Mahakaleshwar - Ujjain

source - www.templenet.com


Ujjain, a historic capital of Central India in Madhya Pradesh is a venerated pilgrimage center enshrining Mahakaleshwara, one of the Jyotirlinga manifestations of Shiva.

The Skanda Purana describes the glory of Ujjain (Mahakaala Vana) in great detail. Ujjain was the capital of Avanti and it was here that King Udayana married princess Vasavadatta. Ujjain played an important role during the period of the Mauryas and the Guptas.

King Vikramaditya Chandragupta of the Gupta period ruled with Ujjain as his capital, and the nine gems (Dhanvantari, Kshapanaka, Amarasimha, Sanku, Vetala Bhatta, Ghatakharpara, Varahamihira, Vararuchi and Kalidasa) adorned his court. The Mahakaleshwar Temple has also been referred to in the tamil hymns of the Nayanmar saints of the 1st millennium CE.

Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Benares, Kanchipuram, Dwarka and Ujjain are considered to be the 7 Mukti Stalas of India. Ujjain is home to the Kumbha Mela, when Jupiter resides in the zodiac sign of Scorpio.

The Mahakaleshwar temple at Ujjain is located near a lake; it has five levels, one of which is underground.The temple itself is located in a spacious courtyard surrounded by massive walls. The shikhara is adorned with sculptural finery. Brass lamps light the way to the underground sanctum. It is believed that prasada offered here to the deity can be re-offered unlike all other shrines.

Legend has it that a demon by name Dushana tormented the residents of Avanti and that Shiva appeared from the ground and vanquished the demon, and then upon the request of the inhabitants of Avanti, took up permanent abode here as Mahakaleshwara Jyotirlinga. Also in Ujjain is the temple to Parvati - Harasiddhi Devi temple

Unique 'train restaurant' in Bhopal

IANS, BHOPAL

The next time you visit Bhopal, you could tickle your taste buds at a unique restaurant that looks every inch like a stationary train at a platform. The rail-coach restaurant-cum-bar, Shan-e-Bhopal, has been built by converting an unused train bogie, with the backdrop of actual sights and sounds of a railway platform. The atmosphere is colonial.

The restaurant is located at Hotel Ashoka Lakeview here and was opened to the public Friday. The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) had come up with the idea in a bid to promote tourism. The eatery has been equipped with all the railway paraphernalia, including lights and signals. Actual sounds of a railway platform are being played for special effect. A railway signal has been installed to indicate whether the restaurant is open or closed. Its other specialties include cast iron furniture, silver cutlery and crockery, old-fashioned street lamps, lanterns and signals that were used by the Great India Peninsular Railway way back in 1849. "Interestingly, many dishes served at the restaurant have been named after various parts of a bogie and the railway engine. The dishes include Indian, Chinese and Continental," says A.K. Sen, an MPTDC chef. "This is the first restaurant in the world to be prepared on a railway theme. The railways are planning to add another coach to the eatery in the near future," said Dilip Shrivastava, assistant engineer, MPTDC.

Water Birds of Bhopal

“Water Birds of Bhopal” is a video documentary focusing on birds as excellent flagships and vital environmental indicators. The documentary is full of extraordinary photography, bird songs and video footage of over 40 species of water birds. The documentary show-cases Bhopal’s Upper lake and the Van Vihar National Park as an excellent habitat for all kinds of birds. The watershed of Bhopal’s Upper Lake—also called the Bhoj wetland is designated a wetland of international importance under the International Ramsar Convention. The Upper Lake and the area surrounding it at once becomes a home for winter visitors of the avian kind as Bhopal falls exactly on the migratory birds’ North-South passage. The documentary by Lalit Shastri, the Principal Correspondent of The Hindu for Madhya Pradesh and his wife Dr. Raajshri Shastri, Assistant Professor Sociology, MLB College Bhopal, with valuable research inputs by Parag Bakshi, is backed by five years and hundreds of hours of birding and outdoor shooting of the most common birds of Bhopal as well as the exotic migratory birds.

To preview the movie please visit www.globalwarmingeurasia.com