Temple

Located on the banks of the Shipra River, is the Bhairav Mandir, one of the most prominent temples in the city. It is dedicated to Kal Bhairav,  the chief of the eight Bhairavs. Kal Bhairav is the guardian deity of Ujjain. Devotees consider him Senapati (Commander-in-Chief or Chief General) of the town. The original temple is believed to have been built by a king named Bhadrasen. The present day structure is built by the Maratha general Mahadaji Shinde.

Legend

The original temple is believed to have been built by a king named Bhadrasen. The current temple structure was built over the remains of the older temple. According to the local beliefs, after the Maratha defeat in the Third Battle of Panipat, Mahadaji Shinde prayed to the deity for victory in his campaign. After a successful campaign that led to the rise of Maratha power, he carried out restoration of the temple.

Architecture

The temple is built in Maratha style of architecture with the exterior wall resembling a fortress.The shrine inside the walls has a pyramid shaped shikhara at the top. The vehicle of Kal Bhairav is a dog, and there is life-like statue of the one outside the sanctum. The deity's image is a face in form of a rock layered with vermilion. The deity's head is adorned with a Maratha-style pagri. There is a huge multilayered lamp in front of the sanctum
Pic Courtesy : MouthShut.com

Darsan Info

Since dog is the vehicle of the Lord, it is very auspicious to feed dogs around here to show respect to Kal Bhairav.

Darsan Dresscode

Devotees are advised to wear clean and conservative attire

Famous Festival

November - Kalabhairav Jayanti

Culture

Ujjain on the banks of Kshipra river was the capital of the Avanti Kingdom. It is a famous pilgrimage centre for Shaivites, Vaishnavite and followers of Shakthism. It is one of the places where Kumbh mela is held.

Temple Rituals

The priests perform regular puja and rituals. Aartis are done to the deities.

Special Rituals

Liquor(Madya) is offered to the temple deity as one of the five tantric ritual offerings known as panchamakara; the others being maamsa (meat), matsya (fish), mudra (gesture or parched grain) and maithuna (sexual intercourse). In ancient times, all five were offered to the deity. Now only alcohol is the only tantric offering made, the other four are in form of symbolic rituals

Additional Info