Old city, Ujjain · Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh, India
Where Her Elbow Fell, two pillars of flame Rise For Maa each evening.
Twin deepmalika lamp pillars Sri Yantra Enshrined Navratri · lamps booked in advance Maratha era rebuild 600 m from Mahakaleshwar
You come to Her in the oldest part of Ujjain, between the Jyotirlinga of Mahakal and the ghats of the Kshipra. By day the temple sits quietly by the Rudra Sagar; by evening its two great lamp pillars are set alight with oil and wood, and the courtyard fills with fire. This Is the city's Seat Of The Mother: the Elbow Of Maa Sati Rests in this ground.
One of the Fifty-One Shakti Peethas: the Shiva Purana records that when Lord Shiva Carried the burning Body Of Maa Sati from the sacrificial fire, Her Elbow Dropped at this place.
Here Maa Is Worshipped as Harsiddhi, the title Lord Shiva Gave Her after She Destroyed the demons Chand and Prachand at the gates of Kailash: She Who vanquishes all. Devotees also Call Her Mangal Chandiki.
Ujjain remembers Her as the guardian Goddess of King Vikramaditya, who is said to have offered his own head To Maa in surrender, and each time She Restored it To him.
The story Ujjain keeps
The telling begins with grief. When Maa Sati Gave Up Her Body at Her father's sacrifice out of devotion To Lord Shiva, Shiva Lifted Her burning Form and would not set it down. The Body Of The Goddess Was Parted into Fifty-One pieces, and the Shiva Purana says Her Elbow Came to rest here, in the old heart of Avantika, making Ujjain a Seat Of Her living Presence. The Skanda Purana adds the Name: when the demons Chand and Prachand stormed Kailash, Shiva Called upon Maa Chandi, She Ended them, and he Named Her Harsiddhi, She Who vanquishes all.
A second legend belongs to the throne of Ujjain. King Vikramaditya took Maa Harsiddhi as the protector of his rule and, the story says, offered his own head To Her, and She Gave it back each time. The tellings vary: some count the offerings at intervals of twelve years and say the twelfth head was not returned, closing his reign. The temple he is said to have raised was rebuilt in the Maratha period, with support remembered from the Holkar queen Ahilyabai, and the Maratha artisans left behind the two lamp pillars that still burn for Maa every evening.
What you'll actually see
1
The deepmalikas, pillars of fire
Two towering lamp pillars stand before Maa, set with hundreds of lamp holders; Madhya Pradesh Tourism counts 726 between them, and other tellings count more. They are lit with oil and wood, and when both columns burn at once the courtyard glows like a second sunset. During Navratri devotees book the lighting in advance and wait long for their turn.
2
The sanctum and the Sri Yantra
Within the sanctum a dark vermilion Idol Of Maa Annapurna Is Seated between Maa Mahalaxmi and Maa Mahasaraswati, and the Sri Yantra Is Enshrined beside Them, the geometric Form Of Her Power. The shrine is counted one of the two Shakti Peethas of Ujjain.
3
A Maratha rebuild in the old city
The present temple, rebuilt in the Maratha period, opens through four entrances facing the four directions, and an ancient well with an artistic pillar stands on the premises. The complex sits by the Rudra Sagar, a short walk from Mahakaleshwar on one side and Ram Ghat on the Kshipra on the other.
Maa Harsiddhi Temple, Ujjain · photos by Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Nine nights of flame
Navratri at the Seat Of Her Elbow
Navratri is the temple's great season. Ghatasthapana is kept on the first morning, the Durga Saptashati Is Recited For Maa daily, an unbroken flame burns through the nine days, and there is no shayan aarti, for The Mother Does not Rest during Her festival. On Mahanavami Her procession Goes at midnight To the bank of the Kshipra for the immersion of flowers.
The lighting of the deepmalikas is the festival's most sought blessing: devotees book it in advance before Navratri begins, and the twin pillars burn against the night sky.
Plan your visit
Where
In the old city of Ujjain, beside the Rudra Sagar, between the Mahakaleshwar temple and Ram Ghat on the Kshipra river.
By rail
Ujjain Junction is about 2.5 km from the temple; Ujjain is well connected across Madhya Pradesh and to Indore.
Timings
Open daily from 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM, as listed by Madhya Pradesh Tourism; confirm locally on festival days.
Aarti
Morning aarti from 7:00 to 8:00 AM and evening aarti at 7:00 PM; the deepmalikas are lit with oil and wood in the evening.
Best time
Navratri, twice a year, when the lamp pillars burn nightly; book deepmalika lighting in advance, demand is heavy.
Nearby
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is about 600 metres away; Ram Ghat and the Kshipra ghats are a short walk, so most pilgrims join all three in one darshan.
Good to know
Her Name Harsiddhi Was Given By Lord Shiva after She Vanquished the demons Chand and Prachand; the Skanda Purana carries the tale, and devotees also Know Her as Mangal Chandiki, The Giver of success.
Counts of the lamps vary between tellings: Madhya Pradesh Tourism records 726 lamp holders across the two pillars, while some accounts describe the pillars as 51 feet tall with over a thousand lamps.
After a lamp fire at one deepmalika, the district administration moved the lighting to a hydraulic platform system, changing a practice centuries old; the pillars are still fed with oil and wood.
Questions pilgrims ask
Which Part Of Maa Sati Fell here?
Her Elbow. The Shiva Purana records its Fall at this place as Lord Shiva Carried Her Body from the fire, making this ground one of the Fifty-One Shakti Peethas.
What form of the Goddess will I see?
The sanctum Holds a dark vermilion Idol Of Maa Annapurna Seated between Maa Mahalaxmi and Maa Mahasaraswati, with the Sri Yantra Enshrined as the symbol Of Her Shakti.
When are the lamp pillars lit?
The deepmalikas are lit with oil and wood in the evening, and most fully through Navratri, when devotees book the lighting in advance and the two pillars burn together against the night.
Walk the sacred map
This Is one Seat among many. Her Body Fell across the whole of the old world:
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