Thousands years old Ujjain holds many mysteries and tales. I went to Ujjain in the hope of finding traces about King Vikramaditya who is believed to have ruled this city in 1st century BC. I wanted to know more about Kalidas, one of the nine gems of King Vikramaditya who is said to have been transformed to a great scholar due to the blessings of Goddess Saraswati. However my trip ended with visiting religious places. My thirst for knowing history of ancient Ujjain remained unsatiated which definitely means that I will be visiting the city once again in future.
Now lets explore some of the places in Ujjain which you cannot miss!
- Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple: Mahakaleshwar is one among twelve jyotirlingas in India. I want to visit all the twelve sacred Jyotirlingas (Dwadash Jyotirlingas) and get blessings from Lord Shiva. Visiting Shree Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain was spiritually enlightening experience for me. We reached Ujjain in the afternoon. After getting refreshed headed straight to visit Mahakaleshwar Temple. As you walk you will find people offering special symbol (yellowish paste) to be put on your forehead. Dresses with inscription of “Mahakal” and “OM” symbol are displayed for sale for the devotees. Before entering the main temple you need to remove shoes at shoe stand. The temple is managed by Shree Mahakaleshwar Mandir Prabandh Samititi Ujjain. Rituals followed in this temple from Kartik to Phalgun are: Bhasmarti or worshipping by applying sacred ash (Bhasm means ash) from 4am to 6am, Dadhyodan Arti from 7.30am to 8.15am, Bhog Arti Arti from 10.30am to 11.15am, Evening rituals are done from 5pm to 5.45pm, Sadhya Arti from 6.30pm to 7.15pm, Shayan Arti from 10.30pm to 11pm. Rituals followed in this temple from Chaitra to Ashwin are Bhasmarti before sunrise, Dadhydan Arti from 7am to 7.45am, Bhog Arti from 10am to 10.45am, Evening rituals from 5pm to 5.45pm, Sandhya Arti from 7pm to 7.45pm, Shayan Arti from 10.30pm to 11pm. If you are going to visit Mahakal through general queue you can see the ongoing rituals on the screen also as you move on. Abhishek Pujan of Shree Mahakal ranges from Rs.100/- to Rs.1000/-. Mahakaleshwar Temple is beautifully decorated with lights which keeps on changing the colors frequently. Apart from the main temple there are other small temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, one among these is Shree Juna Mahakaal which was built 290 years ago by Scindia rulers in 1732AD.
2. Bada Ganesh Temple: On northern side of Mahakaleshwar temple at walkable distance you will find Bade Ganesh temple, one of the sacred temples in Ujjain. Bada means big. Huge 18 feet high and 10 feet wide Lord Ganesh sculpture is the main attraction of the temple. On one hand Lord Ganesha is holding His favorite laddu. The temple is open from 5am to 11pm. Apart from Lord Ganesh there are small temples inside the complex. Lord Krishna sitting on Maa Yashoda’s lap and Panchamukhi Hanuman are the prominent figures inside Bada Ganesh Temple.
3. Ram Mandir Ghat: Situated at 2kms from Ujjain’s city center Ram Mandir Ghat is synonymous with Kumbh Mela. It is believed that a dip in the river Kshipra will remove all your sins. Simhasth Kumbh happens once in 12 years when Jupiter enters Leo (Simha means Lion). Last Simhasth Kumbh was held in 2016. Sandhya Arti is done every evening here.
4. Sandipani Ashram: Lord Krishna stayed 126 days at Maharshi Sandipani’s Ashram as a student alongwith his elder brother Balram and Sudama to learn archery, arms, literature, elephant and horse riding. Inside the Ashram you can see 64 beautiful paintings depicting 64 art forms learnt by Lord Krishna. Here you can also see 14 disciplines of knowledge learnt by Shri Krishna. There is a stepped holy water tank named Gumti Kund. Legend says the tank was created by Lord Krishna by collecting water from all holy places so that his Guru doesn’t have to travel. Inside the Ashram there is a Shiv Temple (Shree Sarveshwar Mahadev) which as per legends is being worshipped since Maharshi Sandipani’s time and is 6000 years old. Sandipani Ashram remains open from 7am to 8pm.
5. Mangalnath Mandir: A unique temple in India where hundreds of devotees/believers flock to get rid of Mangal Dosh everyday. This place is regarded as the birthplace of Mangal or Mars according to Matsya Purana. Located on the bank of the river Kshipra the temple was under construction when we visited. When we entered we found priests in groups who were performing Mangal Dosh Nivaran yagnas for the devotees. Charges vary from Rs.151/- to 1100/- or even more. After spending quiet time in the temple bought Prasadam from the counter.
6. Kaal Bhairav Temple: Located at around 5kms from Ujjain, Kal Bhairav Temple is one of the popular spot to visit. Bhairav in Sanskrit means frightful. In Shiva Puranam it is mentioned that once Lord Brahma became arrogant as both he and Lord Shiva possessed five heads and started thinking equal to Lord Shiva. He also interfered with the work of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva then threw a small hair from his head which became Kaal Bhairav and cut one of Brahma’s heads. Out of eight Bhairav forms Kaal Bhairav is the most fearful form. Kaal Bhairav holds Danda (means stick or a staff) hence he is called Dandapani. Offering liquor to the deity is an exceptional ritual followed in Kaal Bhairav temple.
7. Godkalika Temple: Situated nearby Ujjain city Godkalika Temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali. The temple is near Kaal Bhairav temple. It is believed that this is the place where great poet Kalidas who was not formally educated received blessings from Goddess Kali. Kalidas was one of the nine great scholars of King Vikramaditya who ruled Ujjain. The temple has been renovated multiple times. Gwalior rulers gave the present shape of the temple.
8. Bhartrihari Caves: Near the banks of Kshipra river facing south-west Bhartrihari caves are located. It is believed that Bhartrihari, elder brother of King Vikramaditya renounced worldly affairs, lived and meditated in these caves after his wife Pingla’s death. He was a great scholar. His famous works are Shringarshatak, Vairagyashatak and Nitishatak. Entrance to the caves are really narrow. It seems the caves are modified later on. Inside there are small temples. Due to narrow passage one must be careful. On the way to Bhartrihari Caves you can offer grass to the cows at the charge of Rupees 50/- (Goudaan).
How to reach: Ujjain is well-connected with major cities of India. I reached Ujjain by train from Ahmedabad. Indore is nearby city to Ujjain. You can easily get bus from Indore.
Where to stay: Nearby Mahakaleshwar temple to visit majority of the pilgrimage sites in Ujjain. You can stay in Indore also which is located in the middle of Omkareshwar and Mahakaleshwar.
How many days are required to stay: There are many places in historically and mythologically enriched Ujjain. If you want to visit all of them you need at least 3 nights. If you want to visit Omkareshwar, Mahakaleshwar and other pilgrimage sites, 2 nights are required.
How to visit tourist spots in Ujjain: Hire autorickshaw for visiting Ram Mandir Ghat, Sandipani Ashram, Mangalnath Mandir, Kaal Bhairav Temple, Godkalika Temple and Bhartrihari Caves and other nearby tourist spots. For visiting Omkareshwar you can go by private cab (around 2.5 hours) or by bus (around 5 hours).
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