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
