Maanasa-yaatraa to the 12 Jyotirlinga's - Ujjain

[Anand Hudli]

   avantikaayaaM vihitaavataaraM
    muktipradaanaaya cha sajjanaanaaM |
   akaalamR^ityoH parirakshhaNaarthaM
   vande mahaakaalamahaasureshaM   ||

   avantikaayaaM - In Ujjain
   vihitaavataaraM - taken up the avataar
   muktipradaanaaya - for giving Moksha
   cha - and
   sajjanaanaaM - (to) saintly persons
   akaalamR^ityoH - premature death
   parirakshhaNaarthaM - for the purpose of (being) protected from
   vande - I bow to
   mahaakaalamahaasureshaM - Lord Mahaakaala (Shiva), Mahaadeva (Great God)


    For the purpose of being protected from premature death, I bow to Lord
    Mahaakala, the Great God (Mahaadeva) who has taken up the avataar in
    Ujjain in order to grant liberation to all saintly persons.


    About Ujjain: Ujjain has long been famous as a holy city. Situated on
    the banks of the Shipra  (corrupt form for Kshhipraa) river, it abounds
    in temples and other sites of great religious and historical
    significance.  Shiva resides here as Mahakaala, Time. The temple of
    Mahaakaleshvar is a source of awe and inspiration to the people of the
    city and pilgrims. Other temples of significance are the Bade Ganeshji
    Mandir which boasts of a large and artistic statue of Ganesha and also
    Panchamukhi (five-faced) Hanumaan, the Gadkalika temple of Kaalikaa,
    where Kalidasa, arguably the greatest poet and playwright in all of
    Sanskrit literature, received his literary skill as a boon from
    Goddess Kaalikaa, the Harsiddhi temple with idols of Mahasarasvati,
    Mahalakshmi and Annapurna, and also the Shri Yantra (Chakra), the
    temple of Kalabhairava, and the Mangalnath temple which is believed
    to the place where the planet Mangal (Mars) was born, the Gopal Mandir,
    the Navagraha Mandir, and the Chintamani Ganesh Mandir across the
    Shipra.

    The Pir Matsyendranath, on the banks of the Shipra,  is a spot of great
    significance to followers of the Nath sect of Shaivism.

    Kalidasa is said to be from Ujjain. In the Meghaduuta poem, he describes
    his beloved city Ujjain in his usual literary style.

    Ujjain used to be a center of astronomical studies in ancient India. It
    still has an observatory. Important works of astronomy such as the
    Suurya Siddhaanta are believed to have been written here. According to
    Indian astronomers, the latitude Tropic of Cancer passes through Ujjain.
    Also, Ujjain was taken to be the reference for longitudes. Thus Ujjain
    may be called the Greenwich of ancient India.

    In recent times, the Madhya Pradesh Government has set up the Kalidasa
    Academy to commemorate the great poet-playwright. This is a multi-
    disciplinary institution has as one of its objectives, research and
    study in Sanskrit literature, and classical and traditional performing
    arts.

    Modern Ujjain, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, is 55 kms. from Indore
    which is connected by flights with Delhi, Bhopal, Gwalior, and Mumbai
    (Bombay).
    Bus service is available from Indore. There is also an
    Ujjain railway station in the Bhopal-Nagada sector of the Western
    Railway.


    Anand