MP Jyotirling Darshan Yatra

Outside Anjushree Hotel, Ujjain

In the month of September 2023 our group of yatris decided to tour Madhya Pradesh and visit the holy Jyotirling temples as well as have a dip in the holy Narmada river. Five couples were part of this short yatra which is described in detail below.

We left on 20^th Sept by Avantika Express from Mumbai Central to Ujjain. We were looking forward to this journey as we were booked in First AC, and we were travelling in train after a very long time. A few days before the trip, there were heavy rains throughout western & central India and had us worried about the flood situation. Madhya Pradesh was affected and trains were being cancelled / delayed etc. A few years back, a similar planned journey was aborted due to Covid pandemic which resulted in stoppage of all travel for some time. This time, however, the Gods were smiling at us, and we were lucky to see some respite just before we started.

Day 0

It was raining in Mumbai when we went to the railway station, and it was day 2 of the Ganesh festival. Many small Ganesh idols were bid a fond farewell and immersed in small makeshift pools of water across Mumbai. Fortunately, the roads weren’t crowded, and we reached the station well on time. The compartment looked clean and well maintained. We had a quick dinner in the train comprising of Chappati, Bhaji, Curds & Banana (which had been packed and carried by us) and slept off in the comfort of our cabins. I found the width of the berth as well as the length shorter than what I had imagined and couldn’t sleep too comfortably. Moreover, the AC was also quite cold adding to the discomfort.

The toilets were reasonably clean (although some of our finicky yatris were not very happy) and there was one with a shower also. The next morning, one of our yatris did experience the shower for a warm bath in the train itself.

Day 1

Outside Ujjain Station on arrival

We arrived by 7.30 a.m. and found that Ujjain was dry with no hint of rains at all. We were soon picked up by two Innova vehicles which had been booked for our 4-day tour. A short 10-minute drive took us to our hotel called Anjushree which we reached by 8.15 a.m. As it was early, we were told to wait for rooms to be available and ready. We spent the time gorging on a superb spread of breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel.

We were allotted rooms by 10.30 a.m. The rooms were good and spacious but some of the rooms had a view of the restaurant below (unfortunately as the glass windows were transparent, people from the restaurant could also see inside the room). To protect our privacy, we had to keep the curtains always drawn which was uncomfortable especially as the lighting in the rooms were not very bright. Another aspect of the rooms was that the TV could not be switched off. The remotes were not working and there was no switch. Hence, we removed the plug from the socket to get some peace.

After freshening up and finishing our morning prayers, we left to visit the temples. It was bright, sunny, and warm when we left. We drove from our hotel in our cars and stopped at a parking area which was about 600 meters from the temples. We went to the following temples:

Harsiddhi Shaktipeeth

-     Harsiddhi Mata Shaktipeeth – This temple is very near the main temple, and this is where the elbow of Sati Mata fell. As you might be aware, Shakti Peeths were formed in the spots where different body parts of Sati Mata fell when it was cut by the Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Vishnu. Lord Shiva was devasted on hearing of His spouse giving up Her body unable to bear the insult of Lord Shiva by Her father Daksha Prajapati. Lord Shiva, tormented by grief, was carrying her body, and travelling across the Universe and Lord Vishnu had the body cut to prevent any harm to the Universe due to the anger and anguish of Lord Shiva.

The temple was well maintained and there weren’t many visitors at that hour. We had a satisfying darshan and did our circumambulations and visited the smaller temples within the complex.

Bada Ganesh Temple

-       Bada Ganesh temple - A short walk from the above temple got us to the Bada Ganesh temple where we could have darshan of the idol which is about 12 feet high. Again, not much crowd here and we had a comfortable darshan.

Mahakaleshwar - Very close to the above temple is the entry point for special darshan (Rs. 250 per head). We bought the special entry ticket and took the long walk towards the Sanctum. There were not many devotees at that hour, and yet we could get darshan from about 40-50 feet only. Luckily, we were able to stand for about two minutes before being ushered out. This Lingam is one of the largest of Jyotirlings and is very nicely decorated with sandal paste, flowers, gold crown etc. We had hoped we could go closer or even touch the Jyotirling but that was not to be.

