A blaze erupted within the inner sanctum of Ujjain’s revered Mahakal Temple on Monday morning, leaving 13 priests wounded during the traditional ‘bhasma aarti’ ceremony. Ujjain Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh confirmed the incident, stating that a thorough investigation has been initiated.

“Thirteen priests sustained burn injuries and are currently receiving medical attention at the district hospital here. A magisterial probe has been launched,” Singh informed ANI.

Witnesses recounted that colored ‘gulal’ was being dispersed within the sanctum as part of the Holi festivities when an individual inadvertently cast it onto an earthen lamp, believed to have ignited the flames due to potentially reactive chemicals within the ‘gulal.’

Among the injured is Sanjay Guru, the chief priest overseeing the ‘bhasma aarti.’ Presently, nine individuals are reported to be in critical condition and have been transferred to Indore for specialized care.

Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma conveyed insights from an injured party, suggesting that ‘gulal’ had been mistakenly tossed onto priest Sanjeev, precipitating the fire upon contact with the lamp.

Mahakal temple corridor

In May 2023, the Mahakal Lok Temple corridor, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2022, witnessed six out of the seven Saptrishi statues displaced and two of them severely damaged after a massive thunderstorm. on May 29, 2023.

Usually, no minister or political leader prefers to stay in Ujjain as the popular belief is that Mahakal or Lord Shiva is known to be the ruler of Ujjain, hence, no other ruler can spend the night here.