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Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga

The only South-facing (Dakshinamukhi) Shivling - The direction of Death
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Introduction

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling is located in the historical city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is situated on the banks of the holy river, Shipra. Since kaal means ‘time’ and ‘death’, Mahakal i.e. Lord Shiva is called the Lord of Time and Death.

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling is located in the historical city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is situated on the banks of the holy river, Shipra. Since kaal means ‘time’ and ‘death’, Mahakal i.e. Lord Shiva is called the Lord of Time and Death.

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Location

Mahakaleshwar Temple Ujjain is one of the most popular Hindu temples. It is located by the Rudra Sagar Lake in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh.

जो समय की चाल हैं, अपने भक्तों की ढाल हैं, पल में बदल दे सृष्टि को, वो महाकाल हैं।

- Temple Connect

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Religious Significance

The Mahakaleshwar temple is one among 12 Jyotirlings and also one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas. Devotees believe that the Upper Lip of the Sati Devi fell here. Moreover, the Goddess is popular as Mahakali here. The significance of the Mahakaleshwar Temple is that the Lingam of Mahakaleshwar is Swayambhu in nature.

Temple Timings

Timings Of Mahakaleshwar Temple Ujjain: 3 am – 11 pm

Rituals & Pujas

Don’t Miss: Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga bhasma aarti at 4 am; daily

History​

The history of Mahakaleshwar Temple Ujjain is very interesting & engrossing. It is believed that, long ago, the city of Ujjain was ruled by King Chandrasen. The king was an avid devotee of Lord Shiva. A young fellow – Shrikhar – was highly motivated by his devotion and desired to be a part of his prayers. Unfortunately, he was rejected by royal cavalry.

Incidentally, some neighbouring rulers were planning then to attack Ujjain. Shrikhar and the local priest – Vridhi – heard about it and started praying relentlessly. Lord Shiva heard their prayers and decided to forever safeguard this city as a lingam. Thereafter, the ruling king and his successors raised the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple.

The Ujjain Mahakal Temple suffered many attacks over time and was destroyed & demolished. However, the Scindia clan took over the responsibility of its restoration in the 19th century.

Architecture​

The temple architecture – a seamless blend of Bhumija, Maratha, & Chalukya styles – is another important key attraction of the temple. The idol of Omkareshwar Mahadev, the images of Ganesh, Parvati, Lord Rama, Avantika, & Karttikeya, and the sikhara are also worth seeing. This stunning temple has five levels and is built near a lake. The walls of this magnificent temple have eulogies praising Lord Shiva inscribed on them. Each level is dedicated to different God and here is the description of it.

Ground Floor: The idol of Mahakaleshwar is situated on the ground floor and is facing the South direction so it is called Dakshinmukhi.
Other Floors: The lingam of Nagachandresvara is placed on the uppermost floor and is only opened for Darshan on Nag Panchami. On the second floor, the Lingam of Omkaresvara was built. Koti Tirtha or a large Kunda was also made in the compound. The idols of Ganesha, Kartikeya, and Parvati are also located near Koti Tirtha. The silver-plate that covers the idols of Ganesha, Kartikeya and Parvati add to the charm of this temple.

How to Reach

Indore is about 53 km away from the Mahakaleshwar Temple. Plenty of options are available for one to travel to the temple from here. Here’s the Mahakaleshwar Temple route from Indore:

Air: The nearest railway station is in Indore and one can hire cabs or take a bus to Mahakaleshwar Temple from there.
Train: One can travel through trains such as the Ranthambhor SF express as well as the Malwa SF express to travel between Ujjain and Indore.
Road: The fastest route to travel from Indore to Mahakaleshwar temple is via the Ujjain-Indore road. Also, it takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to travel using this route.

Where to Stay

The Temple Management has constructed two Dharmashalas for pilgrims to stay. The names of the Dharmashalas are Pandit Shree Surya Narayan Vyas Dharmashala and the Shree Mahakaal Dharmashala. Non AC dormitories, Non AC rooms, and AC rooms are available to pilgrims at reasonable rates.

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Festivals celebrated

Some of the festivals celebrated at Mahakaleshwar Temple are:

  • Kumbh Mela: This Mela has the distinction of being the largest religious gathering on the planet. It takes place once every 12 years in Ujjain, Allahabad, Haridwar, and Nashik. Also, the festival continues for about one and a half months. The pilgrims and sages (sadhus) take a ceremonial dip in the River Ksipra. Religious discourses, Ramlilas, Raslilas as well as the grand procession of sadhus are the main features of the Kumbh Mela.
  • Mahashivaratri: Thousands of pilgrims visit the temple to celebrate the day Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati. It occurs on the 13th or 14th day of the Magha month (February / March) in the Indian hindu calendar
  • Karthik Mela: It occurs every year in the Hindu month of Karthik (November / December).
  • Harihara Milana: The celebrations of this festival take place on Vaikuntha Chaturdashi, which signifies the meeting of two Lords – Lord Krishna as well as Lord Shiva at midnight.

Trivia

Mahakaleshwar Temple is one of the Jyotirlings and one among Shaktipeeths as well.

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Add Your Heading Text Here

Lord Shiva is the main deity that is worshipped in the Mahakaleshwar temple and is also known as Maheshwara. Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara form the trinity of Hinduism and Lord Shiva is referred to as Maheshwara in it. The word Mahakaleshwar means the Lord Of Time and according to Hinduism Lord Shiva is the God of Time. Lord Shiva is also known as Mahakal. The locals believe in two legends related to Lord Shiva being referred to as Mahakaleshwar.

One of these legends states that when Daksha, the father of Sati objected to her marriage with Lord Shiva, she walked into the fire. After hearing about it, Lord Shiva got furious and performed the Dance of Death or Tandava and so he was entitled with the name Mahakal or Mahakaleshwar and he was also called the God ahead of time. According to the other legend when the demon, Dushan hurt the devotees of Shiva, he was angry and broke earth into two halves, and then he was called Mahakaleshwar.

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