The Heart of India
Two Jyotirlingas, One Sacred River
Madhya Pradesh, sitting at the geographic centre of India, holds two of the twelve Jyotirlingas — Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain, the only south-facing Jyotirlinga and famed for its extraordinary 4am Bhasma Aarti using sacred ash, and Omkareshwar, where the Narmada river flows around a sacred Om-shaped island holding two Jyotirlingas in one place. Ujjain itself is one of the four Kumbh Mela cities, hosting the Simhastha Kumbh once every twelve years.
Amarkantak, the source of the Narmada, marks the starting point of the legendary 2,600 km Narmada Parikrama — a circumambulation of the entire river on foot considered one of the most demanding and meritorious pilgrimages in India, traditionally taking three years to complete.
25Major pilgrimage sites
2Jyotirlingas in state
2,600kmNarmada Parikrama length
