Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga

Mahakaleshwar is a Shiva temple in the ancient city of Ujjain, on the Shipra river in Malwa, and one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Ujjain was the capital of Avanti and a sacred city of Hinduism, where the Simhastha Kumbh Mela is held every twelve years.

The lingam is held to be self-manifested, and the presiding image faces south as Dakshinamurti, a feature unique among the Jyotirlingas; the shrine is also counted among the eighteen Maha Shakta Pithas, where Sati's upper lip is said to have fallen.

The temple was destroyed during Iltutmish's raid on Ujjain in 1234 and 1235, when the lingam was dismantled and thrown into a neighbouring pond. It was rebuilt in the eighteenth century under Maratha rule by the diwan Ramachandra Sukthankar. A great fair gathers here for Maha Shivaratri, with worship lasting through the night.