Punjab Newsline | Ujjain

Ujjain witnessed a massive influx of devotees on the third Monday of Sawan as thousands of pilgrims gathered for special darshan at the Mahakaleshwar Temple and the Nagchandreshwar Temple, which opens to devotees only once a year on Nag Panchami.

Amid the heavy rush, several devotees fell ill after crowd pressure increased in the barricaded area in front of the Harsiddhi Temple. Around 13 people were subsequently taken to the hospital by their relatives and security personnel.

All the affected devotees are currently undergoing treatment at Ujjain District Hospital. Doctors are closely monitoring their condition.

The heavy rush was reported across the temple premises and surrounding roads, with around 5.5 lakh devotees having visited the temple so far.

Nagchandreshwar Temple is located on the third floor of the Mahakaleshwar Temple complex. Its doors remain closed for devotees throughout the year, except on Nag Panchami. As a result, devotees from different parts of the country travel to Ujjain every year for the rare darshan.

This year, the third Monday of Sawan coincided with Nag Panchami, leading to an exceptionally large gathering in the temple city and putting additional pressure on crowd-management arrangements.

Among those reported to have been taken for medical treatment were Sagar, 15, from Kisanpura; Sajeev Nonu Chaudhary, 36, from Darbhanga, Bihar; Khushi, 20, from Bada Ganesh in Gwalior; Harishchandra, 26, from Vasna, Gujarat; Tulsi, 15, from Gujarat; Jai, 12, from Gujarat; along with Lakhan Govind and Sonam Singh.

Authorities and medical teams remain on alert as the flow of devotees continues in and around the Mahakaleshwar Temple area.