Ujjain Dharshan

09.08.09

Ujjain Dharshan

Situated on the banks of the river Shipra, ujjain is one of the seven sacred cities of

Bharat.

As ancient as Varanasi (Kashi), it is a place where Lord Shiva in Linga Rupa can be seen in every nook and corner. But, the cities claim to fame is the Mahankaaleshwar temple, which is one of the Twelve Jyothir Linga Shrines. The temple complex is full of small shrines to various Gods and Demi-Gods liked Ridhi-Sidhi Vinayak, Dasa Hanuman, Guru Brhaspathi and Saakshi Gopaal.

The Jyothirlingsa at Ujjain is unique in that it is the only one that faces

south. The story of how this came about is related thus: This is the Ling that Markndeya Maharishi hugged when the Yama, the God of Death camre to claim his life. When Yama threw his rope, it fell on the Ling too. When he, who was standing in the Southern direction

from which he had come, tried to pull the rope, the Ling turned South too from its original east facing position. This is one of the two Jyothirlings in MP, the other being Onkareshwar.

After that we visited the Har Siddhi Deviji temple. We had breakfast of Hot Poha and Jalebis at a famous old time shop.

The other places of interest are:

• Sandeepani Ashram where Sri Krishna and sHri Balarama studied under the Rishi Sandeepani with Sudhama. A Shiva ling created by the sage for his daily pooja out of a Bilva Leaf van be worshipped here.
• Garh Kaalika the Patron deity of King Vikramaditya of Vikra Aur Betal fame. This is also the place where Kali made Kalidasa a great poet. The lonely atmosphere and the eerie surroundings can take one back to those times when Vikram and Kalidasa lived! There is a Cemetry nearby where Aghoris still perform there mysterious rituals.
• Bhrtrihari Gupa where Barthruhari the famous brother of Vikramaditya did penance. Also the shrine of Goraknath Maharaj. The place where Vikram overcame the Betal and made it his slave.
• Shri Mangalnath a shrine dedicated to Mars and Shive. Prefered spot for those desiring matrimony! The green parrots that flock here are a treat to the eyes.
• Those tiring of life itself (After all, Matrimony does that to you!) can go to the Temple of Kaal Bhirav. The idol is but a mere face with red shot eyes lined with black and a open gaping mouth which would instill fear in any one. Which is what such Gods are meant TO DO. These shrines are meant to keep evil doers in check by putting the fear of God in them. The deity is supposed to drink the wine that is the divine offering in this temple.

Indore Visit

This is possibly my second proper visit to Madhya Pradesh. The first was a visit to Omkareshwar when I was seven or eight.I made that trip with my parents from Khandwa in Maharashtra when we were visiting my maternal uncle who was stationed there.

Indore is an Industrial town, but luckily the factories are far away in Pitampura and Naghda. Indore is the focal point.

Indore, or Malwa, as the region is traditionally known was the royal seat of the Holkars, of whom Maharani Ahalya Bai Holkar seems to be enshrined in legend.

The weather was quite cool with mild showers in the evening. The roads are wide and have green trees and shrubs lining them. The whole place is by and large clean with numerous old heritage buildings nestled between ultra-modern and chic designer structures.

Another thing I noticed was that people are pretty friendly on the roads. Car and two wheeler drivers are more patient with pedestrians. The people are happy and show it. This is because of the quasi-urbanized nature of the city that permits the rural values and manners to survive.

I felt that this part of MP had no unique or clearly distinguishing features like language, food, dress or even a major difference in geography. The state is seamlessly merged with its surrounding states especially Maharashtra. Of course, in interior parts like Ujjain and beyond they speak Malwi.

We visited the Rajwada or Royal Residence of the Holkars. There is a huge gate facing the main market and a circular park. The gate gives access to an open courtyard. Across the courtyard is a covered platform with a Gaesha shrine in the center. This abuts the

museum cum temple that houses many royal artifacts, pooja idols and other objects of interest. One peculiar idol was that of Malhar Mahadev or Kandhoba. Lord Shiva is here depicted as mounted on horse together with his wife.