On the first day of the new year, a large number of devotees visited the Mahakal temple in Ujjain. The temple opened at 4 am and witnessed approximately 45,000 devotees during the morning hours. By 9 am, over 2 lakh devotees had arrived to seek blessings. Due to the overwhelming crowd,...
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the railway department ran a special train from Ujjain to Bhopal at 7:30 pm. Another special train was operated from Sehore to Ujjain at 22:45, with stops at Shuajalpur, Berchha, and Maksi. All hotels, homestays, and dharamshalas in Ujjain were fully booked. The temple committee claimed that devotees were able to complete darshan within 40 minutes, with the devotees being guided through different routes within the temple complex. However, the early morning darshan facility was closed, and only VIPs were allowed to use the Nandi Hall for darshan. Senior citizens and differently-abled individuals were allowed entry through gate number one at the Avantika Dwar. Online bookings for the 1st January 2024 Bhasma Aarti were fully booked a month prior, and offline bookings, which opened at 6 am on December 31st, were filled within an hour.