Waiting for Sugar cane juice

After this, we were exhausted due to the heat and decided to have some sugar cane juice before heading back to our hotel for some light snacks in the room as well as some rest. In the evening, we drove to the following temples:

-     Kal Bhairav Temple -  Considered the guardian deity of Ujjain, this is a must visit temple. It is a short 16 km drive from the city and is located in an area which is not very developed. The approach roads were decent. There were many Langoor monkeys around the temple area and some people were feeding them carrots, cucumbers, bananas etc. One of the distinguishing features of this temple is that the deity is offered liquor (yes, you read that right) as an offering and this is also given to the devotees as prasad. Hence, there were quite a few liquor shops in the vicinity doing brisk business. We had a quick darshan as it wasn’t much crowded and then left the place as it was getting dark by then.

-     Sandeepani Ashram – Our next halt was the famous Ashram where Lord Krishna spent 64 days and learnt 64 different Arts in that period from Sage Sandeepani. There is a nice display, in painting form, of all the things that were learnt by Lord Krishna which included the art of waging war, the art of making music, the art of creating and solving puzzles / riddles, astronomy, medicine etc. There was a small temple of Lord Shiva in the Ashram which is said to be in existence form Lord Krishna’s times. The unique feature of this Shiva temple is the standing Nandi outside.

Outside Mahakal Temple

-      ISKCON Temple – Then we proceeded towards the lovely ISKCON temple in Ujjain. We had darshan here and had our dinner at their dining hall. Dinner comprised of hot chappatis, sabzi, dal, rice, and butter milk.

During this time, we got the good news that we had got a reservation for Bhasma Aarti of Mahakal early next morning. So, we went back to the hotel to catch up on some sleep.

Day 2

After Bhasma Aarti Darshan

The next morning, we woke up very early, had bath and got ready to go to the temple. By around 2.30 a.m., we were outside the temple having been dropped there by our drivers. As we walked in, we saw that there were many people already inside. We were asked to wait in a queue for almost an hour. By this time, more devotees had come and joined the queue behind us. Fortunately, the flooring was good, and we could comfortably sit down rather than stand. After a long wait, we were allowed inside the main temple area which was like a mini stadium / amphitheatre where people could be seated. TO facilitate the darshan, couple of screens were also kept for people who had no direct view of the sanctum. We were in a corner and hence viewed the whole proceedings on the screen. The aarti was just like a normal aarti wherein the previous days alankaram is removed, then various darvayams (items) like Water, Milk etc. are used to perform the abhishek to the Jyotirling. The highlight is the abhishek using ashes brought from a cremation ground. During this time, women are asked to cover their heads & faces with some cloth. This practice is apparently followed as the Lord is supposed to be fully naked at the time of this abhishek. After the Aarti and the alankaram, we could go forward to have a darshan. The distance was the same as the previous day’s darshan – about 40 feet.

Outside Mahakal Temple

After this, we came out and retrieved our footwear and mobiles which had been deposited in the cloak room. Then we had some hot poha and tea from a shop outside before proceeding back to our hotel. It was already about 6.30 a.m. at that time. So, we freshened up, did our morning prayers and had a hearty breakfast before checking out of the room for our drive to Omkareshwar which was our next destination.

Omkareshwar is about 140 kms from Ujjain and it should normally take about 4 hours drive. However, we took about 5 hours plus as we stopped enroute at Indore for a change of one vehicle whose AC had stopped working. We reached by 3 p.m. and checked into the MPTDC property there. We had a light lunch there which was prepared by the kitchen staff especially for us at that late hour. It comprised of Kichadi, Kadi, Curds & Pappad.

After resting a while, 4 of us walked down from the hotel to the banks of holy Narmada river which was flowing nearby. The river was full & muddy due to the recent rains but as there was a dam upstream the flow of water was controlled. We found a nice spot to so our Sankalpam and take the holy bath facing the river from where it was flowing down. We found that the river bed was made flat and safe for a distance of 5-6 meters which made it easy to stand there.

On banks of Narmada

After the snanam, we did our evening prayers at the river bank itself.  Then we walked back to the hotel – about 500 meters. All other yatris were ready by then. So, we walked to the Omkareshwar temple which was visible from our hotel and on the other side of Narmada. We had to cross the river over a small bridge which is used only be pedestrians and some two wheelers. On the other side, we walked to the temple which was slightly crowded at that hour. We stood in the queue and had a darshan of the Lingam which was decorated and covered with garlands, flowers and crown etc. The Lingam is behind a glass partition to prevent devotees from touching & desecrating it. The darshan lasted only a few seconds due to the rush behind us. After we came outside the sanctum, we established contact with a person who enabled us to have a second darshan which also lasted a few seconds only.

