The religious city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh is gearing up for the 4th ‘Shahi Savari’ of Lord Mahakal, which will be observed on the last ‘Shravan Somvar’, on August 4.The city administration is also providing tight security, and other facilities have also been put in place as scores of pilgrims are expected to visit Ujjain to offer prayers to Lord Mahakal, the 12th Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva.
On the auspicious occasion, the fourth traditional Savari (procession) of Lord Mahakal will be carried out in a spiritual atmosphere, vibrant devotion, and the city will be filled with saffron colour amid chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’.A total of six ‘Shahi Savaris’ will be carried out, three processions have already been carried out on the previous three Mondays of Shravan month.
The August 4th ‘Shahi Savaris’ would last in the month of Shravan, and more processions will be carried out in the month of Bhadrapada (sixth month of the Hindu religious calendar) on August 11 and 18. During the ‘Shahi Savaris’, Mahakaleshwar is carried through the city in a royal procession. The practice is a centuries-old tradition.
The procession begins after the ritual worship of Lord Chandramouleshwar inside the temple’s Sabha Mandap. These processions showcase different divine forms of Lord Shiva, riding various vahanas (celestial vehicles), representing different powers and blessings. Participating in or even witnessing this sacred event is believed to bring spiritual merit, inner strength, and divine protection.
The last procession was carried out on the 3rd ‘Shrvan Somvar’ on July 28. Lord Mahakal ventured out among his devotees in a divine trio of forms, as Chandramouleshwar in a palki (palanquin), as Manmahesh seated on an elephant, and as Shiv-Tandav on the Garuda Rath, blessing the city and symbolically learning about the well-being of his people.
During the second ‘Somvar’, the performance of eight cultural groups of Tribals from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh was presented.To ensure the safety of people and better preparation during the procession, Ujjain collector Roshan Kumar Singh had already declared a holiday on every Monday between July 14 to August 18.