Mahakaleshwar Temple

King Chandrasena of Ujjain as a great devotee of lord Shiva and prayed to him all the time. Once, while he was praying, he was overheard by a farmer’s son, Shrikhar. The lad wished to pray along with the king but was thrown out by the palace soldiers and taken to the outskirts of Ujjain. The boy then overheard kings Ripudamana and Singhaditya, rivals of Ujjain, talk about attacking the city. He immediately began praying to the Lord to protect his city. The priest Vridhi heard the news and at the behest of his sons, began to pray to Lord Shiva at the banks of the river Kshipra. Ripudamana and Singhaditya attacked Ujjain with the help of the demon Dushan and were successful in plundering the city and attacking the devotees of lord Shiva. On hearing the plea of the priest and his devotees, Lord Shiv appeared in his mahakal form and defeated Ripudamana and Singhaditya. At the behest of Shrikhar and Vridhi, he agreed to stay on in Ujjain to protect  the city and his devotees. From that day onwards, the Lord has resided in his mahakal form in the lingam, and anyone who worships the lingam is supposed to be free from death and diseases and is also blessed by the Lord for the rest of his life.