Mandirs in Ujjainਉੱਜੈਨ ਦੇ ਮੰਦਰ

Ujjain, the ancient city of Avantika on the Shipra river, is one of the seven sacred cities of Hindu tradition, and its mandirs form a single pilgrimage circuit. At its centre stands Mahakaleshwar, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. A short walk away is Harsiddhi, a Shakti Peetha of the goddess. Across the old city stands Kal Bhairav, the fierce guardian whom devotees visit to complete the round. This guide covers the three shrines together.

Mahakaleshwar: the Jyotirlinga that faces south

The city's sovereign shrine is the Mahakaleshwar Temple, where Shiva is worshipped as Mahakal, the Great Time. Tradition holds the lingam here to be swayambhu, self-manifested, and it is the only one of the twelve Jyotirlingas whose idol faces south, a feature the tradition links to tantric practice. The temple stands on the bank of the Shipra in a walled courtyard, its shikhara rising over five levels, one of them underground, with images of Ganesh, Parvati and Kartikeya around the sanctum and Nandi to the south.

The temple complex was destroyed during Iltutmish's raid on Ujjain in 1234 to 1235 and was reconstructed and revived under Maratha rule in the 18th century. Madhya Pradesh has two Jyotirlingas: Mahakaleshwar here and Omkareshwar, about 140 kilometres to the south. The shrine is also revered as one of the Maha Shakti Peethas, where tradition says the upper lip of Sati fell and the goddess is worshipped as Mahakali. On Maha Shivaratri a great fair gathers at the temple and worship continues through the night. Jugti's full entry covers the Bhasma Aarti and the Mahakal Lok Corridor in detail.

Harsiddhi: the Shakti Peetha of the goddess

About 600 metres from Mahakaleshwar stands the Harsiddhi Mata Temple, counted among the 51 Shakti Peethas. Tradition, as Madhya Pradesh Tourism records it, holds that the elbow of the goddess Sati fell at this spot, and legend credits King Vikramaditya, Ujjain's storied ruler, with first building the temple in honour of the divine feminine. The Harsiddhi of the sanctum is worshipped alongside images of Annapurna, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati, and the temple also enshrines a Sri Yantra, the geometric emblem of Shakti.

The complex shows Maratha influence, with four entrances facing the four directions. Its signature sight is a pair of tall lamp pillars carrying 726 lamp holders between them. During Navratri, when the temple draws its largest crowds, the pillars are lit together and the whole courtyard glows. Pilgrims usually pair Harsiddhi with Mahakaleshwar on the same visit: Shiva and Shakti, the city's lord and its goddess, within a short walk of each other in the Nagara heartland of central India.

Kal Bhairav: the guardian who receives liquor

At Bhairavgarh, on the banks of the Shipra, stands the Kal Bhairav Temple, dedicated to the fierce form of Shiva whom Ujjain counts as its guardian deity and Senapati, its commander in chief. The temple is mentioned in the Avanti Khanda of the Skanda Purana. Images from the Paramara period, 9th to 13th century, have been recovered at the site, the present structure shows Maratha influence, and local tradition says the Maratha general Mahadaji Shinde restored the temple after offering his turban to the deity. The image itself is a rock face layered with vermilion, its silver head dressed in a Maratha style turban.

Kal Bhairav is chief of the eight Bhairavas, and his worship was long central to the Kapalika and Aghora traditions, for which Ujjain was a major centre. That history explains the temple's famous offering: liquor, one of the five tantric panchamakara offerings, is still given here daily, while the other four are now offered only symbolically. Vendors outside sell offering baskets with a bottle of liquor, and since 2015 government counters have sold liquor at the temple to protect devotees from unlicensed sellers. The priest pours the liquor into a saucer, raises it to a slit at the deity's lips, and devotees believe the god accepts it; about a third of the bottle returns to the devotee as prasad.

How do the three temples fit together on a visit?

The three shrines give Ujjain its complete sacred shape. Mahakaleshwar is the axis: Shiva as time itself, the Jyotirlinga around which the city's worship turns. Harsiddhi adds the goddess, the Shakti Peetha paired with the Jyotirlinga in the same old city. Kal Bhairav completes the round as the guardian at the gate, the fierce protector whose darshan devotees seek alongside Mahakal's. Most pilgrims cover all three in a single day, often with a bath in the Shipra. This guide is part of Jugti's mandirs in India collection.

All Mandirs in Ujjain

• Mahakaleshwar Temple: the south-facing Jyotirlinga of Ujjain on the Shipra, destroyed in 1234 to 1235 and revived under Maratha rule
• Harsiddhi Mata Temple: the Shakti Peetha where tradition says Sati's elbow fell, famed for its twin lamp pillars lit at Navratri (full entry coming)
• Kal Bhairav Temple: the guardian deity of Ujjain at Bhairavgarh, where liquor is offered daily as a tantric panchamakara offering (full entry coming)