Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)

image credit : Mahakaleshwar

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga's shrine in Ujjain is an ancient and historic and was also called Avanti in Madhya Pradesh. Ujjain, a historic capital of Central India in Madhya Pradesh is a venerated pilgrimage centre enshrining Mahakaleshwara, one of the Jyotirlinga manifestations of Shiva. It was Ujjain that played a prominent role during the reign of the Mauryas and the Guptas and it was at Avanti the capital of Ujjain that Kind Udayana married princess Vasavadatta. Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Benares, Kanchipuram, Dwarka and Ujjain are considered to be the 7 Mukti Stalas of India. Ujjain is home to the Kumbha Mela, when Jupiter resides in the zodiac sign of Scorpio.

image credit : Mahakaleswar

This Temple is situated near a lake. The idol in the temple is known as Dakshinamurti, facing the south. The idols in the temple are all strategically placed like the images of Ganesh, Parvati and Karttikeya installed in the west, north and east direction respectively. The image of Nandi is situated in the south direction. The idol of Nagchandreshwar is situated in the third storey and pilgrims are allowed to pay homage to the diety only on the day of Nagapanchami.