Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingams, which are supposed to be the sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. The temple is situated besides the Rudra Sagar lake. The presiding deity, Shiva in the lingam form is believed to be Swayambhu, deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams that are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.

Legend
Origin of Temple
Puja Timings
Festivals
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King Chandrasena of Ujjain as a great devotee of lord Shiva and prayed to him all the time. Once, while he was praying, he was overheard by a farmer’s son, Shrikhar. The lad wished to pray along with the king but was thrown out by the palace soldiers and taken to the outskirts of Ujjain. The boy then overheard kings Ripudamana and Singhaditya, rivals of Ujjain, talk about attacking the city. He immediately began praying to the Lord to protect his city. The priest Vridhi heard the news and at the behest of his sons, began to pray to Lord Shiva at the banks of the river Kshipra. Ripudamana and Singhaditya attacked Ujjain with the help of the demon Dushan and were successful in plundering the city and attacking the devotees of lord Shiva. On hearing the plea of the priest and his devotees, Lord Shiv appeared in his mahakal form and defeated Ripudamana and Singhaditya. At the behest of Shrikhar and Vridhi, he agreed to stay on in Ujjain to protect the city and his devotees. From that day onwards, the Lord has resided in his mahakal form in the lingam, and anyone who worships the lingam is supposed to be free from death and diseases and is also blessed by the Lord for the rest of his life.

The Mahakaleshwar temple complex was destroyed by Sultan Shas-ud-din Iltutmish during his raid of Ujjain in 1234-1235. The present structure was built by Peshwa Baji Rao and Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj in 1736 AD. Further developments and management was done by Shreenath Mahadji Shinde Maharaj (Mahadji The Great) also known as Madhavrao Shinde the First (1730–12 February 1794) and Srimant Maharani Bayzabai Raje Shinde (1827–1863).

In the regime of Maharaja Shrimant Jayaajirao Saheb Shinde Alijah Bahadur until 1886, major programs of the then Gwalior Riyasat used to be held at this mandir. After Independence the Dev Sthan Trust was replaced by the municipal corporation of Ujjain. Nowadays it is under the collectorate.

The idol is a Dakshinamurti, which means that it faces the south. This unique feature is found only in the mahakaleshwar temple. The idols of Ganesh, Kartikeya, Parvati are installed in the western, eastern and northern corners of the temple. The temple has 5 levels of which one is located underground. The temple is situated in a massive courtyard, surrounded by high walls and a lake. It is believed that the prasada offered in this temple can be re-offered, a belief that is not found in any of the other jyotirlinga temples.

MATMARTI (morning 4 am): Chaitra to Ashwin: Before sunrise, Kartik to Falgun: Before sunrise

MORNING POOJA: Chaitra to Ashwin: 7:00-7:30 AM, Kartik to Falgun: 7:30-8:00 AM

MID-DAY POOJA: Chaitra to Ashwin: 10:00-10:30 AM, Kartik to Falgun: 10:30-11:00 AM

EVENING POOJA: Chaitra to Ashwin: 5:00-5:30 PM, Kartik to Falgun: 5:30-6:00 PM

AARTI SHREE MAHAKAL: Chaitra to Ashwin: 7:00-7:30 PM, Kartik to Falgun: 7:30-8:00 PM

CLOSING TIME: Chaitra to Ashwin: 11 PM, Kartik to Falgun: 11 PM

Mahakaleshwar Bhasma Aarti

One should not miss the Bhasma aarti which starts at 4 am every day.
One needs to register for the same. Registration is compulsory since there are limited entries per day. Earlier the registration process was at the temple premises. Now for the comfort of people visiting from distant locations, it has been offered online. For registrations : Click here
One has to obtain advance pass by giving ID proof.
Budget Hotels to Premium hotels are available within the city and people here are very peaceful & friendly.
If you want to have quick darshan, you can take special darshan route.

The Puja-archana, abhisheka, arati and other rituals are regularly performed all year round in Mahakaleshwar temple.

Nitya Yatra:

A Yatra to be conducted is narrated in the Avanti Khanda of the Skanda Purana. In this Yatra, after taking a bath in the holy river Kshipra, the Yatri respectively visits Nagachandreshvara, Kotesvara, Mahakaleshvara, goddess Avanatika, goddess Harasiddhi and Agatsyesvara for darsana.

Sawari:

On every Monday of the Shravan month, upto the Amavasya in the dark fortnight of the Bhadrapada and also from the bright fortnight of the Kartika to the dark fortnight of the Magasirha, the procession of the lord Mahakal passes through the streets of Ujjain. The last Sawari in bhadrapada is celebrated with great pomp and show and draws attendance of lakhs of people. The procession of Mahakal on Vijayadasami festival visiting the celebrations at Dashahara Maidan is also very attractive.

Harihara Milana:

On Baikuntha Chaturdasi, Lord Mahakal visits the mandir in a procession to meet lord Dwarkadhisa (hari) during midnight. Later on, in a similar procession on that very night, Dwarkadhisa visits Mahakal temple. The festival is the symbol of one-ness between the two great gods.

Mahakaaleshwar temple is located in Ujjain town of Madhya Pradesh. Ujjain is very well linked with Indore city and can be reached easily by road and train. Accessibility information is given below:

By Train: Ujjain falls in Western Railway Zone, and well connected to all major railway stations in India like, Ahmadabad, Mumbai, Indore, Jabalpur, Delhi, Banaras, Hyderabad, Jaipur. Direct train services are available to Bhopal, Indore, Pune, Malwa, Delhi and many other cities.

By Road: There are many buses ply between Ujjain to Indore (55km), Gwalior (450km), Ahmadabad (400km) and Bhopal (183 km).

By Air: Ujjain don’t have its own Airport, Ahilya-devi airport in Indore, is the nearer one which is about 60 km from city Ujjain, this airport has wide domestic & international air connectivity; there are frequent flights for national capital Delhi, Mumbai & other major cities of India.

Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain, Maharashtra