Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): The first Mahakal Sawari of the holy Shravan month began at 4 PM from the Mahakaleshwar Temple on Monday.
The south-facing Mahakaleshwar, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, is being taken out in the form of Shri Manmahesh for the traditional city procession.
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Before the Sawari began, ritual worship of Lord Manmahesh was performed in the Sabha Mandap of the temple.
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Following this, the deity was seated in a silver palanquin, and the procession was formally saluted by armed police personnel at the temple’s main entrance.
State ministers Tulsiram Silawat, Prahlad Patel, and Gautam Tetwal were also present during the celebrations.
The procession is moving through its traditional route, covering Mahakal Square, Gudri Square, Bakshi Bazaar, and Kahaarwadi, and will reach Ram Ghat, where the deity will be given a sacred bath in the holy waters of river Kshipra.
After the holy bath, the Sawari will continue its route via Ramanujkot, Modh ki Dharamshala, Kartik Chowk, Khati ka Mandir, Satyanarayan Mandir, Dhaba Road, Tanki Square, Chhatri Chowk, Gopal Mandir, Patni Bazaar, and Gudri Bazaar, before returning to Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple.
This year's Shravan processions will feature different themes each Monday. On this first Monday, a special Vedic Udgosh programme is being held.
More than 500 Vedic students (Batuks) from Mahakaleshwar Vedic Training and Research Institute and 25 gurukuls of Ujjain are chanting Vedic hymns at Ram Ghat and Datta Akhara, adding a divine spiritual atmosphere to the event.
The procession also includes tribal artists' groups from the Tribal Folk Art and Language Development Academy, under the Madhya Pradesh Culture Council.
Devotees in large numbers have gathered across the route to witness the grand Sawari and seek blessings of Lord Mahakal.
