kotwal
कोतवाल kotvālA city's chief magistrate or police officer, a Persian administrative term; used in Kashi for Kalabhairava, the guardian to whom the pilgrim reports, translating the older Sanskrit role of kshetrapala.
Where this term appears
- Who is Bhairava? Deities
The tradition makes him the kotwāl of Kashi, and kotwal is a precise word.
- The magistrate of death Treatise
It calls Bhairava the Kotwal , the city magistrate, the chief of police to whom a newcomer must present himself.
- The Fierce Guardians Treatise
To this day Kalabhairava is the kotwal , the magistrate of Kashi, and no pilgrim's visit is complete without answering to him.