Punjab Newsline | Ujjain
With the beginning of the holy month of Shravan, the world-famous Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain has started witnessing an overwhelming influx of devotees from across the country. Shravan Mondays are considered especially auspicious for the worship of Lord Shiva, and lakhs of pilgrims are arriving to seek the blessings of Baba Mahakal.
According to religious beliefs, devotees who observe the Shravan Monday fast and perform darshan and worship of Baba Mahakal receive immense spiritual merit and are freed from the sins of previous births. The significance of worship at the Mahakaleshwar Temple increases manifold on Mondays during the sacred month.
A unique and deeply revered tradition associated with the temple is the belief that Baba Mahakal himself observes a fast on every Monday of Shravan. It is also believed that on these sacred days, Lord Mahakal symbolically goes on a Nagar Bhraman (city procession) to know the well-being of his devotees and the people of the city. Only after returning from this symbolic visit is the deity offered bhog.
The daily rituals begin before dawn with the famous Bhasma Aarti, performed by priests belonging to the temple’s traditional hereditary lineage. This is followed by the 7 am aarti, during which rice, curd, and sugar are offered as prasad.
Unlike ordinary days, when regular offerings are made after worship and adornment, Shravan Mondays are marked by special fasting rituals, and Baba Mahakal is offered only fruit-based fasting food (phalahar).
At 10 am, the temple conducts the Panchamrit Pujan, after which a special Bhog Aarti is performed with offerings that include lentils, rice, chapatis, vegetables, fritters, and laddoos.
In the evening, after the deity’s ceremonial bath at 5 pm, Jalabhishek is stopped and Baba Mahakal is adorned in a magnificent royal form (Raja Swaroop) for devotees. The 7 pm Sandhya Aarti includes an offering of milk, while the day concludes with the Shayan Aarti at 10:20 pm, during which dry fruits are offered as prasad. Following the final ritual, the temple doors are closed for the night.
Temple authorities have made elaborate arrangements for crowd management, security, and devotee facilities as the number of pilgrims continues to rise during the holy month. The spiritual fervour surrounding Shravan has once again transformed Ujjain into one of the country’s most vibrant centres of Shiva devotion.
