Ujjain, – On the third Monday of the holy month of Shravan, millions of devotees descended upon the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple, with over 300,000 having darshan by 1 pm alone. The darshan procession continued non-stop, even through the shayan aarti until the gates closed at night.
= Special Ganesh adornment amid light showers
To mark Vinayak Chaturthi, priests adorned Lord Mahakal in Ganesh form during the morning bhasm aarti, enhancing devotion among worshippers. Despite intermittent rain, devotees waited in long queues, undeterred by wet conditions.
= Deepak Singh’s control room oversight
Recognizing the large turnout, Collector Roshan Singh, along with Temple Administrator Pratham Kaushik and others, monitored crowd management from the temple’s control room, ensuring smooth arrangements throughout the day.
= Celebrity visit adds glamour
Bollywood actress Rupali Ganguli also visited the temple, participating in darshan at the Nandi Hall. She was greeted with prasad, amid the spiritual fervor of the thousands around her.
= Infrastructure strains from overcrowding
The sheer volume of visitors led to congestion in old city streets and difficulty entering the temple—even priests struggled to navigate inside. Guests staying at the high-end heritage hotel, built at a ?170 million cost by the Tourism Department, faced severe access issues. In response, officials arranged e-cart services from parking to ease movement for pilgrims and tourists.
= Shiv Tandav procession draws national crowd
In the afternoon, Lord Mahakal’s Shiv Tandav procession on a Garuda chariot thrilled spectators from across India. Followed by Chandramouleshwar in a silver palanquin and Manmahesh mounted on an elephant, the procession featured bhajan troupes, police bands, and elephant riders. At Ram Ghat on the Shipra River, the army band and tribal artists delivered a spectacular cultural performance.
