INTRODUCTION

The place Ujjain is divine in itself; its old name is ‘Avantika’. This is the abode place of Lord Shiva, one of biggest Jyotirlinga in amongst 12 Shiva-Jyotirlinga in India, Lord Shiva also known as the god of destruction. It is mentioned in many Hindu epics that, Lord Shiva had killed a demon here named ‘Tripur’. In every 12 years, the biggest Religious fair of Hindus, ‘The Kumba’ being held here. Millions of devotees come here to be a part of this holistic ceremony & consider themselves, very fortunate after having bath in Shipra River & a divine darshan of Lord Mahakaleshwar Shiva-Lingam.

Lord Shiva, is considered to be the most powerful & destructive god amongst all Hindu deities, he is the one who believed to be born of itself, simultaneously he is also very courteous & melted heart god, who never need any special worshipe, customery rituals or dedication from his devotees, an utterance of Mantra ‘Om’ or couple of tri-leafs of Bael (Aegle marmelos) or if nothing then to only recall him from a pure heart can be enough to conquer his heart. There are many names & tags that he owns, one of them regarding him as the ‘lord of Death’, the one who has the controle over birth and death, which is why he is most adorable amongst Hinduism, he rules over whole universe, giving ‘Moksha’ to Living being, which meant to be ultimate door of getting off to the cycle of birth and death, Mahashivaratri (Grand night of Shiva) is a biggest celebration and festival of this temple and city. Millions of visitors around the world come here at the occasion of Mahashivaratri to feel the celebration with god, to realize the immense power of Lord Shiva (the creator of Universe). The term ‘Jyotirlingam’ derived from the first appearence of lord shiva on earth, which was resembled as the Lingam ‘the piller of light’.

THE TEMPLE

The sprawling temple is situated on the side of the Rudra Sagara Lake; this is a three storied temple, where is Mahakaleshwar Lingam installed at the beneath part, while Nagachandresvara installed at the uppermost part of the temple. One can only see Nagachandresvara at the festival time of Nag Panchmi. In the inner and outer walls there are various sculptures have been carved during the Parmar period. At the east side of the temple where is a large veranda, adjoining the way which lead to the ‘Garbhgraha’ (Sanctum). At the northern side there is Images of Lord Rama, Goddess Avantika. at the southern side of the temple, where is many small temples, built during the rein of Shinde. A lofty Kunda named Koti Tirtha is built in the sarvatobhadra style, which is situated in the temple complex.The massive spire of the temple is soaring into the sky; the architecture of the outer side of the temple is so fascinating, which depicts north-Indian style.

TEMPLE HISTORY

It is hard to say on what time Mahakaleshwar Temple came in existence, though certainly there are evidence which articulates its archaic values. Famous King Ashoka’s Generals and top commanding officers were living here, those days the perception here of Buddha religion was on the pace. Ujjain happened to be the capital of Great Maharaja Vikramaditya, he was very kind and brave King. Gupt dynasties came after Vikramaditya, and India parted in many regions after Gupt departed, Parmars ruled over Ujjain between 9th to 10th centuries, later they left for Dhar. In 1235 AD, Altamus, then the ruler of Delhi, seized Ujjain, since then Muslims ruled over Ujjain for over 500 years. In 1750 AD, Sindhiyas, occupied Ujjain, and then British came in rule.

HOW TO REACH

Mahakaaleshwar temple is located in Ujjain town of Madhya Pradesh. Ujjain is very well linked with Indore city and can be reached easily by road and train. Accessibility information is given below:
By Train:Ujjain falls in Western Railway Zone, and well connected to all major railway stations in India like, Ahmadabad, Mumbai, Indore, Jabalpur, Delhi, Banaras, Hyderabad, Jaipur. Direct train services are available to Bhopal, Indore, Pune, Malwa, Delhi and many other cities.

DISTANCE CHART		LOCATION MAP
From	Distance (in Kms)

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

By Air: Ujjain don’t have its own Airport, Ahilya-devi airport in Indore, is the nearer one which is about 60 km from city Ujjain, this airport has wide domestic & international air connectivity; there are frequent flights for national capital Delhi, Mumbai & other major cities of India.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

Though one can visit this eternal place of Grand Lord Shiva, at any time throughout the year, as thousands of devotees comes here everyday, but during the festive time and that too in Grand-Night of Shiva called Maha-shivaratri, which comes during February to March, brings a lofty numbers of visitors from around the globe, and so this can be the best time to explore the real divine charm of the city.

ACCOMMODATION

Mahakal temple is located in Ujjain town. Here Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department Hotels "Shipra Residency" & "Hotel Avantika" are the ideal options for accommodation of tourists. In addition to them some budget category private guest houses and hotels are also their. Here we can't expect various options in different category. If visitor is looking for luxury option then it will be better to look for hotel in Indore city(65kms) and visit temple as excursion tour.

NEXT TO MAHAKAL TEMPLE

Indore:Indore is the largest metro city of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. It happened to be the administrative capital of Holkar dynasties, situated 55 km down-south to the Ujjain. One can visit some famous places in Indore like, Rajwada, Lal Bagh Palace, Kanch Mandir, Chhatris, Central Museum, Kamla Nehru Zoo, Gandhi Hall & much more.
Omkareshwar:It is another must see place for the devotees of Lord Shiva. The island is also known as Mandhata Omkareshwar or Shivapuri. Omkareshwar is located in Khandwa district on the south eastern Madhya Pradesh, 140 km far from Ujjain, via Indore. River-side temples and boat-ride are main tourist attractions in Omkareshwar.
Maheshwar:It is yet another Hindu pilgrimage destination on the bank of holy Narmada river, about 150kms in south of Mahakal temple. Here one can visit Maheshwar fort and river-side temples. In addition to this, visitor can also enjoy boat ride in Narmada river.
Mandu:Mandu City is located in Dhar District in western region of Madhya Pradesh in India, about 160 km from Ujjain. A complete nature paradise, surrounded with historical places, there is much more see in Mandu.
Bagh Caves:These caves are made out of rock dove, and used as the residence and for the meditation by the buddhist monks. These caves have the paintings which are corresponded with the Ajanta caves situated in Aurangabad, about 180 km from Ujjain.
Bhopal: It is capital city of Madhya Pradesh state, about 180kms east of Ujjain town. All major administrative head-offices are located here along with many other local tourist attractions like boating in lakes, Van Vihar, Museums etc. In addition to this 02 World Heritage sites: Sanchi & Bhimbetka Rock Shelters are also in surrounding to Bhopal city.