Mahakaleshwar Temple

About Mahakaleshwar Temple:

• It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva.
• Location:
  • It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
  • The temple is situated besides the Rudra Sagar lake.
• It is one of the twelve Jyotirlingams of Lord Shiva. 
• Mahakaleshwar idol is Dakshina Mukhi, facing south, unlike all the other Jyotirlingas.
• The temple, which is spread over five levels, sees a huge throng of devotees during the Maha Shivaratri festival.
• Architecture:
  • The temple complex comes with a spacious courtyard that is adorned with finest sculptures that are believed to be influenced by Chalukya, Maratha, and Bhumija styles of structural design. 
  • The foundation and platform are built of stones. Most of the upper structure rests on the strong and well-designed pillars and plasters.
  • It is complete with impressive lingam sculptures of Mahakaleshwar.
  • The images of Ganesh, Parvati and Karttikeya are installed in the west, north and east of the sanctum sanctorum. 
  • The temple also houses a tank constructed in the sarvatobhadra style.

What are Jyotirlingas?

• A Jyotirlinga is a shrine where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam.
• There are currently 12 main Jyotirlingas in India.
• The 12 Jyotirlinga temples in India take the name of the presiding deity. Each considered a different manifestation of Lord Shiva. 
• 12 Jyotirlingas in India are:
  • Somnath Jyotirlinga in Gir, Gujarat
  • Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
  • Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
  • Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh
  • Baidyanath Jyotirlinga in Deoghar, Jharkhand
  • Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
  • Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
  • Nageshwar Jyotirlinga in Dwarka, Gujarat
  • Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
  • Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga in Nasik, Maharashtra
  • Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
  • Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Aurangabad, Maharashtra