Bhairawa

thumb|right|Muthappan, Kaalabhairavan worshipped in ancestral form through [[Theyyam form, in the northern region of Kerala, South India. ]] Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva. In the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, Bhairava represents the Supreme Reality, synonymous to Para Brahman. Generally in Hinduism, Bhairava is also called Daṇḍapāni ("[he who holds the] danda in [his] hand"), as he holds a rod or danda to punish sinners, and Śvāśva, meaning, "he whose vehic