Harsiddhi Mata Temple (Shakti Peeth)

Set on the eastern bank of the placid Rudra Sagar tank, a short walk from the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, the Harsiddhi Mata Temple is counted among the great Shakti Peethas of the subcontinent and ranks among Ujjain's most atmospheric shrines.

• By tradition it marks a spot sanctified by the fall of a part of the goddess Sati, and the sanctum enshrines the Devi in a deep vermilion form flanked by images of Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati, with a revered Sri Yantra installed for tantric worship.
• The goddess is also remembered in local lore as the tutelary deity (kuldevi) of the legendary king Vikramaditya, whose Ujjain looms large in Indian storytelling, giving the temple a resonance that reaches well beyond ritual.
• The temple you see today largely reflects renovation during the Maratha (Scindia) era in the eighteenth century, though the site's sanctity is far older.
• Its signature feature stands in the forecourt: two soaring blackstone lamp-towers, or Deepstambhs, each studded with scores of small cups.
• At dusk, and most spectacularly through the nine nights of Navratri, attendants climb and kindle the oil lamps until both pillars flare into columns of living fire against the darkening sky, mirrored in the still water of Rudra Sagar behind them.
• It is one of the most photographed sights in the temple city and worth timing a visit around.
• Visitors should dress modestly, remove footwear before entering, and follow the quiet queue discipline that keeps the compact sanctum calm even on busy evenings.
• Photography is generally welcome in the courtyard around the Deepstambhs, though restraint is expected inside the shrine.
• The setting rewards an unhurried circuit of the tank, and the walk from Mahakaleshwar links the two easily.
• For food, stay simple and vegetarian, as the whole precinct favours.
• Ujjain's classic breakfast of poha topped with crisp jalebi is sold at pure-veg stalls along the Mahakal approach roads, and modest pure-veg thali kitchens and sweet shops near the temple lane serve dal-baati, kachori and sabudana khichdi for fasting days; ask for the pure-veg counter and choose plain, bhang-free thandai or lassi to drink.