Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling

Mahakaleshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is among the 12 jyotirlinga and the most famous temples in India. The temple is situated in the ancient city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on the banks of Rudra Sagar Lake.

History

King Chandrasena of Ujjain was a good devotee of Lord Shiva and wished for him all the time. Once, while he was wishing, he was overheard by a farmer’s son, Shrikhar. The lad wanted to wish together with the king but was tossed out by the palace soldiers and taken to the borders of Ujjain. The young boy then overheard kings Ripudamana and Singhaditya, rivals of Ujjain, speak about attacking the city. He instantly started wishing to the Lord to secure his city. The priest Vridhi heard the news and at the request of his sons, started to wish to Lord Shiva at the banks of the river Kshipra.

Ripudamana and Singhaditya attacked Ujjain with the help of the devil Dushan and were successful in plundering the city and assaulting the devotees of Lord Shiva. On hearing the plea of the priest and his devotees, Lord Shiva appeared in his Mahakala form and beat Ripudamana and Singhaditya. At the behest of Shrikhar and Vridhi, he agreed to stay on in Ujjain to safeguard the city and his devotees. From that day onwards, the Lord has lived in his Mahakala form in the lingam, and everyone who worships the lingam is expected to be devoid of death and diseases and is also blessed by the Lord for the rest of his life.

According to the history of the Mahakaleshwar Temple, Lord Brahma himself established the first temple at the site. The coins recovered at Ujjain have the mark of Lord Shiva on them. According to numerous poetic texts, in the Paramara duration, enemies damaged the temple. Afterward, Udayaditya and Naravarman, the rulers of the Malwa place, rebuilt it. Devotees also consider that when Dushan started assaulting Avantika, the ground split near the statue of Goddess Parvati, and Lord Shiva came out of it as Mahakaal. He burnt the devils with just one grunt. Adhering to the request of the people of Avantika, Lord Shiva then chose to stay there as the chief deity of Avantika.

Importance

Architecture

• The temple is three-storey-ed.
• In the lowest middle and uppermost parts are respectively installed the Lingams of Mahakaleshwara, Omkareshwara, and Nagchandresvara.
• The pilgrims or the visitors can just have a look at Nagchandresvara at the festival of Naga Panchami.
• A Kunda called as Koti Tirtha is also situated in the complex of the Mandir. On the path adjoining, the Kunda are the stairs, and sculptures in the duration of Paramars are situated on the walls.
• On the west side of Kunda, there is the road that will lead you to the Garbhargraha.
• You can take the true blessings of Vraddha Mahakaleshwar, Anadi Kalpeshwara, and Saptarshis over here.
• The Lingam of the Mahakaleshwara is a colossus.
• The silver-plated Nag Jaldhari is situated above the Lingam and the silver-plated covering on the roofs gives it a different yet wonderful appearance.
• Jyotirlingam, the images of Lord Ganesha, Lord Kartikeya, and Mata Parvati are situated in the Garbhargraha. You can see the idols and images in the appreciation of Lord Shiva here.
• The Nanda Dip always stays lit. On the exit, the attractive metal-plated Nandi can be seen in the sitting humble post.

Legend Of Jyotirlingas

• According to the Shiva Purana, Brahma and Vishnu had an argument in terms of the supremacy of creation. In order to resolve the dispute, Shiva decided to pierce the 3 worlds as a countless pillar of light. Both Vishnu and Brahma started downwards and upwards respectively to discover the end of the light. Brahma lied that he had discovered the end while Vishnu accepted that he could not and accepted defeat. Shiva cursed Brahma and as punishment for lying to him, Brahma would not be part of any ceremonies while Vishnu would always be worshipped.

• The jyotirlinga is the supreme partless reality, out of which Shiva partly appears. The jyothirlinga temples, hence are locations where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. Each of the twelve jyothirlinga sites takes the name of the presiding deity– each believed to be a various manifestation of Shiva. At all these sites, the main image is the jyotirlingam representing the infinite nature of Shiva.

12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva in India

1. Somnath Jyotirlinga – Gir Somnath in Gujarat
2. Somnath Jyotirlinga – Gir Somnath in Gujarat
3. Nageshwar Jyotirling – Daarukavanam in Gujarat
4. Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga – Pune in Maharashtra
5. Trimbakeshwar Jyotirling – Nashik in Maharashtra
6. Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga – Aurangabad in Maharashtra
7. Baidyanath Jyotirlinga – Deoghar in Jharkhand
8. Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga – Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh
9. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga – Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh
10. Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga – Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
11. Kedarnath Jyotirling – Kedarnath in Uttarakhand
12. Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga – Rameshwaram Island in Tamil Nadu
13. Mallikarjuna Jyotirling – Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh

Festivals

• 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. 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, and the grand procession of sadhus are the main features of the Kumbh Mela.
• Mahashivaratri: Thousands of devotees 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 is held 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 and Lord Shiva at midnight.

Other Place Near Temple

• Shri Big Ganeshji – In front of the Mahakaleshwar
• Maa Gadhkalika Mandir – Maa Gadhkalika Mandir is located at a distance of 1 kilometer from Sandipani Ashram.
• Mangal Nath Temple – Ujjain is said to be the mother of Mars. On every Maglawar, there is a lot of devotees here.
• Kalbhairav Temple – It is situated at a distance of 1 km from Sandipani Ashram.
• Dwarkadhish Gopal Mandir – It is situated at a distance of 1 km from the Mahakaleshwar.
• Harisiddhi Temple – It is 700 meters away from Mahakaleshwar
• Ram Ghat – Ramghat is built on the 300-meter-long Dwari Kshipra river from Harshidhi temple.
• Shri Chintamani Ganesh Temple – It is 5 km from Ramghat.
• Maharishi Sandeepani Ashram – Sandipani Ashram is situated on the Mangalnath Marg from Mahakaleshwar.

How To Reach

By Air – Indore Airport is a nearby airport that is around 53 km away from the temple.

By Train – Ujjain Railway Station is near the Railway station And it is located at a distance of about approx 2 km from the railway station.

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

Temple Timings

Temple Darshan Timing

Darshan Timing

4:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Temple Aarti and Pooja Timing

Aarti and Pooja	Timing Winter	Timing Summer
Morning Pooja	07.00 AM to 07.30 AM	07.30 AM to 08.00 AM
Mid-day Pooja	10.00 AM to 10.30 AM	10:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Evening Pooja	05.00 PM to 05.30 PM	05.30 PM to 06.00 PM
Aarti Shree Mahakal	07.00 PM to 07.30 PM	07.30 PM to 08.00 PM.

Temple Video