Mahashivratri is on February 15, and I am tempted this week to revisit Shiva lore at Ujjain, where he is worshipped as Mahakaal.
The famous Nasadiya Sukta, in its creation theory, Rig Veda 10:129:3 says, tama āsīt tamasā gūlham agre 'praketa ̥ ṁ salilaṁ sarvam ā idam/ tucchyenābhv apihitaṁ yad āsīt tapasas tan, mahinājāyataikam, meaning, ‘At first there was only darkness wrapped in darkness. All this was only unillumined water. That One which came to be, enclosed in nothing, arose at last, born of the power of heat.’ Interpreted, this means that creation came about through life’s longing for itself. But with life was born a longing for liberation. Tradition describes Ujjain as the first conscious witness to life’s endless cycles of time.
Ujjain was first known as Avantika for its vana or forests of healing herbs gifted to Earth. But then there came the ambitious titan, Tripur. He performed terrible austerities to obtain a boon from Lord Brahma, that nobody could destroy him except by one arrow when the three planets that he ruled were in alignment. Secure in his supernatural power, Tripur unleashed great cruelty on Avantika.
Lord Shiva assured his helpless devotees that Tripur’s end was close at hand. Then, as scripture describes it, the cosmos took on an unearthly glow. Earth took the form of a chariot. The sun and moon became its wheels. The mighty Himalayas became the bow. And on this bow, Lord Vishnu himself became the arrow. And thus, Lord Shiva took aim and destroyed the three planets. With that, he destroyed Tripur. This feat was celebrated in theology forevermore as ‘Tripurardhan’.
Tripur was less than a straw for Mahadev’s might. Nevertheless, to refresh creation with a sense of purpose, he let this cosmic drama take place. He bestowed on mankind a great sense of moral victory. This outstanding victory or uchhitam vijay is now remembered forever in the city’s name as ‘Ujjain’. It upholds the city’s ancient pre-eminence as time’s witness.
But Ujjain’s innate lustre made it a coveted prize. The next assault on this holy site was by a demon called Dushan. When Lord Shiva saw Dushan advancing as kaal or death on his devotees, he destroyed Dushan with just one fiery breath, as Mahakaal. Mahakaal means both ‘the death of death’ and ‘time’, a richly layered word also meaning ‘immortality’ and ‘infinity’.
Lord Shiva graciously agreed to abide forever in Ujjain in his form as Mahakaaleshwar, the Lord of Eternity. He became a marvelous pillar of light, a jyotirlinga. A naturally-manifested stone lingam represents him as Mahakaaleshwar.
Over time, other divinities added their lustre to Ujjain. The Panch Kos or pilgrim circuit of Ujjain takes us through an energy field of eighty-four temples.
This pilgrim circuit symbolises a spiritual journey of redemption, for the belief goes that it is Lord Shiva who puts us into the cycle of birth and death and it is he who removes us from it. Liberation is achieved only through his grace and mercy.
Moreover, Mahakaaleshwar is the foremost of the 12 jyotirlingas that hold up the sacred geography of India from Kedarnath to Rameswaram. Ujjain is believed to be the lynchpin of these energy fields. While the Puranas speak of Ujjain’s supernatural attributes, the poet Kalidasa composed a lyrical arati in which he pictures all creation singing and dancing in praise of Lord Shiva at Ujjain.
But just as creation has no meaning without Nature, Shiva is incomplete without Shakti. Her presence here is consecrated at the Harsiddhi Shaktipeeth temple. It commemorates the site where Sati’s elbow is believed to have fallen, and the Gadkalika temple marks where her upper lip fell. This link with the goddess added the power of siddhi or enlightened understanding to Ujjain, and it became a place of intellectual attainment. So much so that Sri Krishna was sent to study here with his brother Balarama at Rishi Sandipani’s gurukul.
In 57 BC, King Vikramaditya of Ujjain won a famous victory over the Shakas. He founded a new era in commemoration. Ahead of the Gregorian calendar by 57 years, the Vikram Era or Vikram Samvat is still in use as the Indian calendar, reinforcing Ujjain’s identity as the prime meridian of the ancient world.
Ujjain carried on happily through several more eras but sustained grievous harm when Iltutmish razed it in 1234-35 AD. Its fortunes ebbed and flowed thereafter like the river Shipra’s waters by which it stands, until Maratha rule in the 18th century, when Mahakaal’s temple was rebuilt. Many new temples and ghats came up. Conches and bells began to sound again and sacred chants were recited. The people’s unshaken belief was justified that though Ujjain might suffer attacks, Dharma would eventually be restored.
Another cycle of remembrance began, a new round of festivals and feasts, of rejoicing in the aura of Ujjain. But then, renewal is the very essence of Ujjain.
The stars are in alignment every twelve years over Ujjain for the Kumbh Mela, known locally as Simhast or ‘Leo in the ascendant’. It is believed that the constellations above are represented on earth by the city’s temple geography. The next Simhast will happen between 9 April and 9 May, 2028.
The tradition of countless pilgrims throughout the year is to follow the Panch Kos circuit, have a cleansing dip in the Shipra and then step forth in surrender to Mahakaal. Will it grant them liberation? Ujjain is where they get to ask Lord Shiva. So too may everyone else, wherever they may be, on the holy night of Mahashivratri.
Renuka Narayanan | FAITHLINE | Senior journalist
(Views are personal)
(shebaba09@gmail.com)