Mahakaleshwar Temple Corridor

CONTEXT-

 PM has  inaugurated the Mahakaleshwar Temple Corridor project, worth ?856 crores.The corridor measures over 900 metres in length and will house around 200 statues and murals of lord Shiva and goddess Shakti, among other religious figures.

Significance: 

It will help make Ujjain the central node for promoting religious tourism to connect people with culture and traditions, creating livelihood opportunities and contributing to the city’s economy.

ABOUT MAHAKALESHWAR TEMPLE- 

Mahakaleshwar temple is one of twelve Jyotirlingas, dedicated to Shiva, in the ancient city of Ujjain (Shipra river).

Kalidasa, the great Sanskrit poet of the Gupta times, mentioned the rituals of the temple in his works in Meghad?ta.

The temple complex was destroyed by Iltutmish during his raid of Ujjain in 1234-35. The present structure was rebuilt by the Maratha general Ranoji Shinde in 1734 CE (reign of Baji Rao I).

UJJAIN CITY (previously known as Avantika) has the status of a devotional epicentre. It was also one of the primary cities where students went to study holy scriptures.

Significance of Shri Mahakal Lok Corridor:

Immense Cultural Beliefs: 

The temple is believed to be governed by Mahakaleshwar, which means the ‘Lord of time’ i.e., Lord Shiva. As per Hindu mythology, the temple was constructed by Lord Brahma and is presently located alongside the holy river Kshipra.

Only Jyotirlinga Facing South: 

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain is one of the 12 jyotirlingas considered the most sacred abodes of Shiva. The shrine is revered as one the 18 MahaShaktiaPeeth in India.

It is the only jyotirlinga facing the south, while all the others face east. This is because the direction of death is believed to be the south.

In fact, people worship Mahakaleshwar to prevent an untimely death.

According to the Puranas, Lord Shiva pierced the world as an endless pillar of light, called the jyotirlinga.

Besides Mahakal, these include Somnath and Nageshwar in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna in Andhra Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, Bhimashankar, Triyambakeshwar and Grishneshwar in Maharashtra, Viswanath at Varanasi, Baidyanath in Jharkhand, and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu.