Shri Mangalnath Mahadev Temple

Ujjain has long been a seat of jyotisha. This temple on the Shipra is honoured as the birthplace of Mangal, the planet Mars. The story told in the Avanti khand is that, during Shiva’s battle with Andhaka, a red child rose from the earth out of Shiva’s radiance. That child is Mangal, also called Bhauma.

Here Mangal is worshipped in the form of a Shivalinga. Tuesday is his day. The bhaat puja — an offering of cooked rice — is the rite families ask for when Mars is harsh in a chart, especially when marriage is delayed or the home is full of argument.