Daksha Prajapati was the first legendary king in Hinduism and he is also one of the ten patriarchs of creation. He ruled over Mayavati, modern Kankhal near Haridwar in Uttarakhand, India. He had many sons and daughters. Sati, one of his daughters, was an incarnation of Mother Goddess Shakti and she married Lord Shiva.
After the marriage of Sati, Daksha Prajapati performed a yajna and did not invite Shiva, since he did not approve of Sati’s marriage to Shiva.
Sati who went to ask about this slight, was insulted by Daksha Prajapati.
Unable to bear the insult, Sati ended her life by jumping into the sacrificial fire.
Upset and enraged, Shiva caused havoc in the universe through his ganas and Virabhadra.
Virabhadra and the ganas put an end to the yajna. There were utter chaos and destruction everywhere. Virabhadra severed the head off Daksha Prajapati.
Later Shiva repented his action and transplanted a goat’s head in place of the severed head of Daksha.
A beautiful temple dedicated to Daksha Prajapati is located at Kankhal.