Anadikalpeshwar Mahadev Ujjain: The Linga Before Creation

What is Anadikalpeshwar Mahadev in Ujjain?

Anadikalpeshwar Mahadev is the fifth linga among Ujjain's 84 Mahadevs. Its story is told in the fifth chapter of the Chaturashiti Linga Mahatmya, in the Avantya Khanda of the Skanda Purana. The Purana calls it a beginningless, eternal linga that appeared before creation, whose beginning and end even Brahma and Vishnu could not see.

The Sanskrit form is "Anadikalpeshvara". In English it is also spelled Anadi Kalpeshwar or Anadikalpeshvara, and some Hindi pages write it as two words.

Local accounts place the temple inside the MahakalShree Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, the heart of Ujjain. temple complex, near the Juna Mahakal temple.

What are the key facts about Anadikalpeshwar Mahadev?

What is the Skanda Purana story of Anadikalpeshwar Mahadev?

At the start of the chapter Shiva tells Parvati to know Anadikalpeshwar as the fifth deity. Hymns, he says, praise this deity as destroyer of all sins, beginningless and eternal.

When nothing existed

According to the Purana the linga manifested itself at the beginning of the kalpa. There was no fire, no sun, no earth, no quarters or firmament, no wind or water, no heaven, moon or planets. There were no devas, asuras, gandharvas, pishachas or rakshasas either.

The mobile and immobile universe came out of this linga, and at dissolution it merges into it. The races of devas, sages and ancestors, the manvantaras, and the families of kings are all said to originate from it.

The name and the dispute

The Purana says that in every kalpa this deity is called "anadi", beginningless, and hence he is Anadikalpeshwar.

At the start of the kalpa a dispute arose between Brahma and Keshava. The question was who was the cause of creation, and each said, "I am the greater one."

The sky's condition

Then a divine voice without a body spoke from the firmament: there is a linga named Kalpeshwar in Mahakalavana. Whoever sees its beginning or end shall become the Lord.

Brahma up, Vishnu down

Brahma went to the limitless upper world. Vishnu hurried to the nether worlds. Brahma found no end, and Vishnu found no beginning.

Praise and naming

They returned empty-handed, praised each other, and stood in front of the linga. Then they hymned it with Vedic praises and declared that from that day it would be well known as "Anadikalpa".

At the end of the story Keshava and Brahma take their places on the left and right sides of the linga.

What fruits does the Skanda Purana promise for Anadikalpeshwar darshan?

Shiva does not state this chapter's phalashruti himself. In the group of verses 32 to 41 these claims come in the words of praise spoken by Brahma and Vishnu:

1. Even a man of wicked mind, defiled by the five great sins, may attain Shiva by seeing this deity.
2. Seeing the linga gives the merit of holy baths at all the tirthas, or even more.
3. Worshipping the linga gives the merit of a horse-sacrifice or a Rajasuya.
4. In the hymn, those who have not seen Anadikalpeshwar are called mere brutes in the world, and their birth is called purposeless.

The sacrifice merit is tied to worship, not to darshan alone. The chapter names no tithi, month or weekday.

Is the Anadikalpeshwar story the same as the Shiva Purana's linga story?

A story of Brahma and Vishnu searching for the ends of a linga also appears in the Shiva Purana, so the two are often blended. In the Shiva Purana's Rudra Samhita it appears in a chapter titled "The dispute between Brahma and Vishnu". The two stories are different, and mixing them is a mistake.

Which popular claims about Anadikalpeshwar Mahadev do not match the Purana?

Some claims have attached themselves to this story that are not in the Skanda Purana text, or that have no firm source.

What else do people ask about Anadikalpeshwar Mahadev?

How are Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra related to this linga?

According to the Skanda Purana, Anadikalpeshwar is the unmanifest, subtle Purusha, free of smell, form, taste, sound and touch, and the cause of the three gunas. The same Ishvara becomes Brahma through rajas, Vishnu through sattva and Rudra through tamas. The Purana explains this with a farmer who sows, protects and then reaps.

Does merely hearing the Anadikalpeshwar story give a fruit?

Yes. The chapter says that merely by listening to this story one attains the greatest region. This fruit is counted separately from the fruits of darshan and worship. The statement names no rite, day or number.

Is there a special day for Anadikalpeshwar darshan?

The Skanda Purana's Anadikalpeshwar chapter names no special tithi, month or weekday for darshan. The 84 Mahadev yatra runs in Sawan and in the extra month (Adhik Maas), and Anadikalpeshwar is its fifth halt. That is a yatra tradition, not a Purana rule.

What are the separate darshan timings of Anadikalpeshwar Mahadev?

No confirmed separate darshan timing is available for the Anadikalpeshwar sub-shrine. The temple is said to stand inside the Mahakal complex, so ask the temple committee or a priest in the complex for accurate timings.

Where does Anadikalpeshwar sit in Ujjain's 84 Mahadev tradition?

In the order of the Chaturashiti Linga Mahatmya, Agastyeshwar is first, Guheshwar second, Dhundheshwar third, Damarukeshwar fourth and Anadikalpeshwar fifth. Svarnajvaleshwar follows as sixth. The tirtha list in chapter 70 of the Avantikshetra Mahatmya gives the same order.

The Anadikalpeshwar chapter deals with the cause of creation and the nature of the divine, and explains how Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra arise from the three gunas.

For the full list, see the complete circuit guide to Ujjain's 84 Mahadev temples.

After Anadikalpeshwar, which linga does the 84 Mahadev story move to?

The Anadikalpeshwar chapter ends with the fruit of hearing the story. The next chapter is Svarnajvaleshwar's, the sixth linga.