Mysterious Mahakaleshwar Mandir Of Ujjain

Lord Shiva is associated with both the beginning and the end. “Ant Bhi Tum Aur Anant Bhi Tum”, is a saying to denote the supreme lord in the Hindu religion. If he wishes, he could end things in a snap or let the cycles continue till eternity.

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The meaning of the name Mahakal or Mahakaleshwar temple of Ujjain is mistakenly conceived only as death. Kaal also means time and “Mahakal” could be termed as a time of great significance because of the term Maha, meaning huge or extravagant, preceding the term Kal. The term Mahakal also holds significance due to the belief that the Shivalinga of Mahakaleshwar temple appeared on its own at the arrival of Mahadev to put an end to the evil of a demon. This makes the Shivalinga at the temple the most significant out of the 12 Jyotirlingas across the country. In the earlier time before the discovery of Greenwich, Ujjain was taken as the center to calculate the standard time of India.

Something intriguing about the temple of Mahakaleshwar is that no member of the royal family or even a minister is allowed to stay the night at the temple due to the belief that Mahakal is the sole ruler of Ujjain and as long as he is there no human of authority is above him.

With the multiple mysteries that follow the temple of Mahakaleshwar, another enigma to be added is the Nagchandreshwar temple in Ujjain situated at the top of the premises of Mahakaleshwar Temple, the doors of the temple are only opened on the occasion of Nag Panchami. A popular belief behind this 11th-century temple is that it has a splendid statue of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati along with Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya seated on a snake bed instead of Lord Vishnu. Something that amazes the visitors about this particular statue is that there is no other statue of Lord Shiva’s family sitting on a serpent anywhere else in the world. People also claim that Nagraj Takshak lives in the temple and protects the image which is said to have been brought from Nepal.

All the Jyotirlingas anywhere across India are north-facing which is considered an appropriate direction for the Lingas. But surprisingly the Shivalinga at Mahakaleshwar faces the southern direction which is also referred to in Vastu- Shastra as the direction of death or the end of time.

Excavations have been going on in the temple complex since 2018 and to our surprise remains of exquisite pillars, carved chariots, havan kund, pottery, etc., has been discovered which gives way to the belief that there existed a temple prior to the existence of the present day Mahakaleshwar Temple. Hence, mysteries may be floating, burning, or hiding in plain sight which we may learn at a significant time.