Ujjain: The routine bhasmaarti at Mahakaleshwar Temple will start slightly late on wee hours of Wednesday (July 17) in wake of Chandra Grahan (lunar eclipse). Government priest Ghanshyam Sharma informed that the ‘sutak’ of grahan will start from 4.30 pm on Tuesday (July 16). ‘Sparsh’ of grahan will be at 1.33 pm between July 16-17 and its ‘moksha’ will be at 4.30 am. During ‘grahankaal’, entry and worship at the temple is not considered good.
Soon after moksha time, the gates of Mahakaleshwar Temple will be opened at about 4.30 am which will be followed by extensive washing. Bhasmaarti which is generally starts from 4.20 am is likely to be delayed on that day and chances are fewer that the devotees will be allowed to offer ‘jalabhishek’. In wake of lunar eclipse, the free-of-cost annakshetra which is run by the Mahakaleshwar Temple will also remain closed from 4 pm on July 16.