Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.3461

c9.3461

UJJAYINĪ. One of the seven very sacred places in ancient India. Its ancient name was Avantī. The seven sacred cities are: Ayodhyā, Mathurā, Māyā, Kāśī, Kāñcī, Avantikā, and Dvāravatī. The famous Mahākāla temple described by Kālidāsa was on the banks of the river Śiprā flowing through Ujjayinī. Jyotirliṅga of Śiva is the presiding deity in the temple. There is also a holy bathing ghat called Koṭitīrtha here. A bath in it is as beneficial as an Aśvamedha yajña. (M.B. Vana Parva, Chapter 82).