Introduction: Why Ujjain?
Before telling you where all I went in Ujjain, I want to share why I chose Ujjain in the first place.
I wanted to go to Ujjain to experience the Bhasm Aarti in person. I am a big believer in Shiv (Lord Shiva—I call him Shiv). I had heard so much about the Bhasm Aarti from many people, and witnessing it had been on my mind for a long time.
I am also on a personal journey to visit all 12 Jyotirlingas, and this was my 7th Jyotirlinga.
I went on this trip with my cousin, I went on this trip with my cousin, and we had planned to visit Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, and Indore along with Ujjain.
This was special for another reason too—we had never traveled without our families before. So we were a little scared, but at the same time, very excited.
24th December 2025 – The Journey Begins
This was the day I had been waiting for over the last two months, ever since we decided to take this trip. I really wanted this journey to be my best trip so far, especially because it was my first time traveling without my parents.
We took an IndiGo flight to Indore. Our flight was at 2:35 PM, and we reached Indore around 4:00 PM. Collecting our luggage didn’t take much time.
We had booked this trip through a local travel company, so after collecting our bags, we called our driver and started our journey to Ujjain, as we had booked the Bhasm Aarti for the early morning of 25th December.
Because it was a long weekend, there was heavy traffic, and we reached Ujjain around 6:00 PM.
Temple Visits in Ujjain (Day 1)
After checking into the hotel and freshening up, we decided to visit as many temples as possible because:
Ujjain has many important temples
Our time was limited
IndiGo had changed our return flight from 7:00 AM to 2:40 PM, which reduced our time in the city
Shree Ashtvinayak Mandir
The first temple we visited was Shree Ashtvinayak Mandir. The temple premises are huge, and I absolutely loved the fountains and greenery inside.
The temple felt very peaceful. As the name suggests, there are eight Vinayakas and one main Ganapati in the center. That evening, there was a crescent moon, and I managed to take a picture of the temple with the moon above—it felt like the perfect beginning to our trip.
We truly felt like we had the best darshan right at the start.
Chintamani Ganesh Mandir
Next, we went to Chintamani Ganesh Mandir. As soon as you enter, you see many stalls selling sweets. Initially, we were surprised, but later we learned that people offer these sweets to Vinayak.
There was no rush at all, and we completed our darshan in just five minutes, which felt very calm and relaxed.
A Small Food Break
After that, we felt hungry and decided to eat something before moving on. We had bread bajji, and it was really yummy—simple, but satisfying after all the walking.
Harsiddhi Mata Temple
Next on our list was Harsiddhi Mata Temple. According to the Shiva Purana, when Shiva carried the burning body of Sati from the sacrificial fire, her elbow fell at this place. Because of this, the temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas.
The crowd here was huge. We were fortunate that our driver knew someone who helped us enter the temple faster. We completed our darshan in about 15 minutes—otherwise, we might have spent two hours standing in line.
There are also two pillars in front of the temple from the Maratha period. Our driver told us they are lit every day at 6:30 PM, and many people come specifically to witness that. Unfortunately, we missed seeing it that day.
Mahakal Corridor – The End of Day 1
Our last stop for the day was the Mahakal Corridor. It is massive—almost a 1 km long pathway, beautifully lit and filled with sculptures and depictions of stories related to Shiva. The architecture was stunning.
The corridor runs along the Shipra River, and with the lights, the calm water, and the overall atmosphere, it felt like I was somewhere completely different—peaceful and surreal.
Because of heavy traffic, cars couldn’t move easily, so we took an auto back to the hotel. The auto ride felt amazing—the cool air touching my face
after such a tiring day was incredibly refreshing. We reached the hotel around 10:00 PM, had dinner, and went straight to sleep because we had to wake up early for the Bhasm Aarti.
It was a long, tiring day with travel and very little rest, but it was completely worth it for the temples, the experiences, and the overall
vibe of Ujjain.
The next day was something I had been waiting for the most — the Bhasm Aarti at Mahakaleshwar. I’ll share that experience in my next post.