A Day in Ujjain
Traveling is not just about
seeing places. It is an overwhelming spiritual experience where one can learn
to connect with the unknown, other than connecting to oneself. Taking time for
yourself and embarking on a spiritual journey can give you back that feeling of
connectedness and peace. Spiritual journey provides you the mental space and
energy to open yourself up so you can relax and completely immerse yourself in
the experience
This was one of the most
anticipated trips for me. I had planned for this trip long back and it executed
in last week. The main source that driven me to visit these places is all
because of to see Jyothrilingas and see ShakthiPeedam. Already, I have seen five
Shakthi peedams and three Jyothirlingas. As four day visit to Madhya Pradesh, we visited Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Mamaleeshwar,
Maheshwar, Mandu and Indore. My journey started on Sunday evening at 7.10PM. Got
into a train and reached Ujjain at 7:30 AM on Monday, Dec 2. Had our refreshment
there and then started our journey too see the ancient Ujjain.
Shining like a gem in the Malwa
region of Madhya Pradesh, the historic city of Ujjain is remarkably situated on
the banks of holy Shipra River. Soaked in every bit of spirituality, Ujjain is
an important place for major religious activities and is mentioned in ancient
Hindu scriptures. It is one of Sapta Puris, the seven most revered pilgrimage
centres of India, and home to the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple (also known as
Mahakal), which enshrines one of the twelve Jyotirlingas (the sacred abodes of
Lord Shiva). Moreover, it is situated on the line of Tropic of Cancer, and has
greater importance compared to other holy cities of India because of its unique
geographical position for calculation of time.
As per the Surya Siddhanta, a
4th-century astronomical treatise, Ujjain is geographically situated at the
precise spot where the zero meridian of longitude and the Tropic of Cancer
intersect. This is why it was considered the navel of the earth, and is called
the “Greenwich of India”.
First we visited Sandipani Ashram.
Sandipani Ashram, located 2km
from the city, is a place of great mythological value.
It is named after
Maharishi Sandipani, the Guru (Master) of Lord Krishna, where Lord Krishna and
His brother Balaram & their friend Sudama went for enriching their
knowledge as students. This Ashram is near to Mangalnath Mandir on the banks of
River Shipra. It is vast inside though the entrance is small. Entry is free and
it is open to visitors from 7am to 8pm in the evening. There are lot of temples
but obviously the main shrine belongs to Guru Sandipani.
One of the temples
situated here, called Sarveshwar Mahadev, a 6000 year Shivlinga that was
worshipped by Guru Sandipani and his disciples. If one looks closely at the
Sarveshwar linga, images of Lord Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Kartikeyan is also
situated in a temple can be seen on it.
Nandi is always in a sitting posture in
all Shiva temples. But the Shiva temple near Gomati Kunda has a Nandi (bull)
standing in front of the deity.
A Gomti kund is situated
towards the right with steps from all four sides leading to the pond deep
below.
Lord Krishna learned there total 14 Vidya (Techniques) and 64 Kala (Art
forms) .Apart from temple you can find the detail description of all 14
techniques and 64 art forms with pictorial description.
The 3000 year old site
is well maintained and is definitely worth a visit. Apart from idols of Sage
there are idols of Krishna. Not to miss is the 64 art forms taught at that time
vividly painted and nicely displayed in a long corridor.
A must-see place for
everyone to understand how beautiful is Indian traditional education system
which not just educate but teach you the real aspects of life.
Then we proceeded to Mangalnath temple.
Mangalnath Temple is situated
away from the city, overlooking the vast stretch of water in the majestic the
Kshipra River. According to ancient Hindi scriptures this place is the birth
place of Mangala graha or planet Mars.
It is said that a large mass of Earth
got separated from here and took the shape of a new planet, Mars. The planet
Mars is worshipped in the form of Shiv Ling and it is believed that the Lord
fulfils the wishes of all his devotees. The temple is also famous for the bhaat
(rice) pooja for those who come to worship the Lord seeking the removal of
flaws in their kundli (horoscope) related to Mars.
During ancient times place was
famous for clear views of skies and planet and so was very suitable for
astronomical studies. It is said that this is the intersection point of the
Tropic of Cancer and the zero longitude passing the Earth. Devotees especially
come to this temple to do prayers for removal of Mangal dosh according to Hindu
beliefs.
Maharaja Vikramaditya
During my first visit to Ujjain
made it a point to visit this place as heard and read many stories of famous
Vikram and Bethal.
