The form in which Lord Shiva gives his divine and wonderful darshan is the Mahakaleshwar temple of Ujjain. This temple is considered to be one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India. There are some such secrets of this temple of devotion and faith of crores of devotees which will amaze you. So let’s know Some mysteries of Mahakal Mandir Ujjain.
1. What is the secret of the name Mahakal?
It is said that Mahakal is only related to death but this is not true. If understood properly, Kaal has two meanings, one is time and the other is death. This period is also called Mahakal because in ancient times the standard time of the whole world was determined from here, hence the name of this Jyotirlinga was named Mahakaleshwar. The second reason is also related to time, in fact the Shivling of Mahakal appeared when Mahadev had to put an end to the evil of a demon, Lord Shiva came as the time of that demon and put an end to it. After the same day, this city is known as Avanti city Ujjain, it is said that Lord Shiva will stay here till the end of the period, hence he is also called Mahakal.
2. No king or minister spends the night here
Ujjain is the city of Baba Mahakal, it is believed that the Maharaja of this place is the same and as long as he is there, no king, Maharaja or minister dares to spend the night here with his post. Till now, all the big leaders who have shown the courage to do so, have happened unto them. The last king here was Vikramaditya. According to the legend and the legend of Throne Battisi, no king can stay here since the time of King Bhoj, even at present no king or chief minister or prime minister can stay here at night.
Evidence of this has been found many times, such as once the former Prime Minister of the country Morarji Desai, when he stayed here at night after visiting the temple, his government fell the very next day itself.
Something similar happened with former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa when he once stayed overnight in Ujjain and had to resign within a few days.
3. What is the secret of makeup with Bhasma Aarti
Since ancient times, aarti was performed on the Shivalinga of Mahakal by adorning the pyre with fresh ashes and this practice continued for hundreds of years. But once something happened that from that day onwards, the shringar and aarti stopped due to the ashes of Mahakal’s Shivling. Mahakal’s makeup and aarti was done with the ashes emanating from the pyre. Mahakal was very pleased to see this devotion and dedication of the priest, he donated life to the priest’s son and said that after today my makeup and aarti should be done with the paste prepared by mixing amaltas of Kapila cow dung, from then to now Mahakal. The makeup of the Shivling is done daily with this paste.
4. Shiva himself started the practice of Bhasma Aarti
As old as the Mahakaleshwar temple is, there is a mystery and that is the Bhasma Aarti of Mahakal sitting in this temple for many years. Whose story is also very interesting, in fact, in ancient times, Raja Chandra Singh was a great devotee of Lord Shiva, when King Ripudaman attacked Ujjain and tortured the people there through demonic corruption, then Raja Chandra Singh asked Lord Shiva for help. After listening to Chandra Singh’s prayer, Lord Shiva killed the evil demon and adorned himself with his ashes and he settled here forever in Ujjain, so this is how Bhasma Aarti started.
5. The mysterious Nagchandreshwar temple to be opened only on Nagpanchami
Nagchandreshwar Temple in Ujjain is one such temple in the country whose doors are opened only on one day in a year i.e. only on Nagpanchami in the month of Sawan. This temple is situated at the top of the premises of Mahakaleshwar temple i.e. in the third section. This eleventh century temple has a beautiful statue of Shiva-Parvati sitting on a serpent, over which the serpent in the form of an umbrella is spreading its hood. It is believed that Nagraj Takshak himself resides in this temple. It is said that this idol was brought from Nepal to Ujjain. Apart from Ujjain, there is no such statue anywhere in the world.
This is the only temple in the whole world, in which Lord Bholenath is seated on a snake bed instead of Lord Vishnu. In the ancient idol installed in the temple, Shiva is seated on a tenmukhi snake bed with Ganesha and Maa Parvati. Bhujang is wrapped around Shivashambhu’s neck and arms.
6. Swayambhu Jyotirlinga
Out of the 12 Jyotirlingas located in the country, Mahakal is the only best Shivling, that is, the star Shiva Linga in the sky, the Hatkeshwar Shivling in Patal and the Mahakaleshwar Shivling on the earth is the only valid Shivling. It is believed that the Shivalinga in the Mahakal temple is self-proclaimed in the world. It is believed in Ujjain that it is Lord Mahakal who drives the time continuously and Kaal Bhairav destroys the time.
7. South facing Shivling
Amazing South facing Shivling, at present, only Mahakaleshwar temple is in Ujjain in the whole world, the Jaldhari of Shivling and other Jyotirlinga installed in all other Shiva temples is towards the north direction but Mahakaleshwar is the only such Jyotirling whose Jyotirling is towards the south, hence they are south main. Also known as Mahakal.
8. Temple where liquor is offered to God
Although the consumption of alcohol in religious places in our country is a sin, but the Mahakal temple complex where the temple of Bhairav Baba is located is the only temple in the world where till date no one knows that God is worshipped.
