Divine Procession of Lord Mahakal in Royal Form in Ujjain; First Procession of Kartik Month Today
Ujjain: At the world-renowned Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple in Ujjain, Lord Mahakal was adorned in a grand royal form with flowers during the special Bhasma Aarti today. A crescent and Tripundra marks were placed on Lord Mahakal’s forehead. Thousands of devotees gathered to witness this divine form of the deity. This evening, the first procession of the Kartik month will be held as part of the Kartik-Agahan processions, with Lord Avantiknath taking a grand tour of the city in a silver palanquin as Manmahesh to bless his devotees.
Temple priest Pandit Mahesh Sharma shared that the temple doors opened at 4:00 am on the auspicious Tritiya Tithi of the Kartik Shukla Paksha. Following traditional rituals, the priests performed an abhishek (ceremonial bath) with panchamrit made from milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, and fruit juices, and offered holy water to Lord Mahakal. After the camphor aarti, the deity was decorated with Tripundra, Trinetra, bhang, and chandan, and adorned with flowers in a regal form.
Later, the Mahanirvani Akhada offered sacred ash (bhasma) to Lord Mahakal, followed by offerings of dried fruits and camphor aarti. Lord Mahakal was then adorned with a silver crown, a silver necklace, a rudraksha garland, and fragrant flower garlands. Devotees gathered in large numbers for the bhasma aarti, receiving blessings and witnessing the divine transformation of Lord Mahakal from formlessness to form, chanting “Jai Shri Mahakal.”
Evening Procession Planned
Ganesh Dhakad, the administrator of the Mahakaleshwar Temple Committee, stated that the first procession of the Kartik month, similar to the ones held during Shravan and Bhadrapad, will begin today at 4:00 pm after rituals in the assembly hall. The armed forces will salute Lord Avantiknath at the temple’s main entrance before the procession moves towards the Shipra River. This Kartik-Agahan month, a total of five processions will take place.
During the procession, Lord Mahakal will appear in the Manmahesh form. The procession will include a police band, mounted guards, and armed police personnel. The route will pass through Gudri Chowk, Bakshi Bazaar, Kaharwadi, and reach Ramghat on the banks of the Shipra, where the deity will be worshipped with the river’s water. It will then continue through Gangaur Gate, Mod ki Dharamshala, Kartik Chowk, Khati Temple, Satyanarayan Temple, Dhaba Road, Tanki Chowk, Chhatri Chowk, Gopal Temple, Patni Bazaar, and Gudri Bazaar before returning to the Mahakal temple.