Gadkalika & Harsiddhi Mata Shaktipeeths: Reconnecting with the divine mother in Ujjain

The city of Ujjain attracts millions of pilgrims every year to seek the blessings of the Supreme Lord of Time, Mahakaleshwar. For everyone, the darshan of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a truly blessed and enthralling experience. A visit to Ujjain is albeit considered incomplete without also going to the temple of Kaal Bhairav, and the two Shaktipeeths in the city – Harsiddhi Mata Shaktipeeth and Gadkalika Shaktipeeth. Despite the sweltering heat of a May morning, it was a truly blessed and auspicious day for me to have visited all the four temples within a few hours, with memories that will last me a lifetime. In this blog post I will be writing about the two Ujjain Shaktipeeths that are among the 51 divine Shaktipeeths (abodes of Shakti, the primordial Mother Goddess).

When the divine mother calls, she shows a way to her children to reach her sacred shrines and reconnect with her energy that draws us closer to her cosmic heart. And, every time I have visited a Shaktipeeth, this understanding has got deepend further.

Harsiddhi Mata Shaktipeeth

Harsiddhi Mata Shaktipeeth is located near the Mahakaleshwar Temple, across the Rudra Sagar lake. The parking is a little distant from the temple, so it is advisable to take an e-rickshaw from near the parking lot, particularly if you have elderly people accompanying you.

A short flight of stairs at the entrance to the temple and one is greeted with the majestic vision of the two towering Deepa Jyoti Sthambha (lamp towers), which is typical of temples with Maratha architectural influence. These lamp towers that are lit up on special occasions, face the main temple of the presiding deity. This temple was built by the great emperor Samrat Vikramaditya, who was an ardent worshiper of Harsiddhi Mata. It is believed that the right elbow of the Mata Sati fell here. The presiding deity here is Annapurna with Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati.

There was no queue at the temple and it was a peaceful darshan, and the peace that I felt in my heart I could feel pouring outside in the environment. The deity, my heart and the world around me seemed one.

Gadkalika Shaktipeeth

The Gadkalika Shaktipeeth is located near Shipra river, not too far from the Kaal Bhairav Temple. The crowd was a little more here when we reached early afternoon. The ancient temple is in a lane that is lined with shops selling flowers for the deity along with many tea and snack stalls, exuding an almost festive environment in the surrounding area.

The upper lip of Goddess Sati is believed to have fallen here. The legend goes that the great poet Kalidasa, who at a younger age was uneducated and not a very bright person (infact considered an idiot by everyone), worshiped Goddess Kali in this temple. And by her grace and blessings, he acquired the knowledge and ability to become one of the greatest poets of all times in the annals of Indian civilisation.

Being a writer myself, I did have a secret yearning, somewhere deep in my heart that maybe Goddess Gadkalika’s blessings would enrich my writing skills.

Pushing through the jostling crowd of many village women, as I approached the sanctum sanctorum, my heart leapt with sudden, unexpected joy as my eyes fell on the deity’s benign, smiling face. I have visited many Kali temples before, but this Kali Maa seemed a bit different. The energy here was more joyous and festive, but the resolute and strength that is the foundation of the primordial Mother’s essence, was unmistakably there.

As I bowed down before her, tears welled in my eyes, as I felt the surge of love and compassion, and immense gratitude for feeling so blessed.

The visit to the two Shaktipeeths in Ujjain made me feel reconnected to the divine essence that is deep there within all of us, but we forget in the humdrum of everyday life. Energetically I felt as if I was standing in a rainshower of light that cleansed me within and without.

How to reach
Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore is the nearest for those flying down here. Indore is about an hour and a half drive away from Ujjain. Indore and Ujjain are also well connected by the Indian Railways.

Accommodation
While there are many small hotels in Ujjain, I stayed at Fairfield by Marriott Indore, an excellent property for setting base and visiting the many temples in Ujjain, Omkareshwar and Indore city.

(Sudipta is an energy healer and mystical storyteller. Her collection of short stories ‘Invoking Our Inner Goddess’,’ Mystical Tales Of Sacred Earth’, ‘The Blue God’s Love’ and ‘Enchanted Waters: The Magical Flow Of Life’ are available worldwide on Amazon Kindle.)