Last updated on May 31st, 2025
On the banks of river Shipra, there is an ancient town named Ujjain and in the middle of this town is a place that is believed to be the source of energy for this world, the Mahakaleshwar Temple. A powerfully spiritual place where Lord Shiva resides, manifested in the form of a jyotirlinga.
The month was December. At this time of the year Delhi is usually cold, the temperature can even drop down to 4-7 degrees unlike Ujjain where the weather is pretty pleasant. Even though the time of the visit is very much of a personal preference, yet if you ask me I would say – try to visit Ujjain in the winters. It will amp up the experience of visiting the place.
You can imagine cool refreshing waves caressing your cheeks, the scent and warmth of a cup of hot chai (tea) along with a plate of delicious poha which is also the ‘food’ of Ujjain. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that Ujjain or the Mahakaleshwar Temple is the abode of Lord Shiva and hence radiates beauty and divine grace round the year.
There are multiple ways to reach Ujjain but we opted to take a flight to Indore, reason was simple-lack of time. After a 4 hour flight, we reached our mid destination-Indore. I had heard that Indore has been awarded to be the cleanest city in India and once I landed over there, I could confirm the reason why. The roads were litter free, the sideways were beautifully painted with meaningful pictures that resonated with the city’s rich history and culture.
From Indore’s airport (Devi Ahilya Bai Holker International Airport) we took a private taxi to Ujjain. We hadn’t booked our hotels in advance because of two reasons:
- After searching through the list of hotels online, we had a slight idea that Ujjain had a couple of good hotels but we needed to be sure of the actual condition of the hotels before booking them.
- We had no clue about the transport system of the city at wee hours. We had to attend the Bhasm Aarti at the Mahakaleshwar Temple that usually starts around 4 A.M. in the morning and hence we thought we would require the nearest possible hotel.
So, while waiting at the airport for the flight, as a backup we had shortlisted and prioritised a few hotels based on the online reviews. In accordance to that list, we had asked the driver to take us to the hotels one by one. Luckily, we settled in for the first one, which to an extend, saved our time.
Even though both Indore and Ujjain share the same border it surprised me to realise how extremely different the two places felt. While Indore stood strong in its energetic, fast pacing and colourful aura, Ujjain on the other hand remained resolute in its extremely powerful and ancient spiritual aura.
Divine Darshan At The Mahakaleshwar Temple
The night was cold but somehow the feeling of bowing down to the sacred Mahakal Jyotirlinga in the sanctum sanctorum of the Mahakaleshwar temple was enough to embrace us in a warm aura of sanctity.
We thought we were smart, like really smart when we decided that for the 4 AM Bhasm Aarti (that usually takes 2 hours to complete) we would reach the premises by 12:30 AM. Upon arriving at the Mahakaleshwar temple we found that there were people much smarter and disciplined than us. There was a long queue of pilgrims waiting to enter the temple premises from even before 12 AM. Such is the love and devotion of the people to Lord Shiva around the world, including the holy Mahakaleshwar Temple.
The gates opened and the whole place was filled with chants of Om Namah Shivay, Hara Hara Mahadev and Jai Mahakal. The mantras infused the already positive ambience with additional strength and spirituality. After going through a series of passages, turns and barricading, we finally were able to get a glimpse of the sacred Mahakaleshwar. An ineffable moment, when nothing else mattered.
The Bhasm Aarti was magical, spiritual and powerful. Words can never do justice to the experience and hence I will stop explaining it over here. The only thing to be said is, if given a chance by the Almighty, make sure you attend it.
Journeying Through The Narrative Mosaic - The Corridor
There is a beautiful part of the Mahakaleshwar temple also known as ‘The Corridor’ that has been constructed just recently. Because of the huge spread area of the temple, it is sometimes possible to remain unexplored by the pilgrims. I highly recommend you to simply sit in the place for sometime in order to absorb the positive vibes that the place emits and experience what I am talking about.
Walking through those corridors felt like going through the pages of a book. Through those beautifully engraved carvings on the walls, I could feel all the stories related to Lord Mahakal come alive within me.
Even after leaving the spiritual place of Ujjain, the powerful vibes of the place are felt deep within. The longing to come back again is a proof that no matter what one does in life, there comes a time when all that matters for a human soul is a union with God himself.
Takeaways From The Trip
I felt that more work needs to be done in Ujjain, as a city. Even though it is bordered with the developed Indore City, Ujjain still has a long way to go looking at how the infrastructure in India is booming in other cities. I also felt that there are various other temples in Ujjain that seemed neglected with respect to the attention that the Mahakaleshwar Temple is being provided.
Another thing that I hope get fixed in the near future, is the VIP system for the Bhasma Arti, that seemed a little biased towards the ‘resourceful’ people. There are 3 halls in the Mahakaleshwar Temple – The Nandi Mandapam, The Ganesh Mandapam and the Kartikeya Mandapam. Out of that, the Nandi Mandapam has one of the best views of the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga. Unfortunately, only the people who has a ‘special approval’ are allowed to sit in that hall.
Here, I also wish to mention the quick response we received from the security team present at the Mahakaleshwar Temple. It happened, that at one point, we lost one of our valuable item in the premises of the temple itself. Surprisingly, within few mins of the incident, we heard the announcement asking us to collect the same from the related department office. A shoutout and heartfelt thanks to the team for that.
On an ending note, let it be known: Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a treasure awaiting those who seek its divine embrace.
You can book a private taxi from Ujjain, that would take around 3-4 hours to reach Omkareshwar.
There are no 5-star hotels in Ujjain as of now. However, there are a few 4 stars hotels(as per the online ratings) that are a good stay.
Yes, you can stay in Indore and visit the Mahakaleshwar temple. However, for the Bhasm Aarti you need to pre book your transport as in the wee hours, getting a transport from Indore to the Mahakleshwar temple can be a bit tricky.