasupatas (Followers of the Pashupati
Pashupati
Pashupati , "Lord of cattle", is an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva. In Vedic times it was used as an epithet of Rudra. The Rigveda has the related pashupa "protector of cattle" as a name of Pushan. The Pashupatinath Temple is the most important Hindu shrine for all Hindus in Nepal and also for many...
), 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
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. Shiva had come to the earth in the form of Lakulisha through Kayavaroha, 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
Yogi
A Yogi is a practitioner of Yoga. The word is also used to refer to ascetic practitioners of meditation in a number of South Asian Religions including Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.-Etymology:...
, who holds parchments in one hand and citron
Citron
Not to be confused with Cintron.The citron is a fragrant citrus fruit, botanically classified as Citrus medica by both the Swingle and Tanaka systems...
(Matulinga) in the other.
It is believed that Ichhapuri was the main place of pilgrimage in Satyuga, Mayapuri in Treta Yuga, Meghavati in Dwapar Yuga, and Kayavarohan in the present Kali yuga
Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga...
. This temple has a Lingam of Lord Shiva, made up of black stone. It is believed that Maharshi Vishwamitra had installed this Linga of Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
during the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
period.
In the Vedic
Vedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
times, Kayavarohan/Karvan was a popular centre of learning and education and used to house numerous Vedic Universities, Yajna Shalas and the temples of many Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Gods.
The myth has it that during the barbarian invasion of Mahmood of Ghazni, the luminous jyotirlinga with Lakulish
Lakulish
Lakulisha was a prominent Shaivite revivalist, reformist and preceptor of the doctrine of the Pashupatas, one of the oldest sects of Shaivism...
merged the light of all of the other 12 jyotirlinga
Jyotirlinga
A Jyotirlinga or Jyotirling or Jyotirlingam is a shrine where Lord Shiva, an aspect of God in Hinduism is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam or "Lingam of light." There are twelve traditional Jyotirlinga shrines in India....
s into its form and disappeared. 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.
Presently, there is an underground meditation cave at the Kayavarohana temple used for seclusion and meditation.
Archeological Significance
The village and its surrounding areas are of great archeological significance. The ruins of a Shiva Temple that was as sacred as the Kashi (Jyotirlingas) during later VedicVedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
times is found here. Ancient sculptures and relics belonging to the 2nd century have been excavated from this place.
Later during the dark ages of Hinduism (Muslim invasions and subsequent reign from 11th century CE. to 17th century CE), starting with the attacks of barbarian Muslim marauder Mahmud Ghazni, who looted and destroyed the temple of Somnath
Somnath
The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of the God Shiva. Somnath means "The Protector of Moon God". The Somnath Temple is known as "the Shrine Eternal", having been destroyed...
in Gujarat, all the Shiva temples at Karvan were desecrated and razed by the iconoclast Muslim invaders. However, the Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
Lingas of the destroyed temples still survive and remain at the site, without temples around them. The Shivalayas and temples of Karvan were rebuilt and restored during the late Twentieth century by the Great Yogacharya Swamiji Krupaluanandji Maharaj.
Numerous Hindu icons, number of copper coins and a stone quern
Quern-stone
Quern-stones are stone tools for hand grinding a wide variety of materials. They were used in pairs. The lower, stationary, stone is called a quern, whilst the upper, mobile, stone is called a handstone...
have been found from Karvan. 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 Karvan. Karvan is a place of great archeological importance and the A.S.I. Archaeological Survey of India
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India is a department of the Government of India, attached to the Ministry of Culture . The ASI is responsible for archaeological studies and the preservation of archaeological heritage of the country in accordance with the various acts of the Indian Parliament...
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.