Ujjain - A Spiritual Excursion!

Within the vicinity itself, is another temple of Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhuji. The banyan tree here is said to be grown overnight when Shri Mahaprabhuji planted one banyan leaf on the spot for conducting a katha - conversation with the devotees.

Opposite the aashram, you will find some tea-coffee-snack stalls, and that’s where I sipped my first road side tea of Ujjain. Thge feeling was of pure bliss as I was alone.

A friend of mine joined the tour from the next day. In the night after having dinner at the hotel, we went to stroll the silent and sleepy streets of the town. Since it was the period of Navratri, certain temples were still open, there were several pandals with lound Navratri music. Some dairys which serve lassi were still open. After reaching near Mahakaleshwar Temple in the night, we came across a very old sort of tea shop – a really tiny one. The tea was being prepared in a traditional old styled sigdi, and we decided to have the tea right there. We didn’t visit the temple one Day 1, as we wanted to visit it next day after getting fresh and tidy.

A Sati Mata temple is placed right before the staircase that leads to the interiors of the temple. The walk is long, and it is amazing to be a part of a place that is eternal. I came across 2-3 very old and rare paintings of Shiva while walking down the queue. Finally, we landed in the main hall where the queue was getting nearer to the garbh gruh – the sacntum. A beautiful Nandi ji - the bull cast in Silver, is placed in the Nandi Hall that faces the Shivalinga. When I was getting nearer to the main sanctum, I felt overwhelmed and calm at the same time. Overwhelmed - because I was almost about to step inside the aeon old original temple through the royal silver clad door. Internally the temple is clad with silver that has spiritual engravings. The ceiling stones are inscribed with mantra’s that form the dome of the temple.

Forture favoured me only for a few seconds! Just like everyone else inside the sanctum, I did my offerings and prayers, and the devotees are pushed outside as the queue is long and unending. Within the temple complex there are several other temples including that of Lord Nagchandreshwar which only opens once a year i.e., on the day of Nag-Panchami. I picked up a corner in the temple and sat aside for sometime. That was the time I wanted to experience. The tranquility and the calmness of this age old temple was just seeping into my skin. Somewhere I felt it changed something in me and that’s all I did this trip for. While approaching the exit, I came across a small temple of Lord Hanuman which was built on a raised platform alongside the walkway. A saint sitting there offers a chandan tilak of ‘Om’ on the forehead of the devotees, and we finally came out of the temple.

While moving to these places, I enjoyed knowing this little and soulful town of Ujjain. It was calm and quiet. I felt that this place is far from the rushing city life yet, one that offers the peace one craves for in the crowded and dream-ridden cities. People are satisfied with their life. We went back to hotel and rested in the afternoon.

In the evening, we headed for the Kshipra River Aarti that is conducted at Ram Ghat, Ujjain. Several temples can again be found on this enormous long ghat. We reached there and sat there for sometime and saw the aarti preparations. It was 7.00pm and the aarti was about to start. It suddenly started raining, and the view grew out to be even more peaceful and serene. The sound of the conches, the drums, the bells, the chanting of the mantras and the claps of the devotees, all created a magical ambiance.

After the aarti, I floated Diyas in the river with my prayers. Then we sat on the steps of a temple that was landing on the ghat itself. We sat there for nearly 35-45 mins observing and experiencing the purity of the space. I was still amazed that this unplanned trip turned out to be true. We also attended the aarti in the Night at the Mahakaleshwar Temple, and I don’t have words to describe the experience. I didn’t want to leave the temple, as in the night, the look and feel of the temple was even more peaceful.

The town seems to have held up its nostalgic charm! The narrow streets, old styled shops selling a range of traditional copper and brass vessels, buildings in bright pastel colors, colorful doors and facades of old buildings, all of this assures to bring one back to his or her roots. The roots of simplicity of life that is slowly fading away in this modern-racing era.

It was the last day of my trip and we wanted to do some shopping. So we headed to the market and I picked up the very famous sweet ‘Gajak’, and some namkeen snacks from a shop. Bangles are beautiful and have intricte designs. I was in search for buying some for my mom, and some holy books for my parents. Finally I found everything that I was looking for in the old market area.

We walked down to the hotel, packed our bags, loaded our luggage in the cab, and were off to Indore Airport. This was a spontaneous and life changing trip for me that just put me back differently. It’s so amusing to see and know that a simple town like Ujjain, can create a deep impact on one’s life. This location is now on my regular visit list.