First phase of the ‘Shri Mahakaleswar Corridor’ inaugurated

Published: 13th Oct, 2022

Context

Prime Minister inaugurated the first phase of the ‘Shri Mahakaleswar Corridor’ in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

About

The temple is located in the historical city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is situated on the banks of the holy river, Shipra.
Mahakal is the only jyotirlinga facing south; the rest face east.That is because the south is believed to be the direction of death.
The jyotirlingas, or shrines, are believed to be the most sacred abodes of Shiva.
Origin: The time of origin of the temple may be assigned to the pre-historic period as the Puranas say it was first established by Prajapita Brahma.
Style:The Mahakaleshwar temple has been built in Maratha, Bhumija and Chalukya architectural styles.

What are Jyotirilingas?

Other jyotirlinga sites:

1. Somnath in Gujarat

2. Dwarka’sNageswar in Gujarat

3. Mallikarjuna at Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh

4. Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh

5. Kedarnath in Uttarakhand

6. Bhimashankar in Maharashtra

7. Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra

8. Aurangabad’s Grishneshwar in Maharashtra

9. Viswanath at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh

10. Baidyanath Temple in Jharkhand’s Deoghar

11. Rameshwar at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu

Jyotirlingas are sacred shrines of Lord Shiva; it is believed that Lord Shiva himself visited these places and hence they have a special place in the hearts of devotees.
There are 12 of them in India.
Jyotirlingameans ‘column or pillar of light’. The ‘stambha’ symbol represents that there is no beginning or end.

Shri Mahakaleswar Corridor:

It is the first phase of the Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project worth ?856 crores.
After completion will become one of the largest corridors in the country.
The project spreads around the old Rudrasagarlake.
The lake has also been redeveloped as part of the Mahakal River project.
The project will not only bring a large number of devotees to Ujjain but will also make the city a global tourist destination.

About Ujjain:

The city of Ujjain was also one of the primary centers of learning for Hindu scriptures, called Avantika in the 6^thand 7^thcenturies BC.
Astronomers and mathematicians such as Brahmaguptaand Bhaskaracharyaalso made Ujjain their home.
According to Surya Siddhanta (4^th century),which is one of the earliest available texts on Indian astronomy, Ujjain is geographically situated at the intersection of zero meridians of longitude (Madhyarekha)and the Tropic of Cancer (Karkavrutta) intersect.
This is the reason often sighted for it being connected to time and space, and the main Shiva temple is dedicated to Mahakal, the lord of time.

CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPSC IAS