Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a temple dedicated to Bhagvan Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, shrines which are said to be the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The temple is situated on the side of the holy river Shipra. Mahakaleshwar is known to be Dakshinamukhi, which means that it is facing the south. This is a unique feature, upheld by the tantric shivnetra tradition to be found only in Mahakaleshwar among the 12 Jyotirlingas. The idol of Omkareshwar Mahadev is consecrated in the sanctum above the Mahakal shrine. Barring the the Mahakaleshwar jyotirlinga in Ujjain, the other 11 jyotirlinga sites are Somnath and Dwarka’s Nageswar in Gujarat; Bhimashankar, Triambakeshwar and Aurangabad’s Grishneshwar in Maharashtra; Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh; Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh; Kedarnath in Uttarakhand; Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh; Baidyanath Temple in Jharkhand’s Deoghar; and Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.
Destroyed by Iltutmish
The temple complex was destroyed by Iltutmish during his raid of Ujjain in 1234–35. The present structure was built by the Maratha general Ranoji Shinde in 1734 CE. Further developments and management was done by other members of his dynasty, including Mahadji Shinde (1730 – February 12, 1794) and Daulat Rao Shinde’s wife Baiza Bai. (1827–1863). During the reign of Jayajirao Shinde major programs of the then Gwalior State used to be held at this temple. When India became independent, the Mahakaleshwar Dev Sthan Trust was replaced by the municipal corporation of Ujjain.
Historical Significance
- The city of Ujjain was one of the primary centres of learning for Hindu scriptures, called Avantika in the 6th and 7th centuries BC.
- Astronomers and mathematicians such as Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya made Ujjain their home.
- In the 18th century, an observatory was built here by Maharaja Jai Singh II, known as the Vedh Shala or Jantar Mantar
- Observatory comprised 13 architectural instruments to measure astronomical phenomena
- According to Surya Siddhanta, Ujjain is geographically situated at a spot where the zero meridian of longitude and the Tropic of Cancer intersect
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