In Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, devotees who cannot make the journey to Ujjain no longer have to go without a Mahakal darshan. About 20 kilometres from Sagar's district headquarters, near National Highway 44 in Khejra village, a grand temple of Baba Mahakal has come up that has been built to closely resemble the original Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain. Through the month of Sawan, a bhasm aarti just like the one in Ujjain is being performed here every single day, and thousands of devotees are arriving daily for darshan.
Where the temple stands and how it is built
The temple in Khejra village sits right next to National Highway 44, which connects to Sagar, making it easy for visitors to reach. Its structure, the idol of Mahakal, and even the entrance gate have all been modelled closely on the original temple in Ujjain, so that devotees who cannot travel there can still experience a similar darshan close to home.
Special arrangements for darshan during Sawan
According to temple priest Himanshu Tiwari, the shrine has been specially decorated for Sawan and a dedicated system has been put in place for devotees. Separate queues have been set up for women and men. Visitors are allowed to walk right up to the sanctum sanctorum, the garbh grih, and perform the puja themselves, something priests describe as one of the temple's biggest draws.
A daily bhasm aarti, just like Ujjain
Exactly as happens at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, this temple holds a bhasm aarti every day through Sawan. The idol's shringar, or ceremonial adornment, goes on for two to three hours at night, after which the bhasm aarti begins at 3:30 am. The temple doors open to devotees at 4:30 am, and darshan continues right through the day. An abhishek, the ritual bathing of the deity, is also performed twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening.
A palanquin procession on the third Monday of Sawan
Himanshu Tiwari said that, as happens every year, Baba Mahakal will be taken out on a palanquin procession through the town on the third Monday of Sawan this year as well, accompanied by thousands of devotees. The procession is counted among the biggest religious events of Sawan in the region.
A 52-foot temple that will eventually rise to 96 feet
Mahesh Tiwari Guruji, the chief priest who established Baba Mahakal at Khejra Dham, said the temple, built along the lines of the Mahakal temple in Ujjain, currently stands 52 feet tall, but its expansion is ongoing and it will eventually reach a height of 96 feet. He said all construction work on the temple so far has been carried out only during the Pushya Nakshatra, an auspicious lunar period, which is why the work is proceeding gradually and taking longer to finish.
Darshan said to remove four kinds of doshas
According to belief, simply having darshan of Baba Mahakal removes four kinds of doshas, daihik, daivik, tapik and bhautik, from a devotee's life. That belief is one reason the crowds at this Mahakal temple in Bundelkhand keep growing through the month of Sawan.
