Tradition of Clay Pitchers Tied to Mahakal’s Head: Cooling Ritual and Symbolic Streams

At the onset of the month of Vaishakh, a tradition is observed in the court of the world-renowned Baba Mahakal by tying clay pitchers to his head. This tradition is carried out to provide relief from the heat.

In the Mahakal temple, the daily rituals of Lord Mahadev are adjusted according to the weather conditions

Just as the weather changes, adjustments are made in the daily rituals of Mahadev as well. Currently, as the heat is quite intense, clay pitchers made of clay are tied to the head of Baba Mahakal in the Mahakal temple, from the first day of the dark fortnight of Vaishakh until the full moon day. A continuous stream of cool water is now flowing.

According to tradition The story behind the practice of flowing a stream of water on the head of Lord Mahakal is as follows

During the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), to protect creation, Lord Shiva consumed poison. The consumption of this poison named Kalakuta was to calm its heat. Therefore, the ritual of bathing Lord Bholenath is performed to calm the heat during summer. As the temperature rises during the day, the continuous flow of water is maintained.

Dirty water in Kshipra River In Ujjain, Congress candidate Mahesh Paramar was seen sitting in the sewage water of the Kshipra River, challenging the administration. Various rivers’ water streams The pitchers tied to the head of Baba Mahakal represent symbolically the streams of water from various rivers, including the Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Shipra, Kaveri, Sarayu, Narmada, Sindhu, and Gandak. This sequence of continuous water flow on Lord Bholenath will continue from the morning Aarti to the evening Aarti. This rule of tying clay pitchers in this manner is also observed in other temples of the city like Mangalnath and Angareshwar. Many Shiva temples adhere to this practice.