Ash before dawn, understanding the Bhasma aarti

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Namaste. Let us begin this sitting in the quiet of early morning. Close your eyes for a moment if you are able, and imagine the city before the sun is up.

In our first two sittings we heard the stories the Shiva Purana tells about Avanti, and we sat with the name Mahakala, the great one beyond time. Today we go into the temple at the hour when most of the city is still asleep, to understand the worship Mahakaleshwar is best known for, the Bhasma aarti.

Let us start with the words. An aarti is worship with lamps. The priest waves a lamp before the deity while those present sing or chant, and at the end devotees often pass their hands over the flame and touch their eyes. Bhasma means sacred ash. So the Bhasma aarti is the morning worship at Mahakaleshwar in which ash is offered to the linga, followed by the waving of lamps.

This is the first worship of the day at the temple, and it takes place before dawn. There are other aartis through the day, and in the evening the temple fills again. The Bhasma aarti is the one people speak of most, and many devotees hold it in their hearts for years after they have seen it once.

What happens during it? We will describe it in simple terms, as the temple committee and devotees describe it, and we suggest you read the committee's own account for the full detail.

The day at the temple begins with the linga being bathed. This bathing is called abhisheka, and it is done with water and with offerings such as milk and curd, while the priests chant. Then the linga is adorned, a part of the worship called shringar. After this comes the offering of ash, and then the aarti itself, with large lamps, the sound of conches and the beat of the damaru, the small hand drum that belongs to Shiva.

The shringar at Mahakaleshwar is something devotees look forward to. Using flowers, sandal paste, cloth and ornaments, the priests adorn the linga, and very often they shape a gentle face upon it, with eyes, a tilak on the forehead, sometimes a crown. The adornment is different from day to day and from festival to festival. Many devotees who cannot travel look at pictures of the day's shringar each morning, the way one might look in on an elder in the family.

Those who attend usually speak of the sound first. The chanting rises and falls. The bells and drums fill the space. And then, when the lamps are raised, many people fall quiet, and all you hear is the ringing.

There are old stories about where the ash for this aarti came from in earlier times, and people tell them in different ways. We will not repeat what is said in the queue. The temple committee explains how the ash is prepared for the ritual today, and that is the account to trust.

Now, why ash?

If you have seen pictures of Shiva, you will have noticed that his body is often shown covered with ash, and his forehead marked with three horizontal lines of it. This mark is called the tripundra. In the Shiva tradition, ash is one of the most sacred things there is, and the Shiva Purana has passages that praise the wearing of ash and the tripundra by devotees. For this reason, many Shaiva devotees wear ash on their foreheads every day.

What does ash mean? Different teachers explain it in different ways, and we will share the reading that devotees most often give. Ash is what remains when a fire has finished its work. Wood, cloth, anything that burns, all of it comes down to this same soft grey powder. It cannot be burned again. It is simple and it is the same everywhere.

So when ash is offered to Mahakala, the lord beyond time, devotees often hear a quiet reminder in it. Everything we build and hold will change and pass, in time. What remains when all of that has gone is what Shiva stands for. This is not meant to be a gloomy thought. People who attend the Bhasma aarti usually come out feeling lighter. There is some relief in remembering what matters and letting go of the rest.

We can also connect this with the story we heard in the first sitting. The Purana says that when Shiva appeared as Mahakala at Avanti, the asura Dushana was reduced to ash. Some devotees see a link between that moment in the story and the ash offered here every morning. That is a devotional reading, and it is a lovely one, but the Purana does not draw that line itself.

Now let us speak practically, about how to attend with respect.

First, arrangements. Places at the Bhasma aarti are limited, and they are arranged only through the temple committee's own official channels. Please use those channels and nothing else, and read the committee's current instructions before you travel, because they do change.

Second, dress. The committee sets a dress code for those who go close to the linga, and the details are published by the committee. Follow it as written. It is part of the temple's discipline, and the staff will ask you to follow it.

Third, the hour itself. You will need to arrive well before the aarti, in the dark, and there may be a long wait, often standing or sitting on the floor. Please think about your own health before you plan this. If you are elderly, pregnant, unwell, or taking medication that makes early mornings or long waits hard for you, speak with your doctor first, and follow their advice. Carry water if it is allowed, eat something light if your doctor says you should, and do not hesitate to sit down or step out if you feel uncomfortable. Looking after yourself is part of a respectful visit.

Fourth, inside. Keep your voice low. Follow the queue and the instructions of the temple staff, even when the crowd is pressing. At certain moments of the aarti, the staff may ask for particular customs to be observed. Follow their guidance quietly. Customs belong to the temple, they may differ from what you know at home, and it is not our place to rank one tradition above another. Where phones and cameras are not allowed, put them away fully. Many people who attend say they are glad they did, because what they remember is the aarti itself.

And if you are there with children or elders, keep them close, and let them sit at the edges where it is calmer.

When the aarti is over, there is no need to rush away. Many devotees sit for a little while in the temple courtyard as the sky begins to lighten. The city wakes around you. Tea stalls open, the first buses start, the bells of smaller shrines begin. It is a good time to sit quietly with whatever you felt inside, before the day takes over.

Many people will never attend the Bhasma aarti in person, and that is perfectly fine. Some join from home through broadcasts that the temple itself makes available. Others simply wake a little early one morning, light a lamp at home, and sit quietly at the same hour, thinking of Mahakal. Devotion was never limited to those who stand closest to the sanctum. We heard that in the story of Shrikara, the boy with his stone.

If you would like, let us try a short moment of that now. Sit comfortably. Let your breath slow down. If you wish, say Om softly, yourself, three times, at your own pace. I will be quiet while you do.

Now let the sound settle, and sit for a few breaths in the silence it leaves.

Let us gather what we heard today.

The Bhasma aarti is the first worship of the day at Mahakaleshwar, held before dawn. The linga is bathed, adorned and offered ash, and then worshipped with lamps, conches and the damaru. Ash is sacred in the Shiva tradition, and devotees often understand it as a reminder that all things change in time while Shiva remains. To attend, use only the temple committee's official channels, follow its dress code and staff, and look after your health.

One thing to take with you. Ash is what remains when the burning is over. Once this week, before you sleep, think of one worry you are carrying and, in your mind, let it burn down to ash. Then let it be.

In the next sitting, we step out of the temple and walk through Ujjain around it, to the Shipra river, to Harsiddhi, to Kaal Bhairav, and to the ashram of the sage Sandipani.

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• Listen: Ash before dawn, understanding the Bhasma aarti
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• All episodes of Ujjain: Mahakal's court