Mangalanath Temple, Ujjain

Mangalanath Temple in Ujjain is the birthplace of Mangala Griha (Mars Planet).

Out of all the seven moksha puris on this planet, Ujjain is revered as the city of astrology and astronomy. Lord Shiva in his aspect of eternal time is present in Ujjain, which makes it significant to connect it to the science of Panchanga or the Indian Almanac. Students from all over the world would through Ujjain to study astrology and astronomy.

Mangalanath Temple is the birthplace of Mars

The Skanda Purana and Matsya Purana point out Ujjain as the birthplace of Planet Mars. On the banks of sacred River Kshipra, on the outskirts of the Ujjain city is the Mangalanath Temple. Unlike the other temples in Ujjain, this temple is situated on a hillock.

The Mangalanath temple is famed for the Mangala Dosha Puja and all sorts of Pujas related to Mangala Griha such as Mangalik Puja, etc. Infact in the ancient times, there was an astronomical observatory attached to this temple which was specifically for the observance of Mangala Griha. From this point the planet was very clearly visible to study. Indian Scientists believe that Mangala Griha is nearest to earth at this point. Even today on a clear sky one can view Mars planet from here.

The origin of Mangalanath Temple

During the Vedic Era, there was a demon king named Andhaka who ruled Ujjain. This demon was blessed with a benediction -from every drop of his blood which touched the ground, another Andhaka would be born. Once his son Kanaka Danava attacked Indra, the king of Devatas. As the fighting ensued, Indra killed Kanaka. But he became afraid of the aftermath of his victory. He approached Lord Shiva for protection from Andhaka.

Lord Shiva ensured safety to Indra and immediately assumed a very scary form of Vishwarupi Bhairava to kill Andhaka demon. He descended to the Earth in this very form which stood on one leg only. Looking at Lord Shiva ready to kill him, Andhaka attacked him with all his mighty army. A terrible fight ensued between Andhakasura and Lord Shiva and their army respectively.

As the fight progressed, the Shiva ganas killed all the demons. Whole world trembled with the corpses and cries of these demons. Understanding that his end was near, Andhaka ran off the battlefield to safeguard himself from Lord Shiva’s wrath. But Lord Shiva chased him like light chasing the darkness. Finally, Lord Shiva killed him using his trident.

After Lord Shiva killed Andhakasura, from his blood arose a vast army of demons who started tormenting Lord Shiva from every side. Just by hearing the roaring sound of Lord Shiva, the demons became unconscious. But they rose again and began attacking Lord Shiva. To stop this, Brahma created Matrukas or shaktis to drink the blood of Andhaksura, who finally killed all the demons.

While Lord Shiva stood, few drops of sweat from his forehead fell on the Earth; from that place emerged a personality wearing a garland of red flowers. This personality was Angaraka Deva who later came to be known as Mangala Griha. His father was Lord Shiva and Mother was Bhumidevi. Lord Brahma awarded him the status of planet, who was born in the holy land of Ujjain.

The Mangalanath Temple

The Mangalanath Temple is situated little outside the city of Ujjain and in a peaceful area. It is recently renovated. The red stoned temple also hosts a beautiful garden around it. It is a perfect place to meditate and spend some time with Lord Shiva.

Devotees need to climb flight of stairs or walk up the ramp to reach the main garbha griha in which Lord Shiva is present as the Lord of Mangala Griha. Devotees can have darshan of a beautiful self-manifested Shiva-linga in this temple.

The temple also hosts a separate altar for Mother Earth which is quite rare in the Indian Temples. All throughout the day pujas related to Mangala Dosha as well as Navagrahas are performed in this temple.

Best time to visit the Mangalanath Temple

Although the weather remains good in this city all through the year, the best time to visit the Mangalanath temple shall be from July to Mar. The festivals like Shravana Masa, Karthika Masa and Shivaratri are very crowded.

Temple Timings of the Mangalanath Temple

The temple remains open from 7 am to 8 pm daily.

How to reach the Mangalanath Temple

The Mangalanath Temple is in Ujjain. To have wonderful darshan here, join our Ujjain Yatra on which all the arrangements shall be taken care and you need to just spend time in having darshan.

By Air: The nearest airport to Ujjain is Indore. Indore Airport is well-connected with the other major cities of India. Taxis are often available.

By Railways: Ujjain has a railway station which is well connected by the railways with the major cities of India.

By Roadways: The city of Ujjain is well connected with national highways and state highways. One can take road transport from Indore to Ujjain which is quite nearby.