Amazing facts about Mahakaleshwar temple

• One of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India, the lingam at the Mahakala is believed to be swayambhu (born of itself)
• The holy sanctuary is found along the banks of the Rudra Sagar Lake in Ujjain
• Here, Lord Shiva is worshipped as Mahakaaleshwar form which is a fierce form of Shiva
• The mahakaleshwar form is mentioned in ShivPuran when Ujjain was called Avanti
• The shivling in the sanctum sanctorum is known to be Dakshinamurti ( facing South)
• Bhasma aarti is the most important rituals Mahakaleswa is famous for which is performed at 4.00 am
• There is mention of the ash collected from funeral pyre for the bhasma aarti in the ancient texts but in the present day, the bhasma  is made of cow dung
• The temple is said to be a five-storey building that has the presence of the Gods such as Ganesh, Parvathi, Karttikeya, Nandi and Nagchandreshwar.
• The Nagchreshwar temple  is opened only on the Nag Panchami day

The best time to visit the Mahakaleshwar Temple is during the festival of Mahashivratri