Sri Bhairav Parvat Temple, Madhya Pradesh

Address

Sri BhairavParvat Temple Jail Road, BhairavGarh, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 456003 Ph-096116 64411

Diety

Shakti: Avanti Bhairav: Lambkarna Body part or ornament: Elbow

Introduction

The BhairavParvat Shakti Peeth in Madhya Pradesh is located on the Bhairav Hills on the banks of the River Shipra in the city of Ujjaini. Locals also call this temple Gadkalika. The BhairavParvat is 51 Shakti Peeth in Madhya Pradesh Ujjain is also known as ‘Sapta-puri’- one of the seven sacred cities. It is considered one of the holiest cities in the world due to the presence of several important temples in Ujjain. It is also famous for being the place where Lord Krishna, Balaram and Sudama received an education from the sage Rishi Sandipani.

Puranic Significance

The Mother is worshipped as Avanti in this temple and is protected by the BhairavLambkarna. Many say that it was not her elbow but rather her upper lips that fell there but that is highly debated. Devi Avanti is worshipped in the BhairavParvat Temple and is protected by the BhairavLambakarna. Both are said to be manifestations of the divine energy that combine to form the main force that governs the universe. AdiShakti and Shiva fuse together to maintain balance in the universe and must always be together for goodness to prevail. ‘Avanti’ literally means modest and ‘Lambakarna’ refers to the long-eared one. Devi Avanti is also called Ma Avantika and MahaKali. Incidentally, ‘lambakarna’ is what Shiva-Parvati’s second son Ganesh is also called. ANOTHER STORY OF SATI: In Hindu mythology, the son of Brahma, King Prajapati Daksha had a daughter named Sati.Princess Sati grew up adoring the legends and tales of Shiva, and when finally her age of getting married came, she knew it was only the ascetic Lord Shiva of Kailash where her heart and soul resided.Soon enough, Daksha’s daughter left her father’s luxuries and palace and began her meditation to win Shiva’s heart.She performed intense penance in dense forests and renounced food completely. When she finally pleased Shiva through her austerities, the lord of Kailash appeared in front of her and agreed to marry her. The legend goes that Sati and Shiva were happy in their marital bliss, but their marriage had not gone down too well with King Daksha, who considered ascetic Shiva nothing short of an uncouth lad who lives a hermit’s life not worthy of his daughter. So when Daksha organized a great yajna, he invited all the deities, gods and sages–but consciously excluded his son-in-law Shiva to insult him. Hurt by her father’s decision, Sati decided to visit her father and demand the reason for not inviting them. When she entered Daksha’s palace, she was bombarded with insults directed towards the Shiva.Haughty and proud King Prajapati Daksha called him all sorts of names right from a dishevelled god who hung out in graveyard to the supposed ‘lord of the beasts’. Unable to bear anything against her husband, a devastated Goddess Sati threw herself in the glowing scared fire of yajna.When Shiva’s attendants informed him about the demise of his wife, he grew enraged and created Veerbhadra from a lock of his hair. Veerbhadra created havoc in Daksha’s palace and killed him.Meanwhile, mourning his beloved soulmate’s death, Shiva tenderly held Sati’s body and started his dance of destruction (taandav). To save the universe and bring back Shiva’s sanity, Lord Vishnu cut Sati’s lifeless body using Sudharshan Chakra into 51 pieces.

Special Features

Bhairavparvat, adjoining Bhairav hills is on the eastern banks of River Shipra which is close to Ujjaini town. Ujjain is one of the very ancient cities in India. The holy place is dedicated to a divine power “Goddess Durga”, worshipped by a large number of Hindu devotees as “Maa Avanti or Avantika”. The temple architecture of the BhairavParvat Shakti Peeth is unique: different coloured stone have been used in constructing it. In fact, the roof and walls of the temple have beautiful stone inscriptions. The idol of Devi Avanti is always adorned with a red sari as the colour red is considered sacred by married women in India.

Festivals

Navratri and MahaShivratri celebrations where a special bhog is prepared. Aratis are done in the temple everyday at 6 in the morning and 6 in the evening. The former is called Prabhatarati and the latter is referred to as Sandhyarati