Ujjain

Ujjain is one of the seven sacred cities and one of the four that host the Kumbh Mela, called Simhastha here, and it stands on the Shipra with ghats along the bank. Its centre is the Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the twelve jyotirlingas, where the Bhasma Aarti is performed before dawn each day: the lingam is bathed and then smeared with ash, a rite unique to this temple and requiring booking well in advance to attend. Ujjain was also a centre of astronomy, sitting on the traditional prime meridian of Indian cartography, and the Jantar Mantar observatory here is still used for calculation.

What you actually see

• Mahakaleshwar - the jyotirlinga temple and its pre-dawn Bhasma Aarti.
• The Shipra ghats - bathing steps along the river.
• Jantar Mantar - the observatory on the traditional Indian prime meridian.
• Kal Bhairav - the temple where liquor is offered to the deity.

When to go

October to March; the Simhastha Kumbh comes roughly every twelve years and brings millions. Bhasma Aarti is daily at around four in the morning and must be booked ahead.

Honest expectations

Bhasma Aarti bookings are limited, sell out and require identification; touts sell false access. Temple security prohibits phones and bags. Crowds at the main shrine are dense year-round.

Nearby

Indore lies southeast; Omkareshwar is south.