Mahakaleshwar Temple, Mahakal Lok: Two grand gateways, a majestic colonnade of 108 ornate pillars made of intricately carved sandstones, gushing fountains and a running panel of over 50 murals depicting stories from Shiv Puran are among the major highlights of the soon-to-open ‘Mahakal Lok’ in Ujjain. Another holy city in India where the most famous Kumbh Mela is organized in every 12 years, Ujjain is flocked by tourists and devotees every years in huge numbers. One of the main attractions here is the Mahakelshwar Jyotirlinga that is named amongst the 12 major jyotirlingas in India.Also Read – Viral Video: Group Of Men Try To Take Selfie With Tiger In MP Forest Reserve. Here's What Happened Next
Ujjain, located on the banks of old Kshipra River, is an ancient city that was earlier also known as Ujjainy and Avantika, and associated with the legend of King Vikramaditya. Also Read – Ravindra Jadeja Befitting Reply To A Troll Goes Viral As Cricketer Welcomes PM Modi In Jamnagar
Mahakal Lok: Pillars with murals of Lord of shiva ( Image: ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on October 11 inaugurate the first phase of the Rs 856-crore Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project here, located around 200 km from the state capital Bhopal. Also Read – Noida Haat: Fun, Food And Festive Shopping Pit Stop. Deets Inside
IDEA BEHIND MAHAKAL LOK CORRIDOR
Chief Executive Officer, Ujjain Smart City, Ashish Kumar Pathak, said Ujjain is an ancient and holy city and old Hindu texts describe the presence of a ‘Mahakal Van’ around the Mahakaleshwar Temple aeons ago.
“The project cannot restore that ancientness that was ages ago, but we have attempted to re-evoke that glory through old, aesthetic architecture used in construction of pillars and other structures in the corridor, and also horticultural species mentioned in Kalidas’s Abhigyan Shakuntalam have been planted in the corridor.
MAHAKAL LOK CORRIDOR FEATURES
- The over 900-metre-long corridor is billed as one of the largest such corridors in India skirts around the old Rudrasagar Lake .
- Two majestic gateways – Nandi Dwar and Pinaki Dwar –separated by a short distance, have been erected near the starting point of the corridor
- Sandstones sourced from Bansi Paharpur area in Rajasthan have been used for building structures that populate the corridor. Artists and craftsmen mainly from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Orissa worked on chiselling and embellishing raw stones into aesthetic pillars and panels, a senior official, associated with the project since its beginning, told PTI.
Mahakal Lok corridor is ornate with descriptions around Lord Shiva (Image: PTI)
- 108 pillars with ornamental elements on top bearing trishul-style design dot the corridor at regular intervals, CCTV cameras and public address system have been incorporated too.
- The left half, measuring 12 m-wide is for pedestrians, and the other 12-m portion adjacent to the wall bearing 53 murals is for plying of e-vehicles (11-seater golf carts), ambulances and fire brigade vehicles, all of which would be stationed inside the corridor.
- The corridor project also includes a huge pavilion – Triveni Mandapam, a gushing fountain with a sculpture of Lord Shiva at the centre, and other fountains adjoining Rudrasagar Lake.
- About 190 sculptures, showing various forms of Lord Shiva, and other deities, dot the lakefront of the corridor, he said.
MAHAKALESHWAR TEMPLE
There are 12 jyotirlinga sites in India, considered a manifestation of Shiva Mahakal is the only jyotirlinga facing the south, while all the other jyotirlingas face east. This is because the direction of death is believed to be the south. In fact, people worship Mahakaleshwar to prevent an untimely death, reported The Indian Express.
Mahakaleshwar Temple: One of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India (Image: utsav.gov.in)
A local legend says that there once was a king called Chandrasena who ruled Ujjain and was a Shiva devotee. The Lord appeared in his Mahakal form and destroyed his enemies. Upon the request of his devotees, Shiva agreed to reside in the city and become its chief deity.
Mahakala temple is also mentioned in several ancient Indian poetic texts. According to these texts, the temple had been very magnificent and magnanimous. Its foundation and platform were built of stones.
The Mahakaleshwar Temple is considered one of holiest places on earth by the Hindus, and lakhs of people converge here from all parts of the country during Shravan month of the Hindu calendar or Mahashivratri, besides the Simhasth Kumbh that takes place every 12 years. The Kumbh in Ujjain was last held in 2016.