Located on the banks of river Shipra(or Kshipra), Ujjain is an ancient city and believed to be 5000 years old. Over the years, it has been known by several names. There are several temples in Ujjain but without doubt, the main attraction is the Mahakaleshwar temple, containing one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. The other huge attraction is the Kumbh Mela which is held every 12 years at Ram Ghat, where Lord Rama is believed to have performed the last rites of his father.
Not much on offer for a casual tourist
Ujjain does not offer much to a general tourist but if you happen to be in Ujjain, it is worthwhile visiting the Mahakal corridor but only in the evening.
Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor
I reached Ujjain just after dusk and as my car drove down the flyover, the beautifully lit Mahakal corridor(Shri Mahakal Lok officially) took my breath away and I heard myself utter ‘wow’. The massive Nandi dwar (gate), beautifully carved 108 sandstone pillars, colorful fountains, ~200 real life statues including 8 different forms of Shiva. And murals depicting stories from Shiva Purana. It is mighty impressive when lit. For the first time, I wished to click pictures of everything on display. But what a dramatic difference when I visited the corridor again the next day.
Mahakal Corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Best visited in the evening hours
It was not even half as impressive as it was the previous evening under lights. With the harsh sun beating down, and this was supposedly winter month of February, the entire corridor looked drab. What a transformation! If I had visited the corridor in the morning only, I doubt if I would have had any serious positive review. There is paucity of cool shaded areas to take a break from walking under hot conditions. Just look at the photos.
Nandi Dwar, Mahakal Corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 
Nandi Dwar, Mahakal Corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 
Lord Shiva fighting a demon, Mahakal Corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 
Lord Shiva fighting a demon, Mahakal Corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 
Wall engravings at Mahakal Corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 
Wall engravings at Mahakal Corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 
Saptarishis at Mahakal corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 
Saptarishis, Mahakal Corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
The corridor, inaugurated in October 2022, is almost a kilometer long on one bank of Rudrasagar lake and leads to Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. Further development works are in progress – redevelopment of the Rudrasagar lake and opening of shops and eateries. What did surprise me was that while adequate number of rest rooms have been built, maintenance is not up to mark. Good to carry your own water bottle until eateries open.
Timings
The corridor is open from 6am to about 10pm but exit is allowed till 11pm.
About 2 hours is adequate for the corridor. Entry is allowed during other times to only those who have a confirmed ticket for temple rituals.
Mahakaleshwar temple
Ujjain’s main attraction is believed to be a very old temple, though the present temple was built in the 19th century. But the age is just not visible given the extensive makeover that has been done over the years. There are several other shrines in the entire complex.
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Entry and timings
There are two entries, one through the Mahakal corridor and the other, possibly the original entry on the Harsiddhi marg, near Bada Ganesh temple. The tickets counters on the corridor were not open when I visited in February. VIP tickets were available only on the Harsiddhi marg entrance. Otherwise the general entry is free.
The temple is open from 4 am till 11pm.
A big attraction of this temple is the Bhasm aarti that is done between 4am and 6am. The aarti is believed to be done using the ash from freshly cremated human bodies. I was told the queue for free Bhasm aarti starts as early as midnight since only limited number of devotees are allowed in at a point of time. Other option is to take the VIP darshan ticket that I was told costs INR 1500 per person. But even the VIP queue can move slow. I was happy with the regular darshan and skipped Bhasm aarti.
One can book for Sheegra darshan(VIP darshan?) and Bhasm aarti online on the official website. Advise is to book well ahead of time.
https://shrimahakaleshwar.com/
For devotees less inclined to make the trip, live darshan of the Jyotirlinga is also available online.
Best time to visit the Jyotirlinga?
I went through the Mahakal corridor entry around 9.15pm after I learnt from the security guard that there was minimal crowd inside the temple and the next day, being a Saturday, was likely to be very crowded. Had to leave the shoes at one counter and the mobile phone at another counter nearby which would be a bit inconvenient if there is crowd. In exactly 40 minutes, I was out of the temple which was a pleasant surprise because I was prepared for a 3-4 hours wait!
I got to spend only a minute before the Jyotirlinga but since the crowd was less, there was no pushing and shoving. Neatly organized. Seating arrangements have been made inside, possibly for those who pay for special darshan. There were few other shrines in the temple premises that I visited before exiting through the Mahakal corridor. The entire complex was fairly clean.
Weekends, holidays and festival days are said to be very crowded. Often even the VIP queue moves slowly. Early mornings before 9am and late evenings after 9pm may actually be a good option but again, hard to generalize.
What else to see in Ujjain?
In my view, nothing else really. I visited Ram ghat where Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years. Nothing impressive and the river Shipra was quite dirty. The water also appeared stagnant. Wonder how devotees were still taking a dip. Thankfully, cremation is not allowed here.
Ram ghat, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 
Ram ghat, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
I also visited Sandipani ashram. Again, can be skipped. On the way to this ashram, I stopped by at another ghat where cremation takes place. Surreal but I am waiting to experience this in Varanasi. Also passed by Kal Bhairava temple but skipped entry because of the huge crowd.
There are a number of other temples if one is interested. And then there is Jantar Mantar but if you have seen the one in Delhi or Jaipur, this can be skipped.
Where to stay
In Ujjain, bulk of the hotels are of the budget type. So I ruled out staying near the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. There are few 3 star hotels in Ujjain but the common complaint from most tourists related to washrooms/toilets. And that was precisely my experience as well! I chose to stay in Hotel Atharva, a 3 star hotel as it appeared to be a bit closer to Mahakal corridor. The room, and the food were good/ok but the toilets and the shower area were not well maintained.
Average rates in 3 star hotels were around 5k per night, on twin occupancy with breakfast. Non peak times. Hotel Anjushree appeared to have good reviews, but is a bit away, on the Indore-Ujjain highway. Nearby Rudraksh Club and Resorts too looked good from outside. So also Imperial.