It’s a memorial and worship place devoted to Maharaja Vikramaditya
the legendary emperor of ancient India, who is characterised as the ideal king,
famous for his decision taking ability and fare practices . there are lot of
famous stories you can find over in net and story books known for his wisdom, valour, magnanimity and
patronage of scholars. He is also considered to be a partly historical figure
or a purely mythical character, who in 57 BC, founded the Vikram Samvat
calendar, a Hindu calendar. You can find a big bronze color sculpture of
maharaja vikramaditya over there and small sculpture of the 32 doll and their
story about Vikramaditya with board and statue.
Bharthari caves:
We visited this cave. It is
located around 5 kms away from Ujjain on the bank of shipra river near the temple of Gadhkalika. It is
said that the great Sanskrit Poet Bhartrihari, who is said to have been the
step brother of Vikramaditya, meditated inside this cave for 12 years and it
is believed that even Lord Indra came to fear him after such penance. His
famous works, Shringarshataka, Vairagyashataka, and Nitishataka, were possibly
written here.
This caves are supposed to be more than 3000 years old. There are
two main caves having narrow entrances. Once you inside you will be amazed to
see the palace.There are lot of statues of Indian Gods in each room supported
by stone pillars. There are various gods’ murtis in the caves. Caves shown
wonderful traditional art of that period.
Gadhkalika Temple:
After visiting the cave we went
to nearby temple Gadhkalika Temple. It is said that the Maha Kavi Kalidas got
inspiration to pen his monumental works in literature.This is not labelled as
Sakthi peetam. The temple was remodelled in 7th century by King Harhwardhan.
It
is believed that the great poet Kalidas attained his scholarly skills by true
dedication to Goddess Kalika. An exquisite status of Lord Ganesha has been
placed in the temple.
Other idols of the famous Hindu Gods and Goddesses have
been erected in the temple. Though it is not a Shakti Peetha and due to its
location in the region of Harsiddhi, it holds an equal importance to that of a
Shakti Peetha. At the entrance of the shrine, a structure of a lion can be
seen. It is also worshiped as the vehicle of the goddess.The festival of
Navratri is one of the famous celebrations in the temple. The temple is
wonderfully lit and appears illuminated in the dark nights. A small but
beautiful well maintained temple. For the importance it has in history, it is a
must-see in Ujjain.
Harsiddhi Temple:
Just around 350 m away from
Mahakaleshwar Temple and across the Rudra Sagar Lake, is the Harsiddhi Mata
Temple, another important land mark of Ujjain. It is one of the 51 major
Shaktipeeths of India.
Legend has it that Goddess Parvati took the form of
Harsiddhi to kill two demons at the behest of Lord Shiva. Her elbow fell here
when Shiva was carrying her body from the sacrificial fire. The main deity,
Harsiddhi Mata, is painted in dark vermillion color in the centre of a very
large temple complex with idols of Mahasaraswati and Mahalakshmi beside it.
The
presence of Shree Yantra which represents nine forms of Durga is one of the
characteristic features of this temple. The temple was built during the Maratha
Period.
The temple has two unique pine-shaped iron lamp stands that loom to a
height of 15 feet are lit up on the evening of every day. The temple is vibrating,
clean and well maintained and I feel
blessed.
Mahakaleshwar Temple:
Its located in the ancient
city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, continues to be one of the most
sacred and outstanding places of pilgrimage for Hindus till date. The abode of
Lord Shiva, it is on the banks of the Rudra Sagar Lake and is one of the twelve
Jyotirlingas.
It was reconstructed in 18th
century AD. It is a mix of the Paramara, Chalukya and Maratha styles of
architecture. The underground level houses the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum).
The presiding deity, Shiva in the lingam form, is believed to be swayambhu,
deriving currents of power from within itself as against the other images and
lingams that are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.
Mahakaleshwar’s idol is said to be dakshinamurti, i.e. facing the south. This is
a distinctive characteristic endorsed by tantric traditions, visible only at
this jyotirling. Within the temple
complex, there is a kunda (reservoir), which is considered holy.
The most important and unique
pooja at Mahakaleshwar temple is the BhasmaArathi.We missed it. When we arrived
at the temple, it was evening 5.30pm. Blistering hot. To gain quick access to
the garbhagriha, We paid for a special entrance ticket of 250Rupees. Still, there
were quite a many people in the queue. The narrow underground passage crammed
with chanting devotees was a claustrophobic experience. The marble floor was
wet and slippery. I had a good glimpse of the deity Gods grace me stay for a
moment longer than others near the garbhagriha. Exiting the temple, was a bit
away from the locker room, where we had deposited my handbag, mobiles and
footwear. We collected and left to our room to take rest and to proceed to
Omkareshwar.
No comments:
Post a Comment