Shankaracharya Cave

Then we came outside the temple and visited the holy cave (just below this temple) where Adi Shankaracharya (Acharya) met His Guru Sri Govind Bhagavatpada for the first time after leaving home as a child. It is here that Acharya composed the very famous Dashasloki as a response to the query from His Guru as to who He is.  This was His very first composition which sums up the essence of the entire Vedanta. We spent some time there contemplating on our Guru and one of our yatris also recited the Dashasloki here.

Outside MPTDC Hotel, Omkareshwar

After this we walked back to the hotel after finding that there were no good restaurants to eat nearby. Omkareshwar is a very small place with hardly any development except the temple and the small shops that cater to the tourists / devotees. Most tourists do not stay back in this place but only come for a day trip. We had dinner at the tiny restaurant in the hotel which was overflowing with guests. After that, we retired back to our rooms for a well-deserved rest.

Day 3

Mamaleshwar Temple

The next morning, three of our yatra members woke up early and went for a dip in Holy Narmada. After the dip, they walked to the temple across the river and there were hardly any devotees at that hour. So, they had a fulfilling darshan of the Lingam which was bereft of any coverings, and they could stand near the sanctum for a long time. They could also do abhishekam of the Lingam through a special metallic channel installed by the temple. Learning – at Omkareshwar, the best time to visit the temple is early morning. After they returned, we all had breakfast at the hotel and checked out by around 9 a.m.

We then went to the main Jyotirling Mamaleshwar of Omkareshwar. It is in the middle of the town which was a short drive from our hotel. As most tourists are unaware of this temple, this place is not very crowded. We could have a nice darshan of the Lingam and even offer water, milk etc. and  touch it. We took some pics outside the temple before departing from Omkareshwar.

Mamaleshwar temple

Our next halt was a place called Maheshwar. This place is famous for its river resorts. However, we stopped here to visit a local textile manufacturer who owns several handlooms. He is a supplier to famous brands in India and we wanted to buy some textiles here which are of good quality and available at a discount. We spent a good 2-3 hours here before proceeding towards Indore. Enroute, we stopped at a good roadside restaurant for lunch.

Mamaleshwar temple

When we reached Indore it was evening time. We checked into Effotel Hotel which was a very good property centrally located. After freshening up, we went to a place called ‘Chappan Dukan’ which literally means 56 shops. This is a place which has 56 shops selling snacks, juices, ice creams, dinner etc. which is very popular especially with the younger crowd. In the evening, this place comes alive with hordes of people wanting to try out various snacks and delicacies. The ambience was terrific but I personally didn’t find the food of any great quality. After trying out a few items, some of us decided to go back to our hotel for sleep. Another group headed for another place called Sarafa Market which is another famous place for street food. They came back to the hotel later in the night.

Day 4

We had a leisurely breakfast at Effotel hotel and found the food of excellent quality. The variety here was mind boggling and food was delicious. After a hearty breakfast, we went to visit the following local temples at Indore.

Khajrana Ganesh Temple 

Khajrana Ganesh Temple

-     Khajrana Ganesh temple – One of the famous landmarks of Indore is the sprawling temple complex of Khajrana Ganesh. It has a large parking space which can accommodate nearly 100 + cars. From the parking to the temple, one has to pass through numerous shops which reminds one of the gully near Siddhi Vinayak temple in Mumbai. These shops sell religious articles as well as artefacts. There was a short queue to reach the main sanctum which took us about 10 minutes. The Ganeshji  here is very beautiful and well decorated. After this darshan, we had darshan of other smaller temples within the complex. 

-       Annapurna temple – Later we drove to another popular temple in Indore. This temple is fully made of marble and very serene. It has 3 main Goddess inside the sanctum – Gayatri Mata, Annapoorna Mata, and Kali Mata. Within this temple complex, there was another large hall which is used for holding pravachans etc. and has a Shiva temple inside. The complex also has a Krishna temple and a Bhairav temple. We also found a Goshala inside where we could do cow feeding.

Annapoorna Temple

On the way back to our hotel, the ladies in the group took one vehicle to do some last minute shopping. We gents came back to the hotel and checked out. When the ladies returned by around 2 p.m., we had lunch at the hotel. It was a well spread buffet which was of very high quality.

Later in the evening, one set of our group, who were returning by flight, departed for the airport. The rest of us, went to the railway station later in the evening to catch our return train by 2^nd AC on the Duronto Express. The second AC was less comfortable than the first AC journey although the cost was higher.

Day 5

Thankfully, the train reached Mumbai Central on time, and we had a peaceful return home by local cab.

Thus ended our MP Jyotirling Darshan Yatra.