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During the third Monday of the month of Sawan, a large crowd of pilgrims gathered in Ujjain square, wishing to see the deities of Shiva in the Mahakalishwar temple. During this period, a large number of visitors were also observed at the Nagchandreshwar temple, which opens only once a year on Nag Panchami. Due to the large gathering of devotees on the temple premises, a situation resembling panic arose, resulting in reports of fainting and deterioration of health among some attendees. Nevertheless, the Mahakalishwar temple committee refuted the information spread on social media regarding the incident.

Questions arise: why did such situations occur around the Nagchandreshwar temple, and why does this temple open only once a year, on the day of Nag Panchami? The explanation of this tradition is presented below.

Significance of the Nagchandreshwar Temple

The Nagchandreshwar temple is located in Ujjain, on the third floor of the Mahakalishwar temple. Its main feature is that its doors are open to pilgrims only once a year, on the day of Nag Panchami, for 24 hours.

According to an ancient legend, the serpent king Takshak performed severe austerities to appease Lord Shiva. Buddhanath was pleased with his devotion and granted him immortality. However, having received this blessing, Takshak was not completely satisfied. He asked Mahadeva for permission to live always near him, requesting permission to reside in the Mahakal forest. Lord Shiva agreed to this request and also blessed him that there would be no disturbances in his solitude and practice. This is why the doors of this temple open only once a year, on Nag Panchami, to preserve Takshak's solitude.

Trikala Puja at the Nagchandreshwar Temple

The ethereal form of Shri Nagchandreshwar is located on the third floor of the Shri Mahakalishwar temple in Ujjain and is considered the sacred abode of the serpent king Takshak. According to religious beliefs, simply seeing the deity Nagchandreshwar in this temple frees a person from all types of snake curses.

As soon as the doors of the Nagchandreshwar temple open, a special Trikala Puja ceremony is conducted here, which includes three separate worships throughout the day.

The first worship is performed by the Mahanirvani Akhada immediately after the temple doors open at midnight. The second worship (during the day) is conducted by government representatives at noon on Nag Panchami. The third worship (in the evening) is performed by the priests of the Mahakal temple after the evening Aarti of Lord Mahakala at 7:30 PM by the temple committee.

After this, a special Mahaaarti is performed at midnight, and after the Aarti concludes, the temple doors are closed for another year.

Traditions of the Nagchandreshwar Temple

Every year on Nag Panchami, as soon as the doors of the Nagchandreshwar temple open at midnight, a stream of pilgrims begins to visit to see the deities of Shiva and the serpent king. According to centuries-old tradition, monks from the Mahanirvani Akhada conduct the ritual of opening the temple doors. As part of this rite, according to Shaivite tradition, worship and puja are performed with the tying of a coconut. After this, the temple doors are opened for ordinary pilgrims under the chants of 'Jai Shri Mahakal' and 'Jai Nagchandreshwar.'

Students and faculty of IIT Kanpur organized a special pilgrimage procession during the month of Sawan. Students, the director, and all members of the institute collected sacred water from Sarsaiya Ghat and walked to the Anandeswar Mahadeva temple located in Permita. Upon arrival, everyone performed the traditional worship ritual to Lord Shiva. This pilgrimage procession proceeded with chants of 'Bol Bam' to convey a message of faith, discipline, and cultural participation.

After the worship ritual, Mahant Baal Yogi Arun Puri Chaitanya Ji blessed the students.

Many students and staff of IIT Kanpur participated in this special cultural event, including professors Nachiketa Tiwari, Ahlesh Virmani, Aditi Saxena, Ayushi Ojha, and Shivam Trivedi. During the journey, Avad Bhivari Mishra provided the students with information about the cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance of the Ganges River.

Professor Nachiketa Tiwari highly praised this student initiative and called for it to be held on a larger scale in the coming years. He suggested that in the future, this initiative could go beyond a traditional pilgrimage and transform into a broad campaign aimed at raising awareness about water conservation and the importance of water resources.

Student Shivam Trivedi noted that the participation of IIT students in the pilgrimage procession demonstrates another facet of the modern youth. He emphasized that Generation Z and Generation Alpha should not be viewed solely through the lens of social media and technology; young people are connected both to modern technologies and innovations and to India's cultural traditions, religious heritage, the Ganges River, and their social responsibility.

On the third Monday of the month of Sawan, a stream of devotees poured into Shiva temples across the country. In Varanasi, the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham temple was richly decorated with flowers. From early morning, crowds gathered to visit Baba Vishwanath temple.

Furthermore, the Baba Bayajnath temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand state, also saw a huge influx of parishioners. A queue of kanwids stretched for about 8 kilometers there. Both shrines were filled with shouts of 'Har Har Mahadeva' and 'Bol Bam.'