📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Anchal lilhare
Religion
Mahakaleshwar Temple’s Bhasm Aarti on Saptami Features Bhang, Dry Fruit and Moonlit Decor
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 01 Nov 2026, 08:02 AM
👁 15
On Saptami, the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain performed its Bhasm Aarti, adorning the deity with bhang, dry fruits and a moon motif, followed by darshan for devotees.
The Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain observed the traditional Bhasm Aarti on Saptami, the seventh day of the bright lunar fortnight. The ritual, a hallmark of the temple’s worship schedule, drew a large gathering of devotees from across the state.
During the ceremony the idol of Lord Mahakal was embellished with a unique shringar: a paste of bhang, assorted dry fruits and a decorative representation of the moon. The combination of these elements is intended to symbolize vitality, prosperity and the celestial aura surrounding the deity.
As the aarti concluded, the chanting of “Jai Shri Mahakal” resonated through the temple complex, creating a reverberating atmosphere of devotion. Devotees were then allowed to have darshan, receiving the blessings of the adorned deity.
The Bhasm Aarti holds special significance in the Shaivite tradition, marking a moment when the divine is presented in a purified, ash‑covered form, reinforcing themes of impermanence and spiritual renewal.
During the ceremony the idol of Lord Mahakal was embellished with a unique shringar: a paste of bhang, assorted dry fruits and a decorative representation of the moon. The combination of these elements is intended to symbolize vitality, prosperity and the celestial aura surrounding the deity.
As the aarti concluded, the chanting of “Jai Shri Mahakal” resonated through the temple complex, creating a reverberating atmosphere of devotion. Devotees were then allowed to have darshan, receiving the blessings of the adorned deity.
The Bhasm Aarti holds special significance in the Shaivite tradition, marking a moment when the divine is presented in a purified, ash‑covered form, reinforcing themes of impermanence and spiritual renewal.