The board over the gate reads Shaktipith Gadkalika Temple, Ujjain. The goddess here is Kalika, worshipped in her Garh Kalika form, and the shrine is one of the old Shakti sites of the city — a compact temple reached through a lane of stalls selling chunri, garlands and prasad.
Kalidasa's goddess
What makes Gadkalika particular is who worshipped here. Kalidasa — the greatest poet of classical Sanskrit, author of the Meghaduta and Abhijnanashakuntalam — is held by tradition to have been her devotee.
The story told locally is that he arrived without learning or gift of speech, and that it was the goddess who granted him language. For a city that also produced the Vikram Samvat and its own meridian, it is a fittingly literary piece of legend.
Going there
The temple sits away from the Mahakaleshwar cluster, near the Bhartrihari caves — do the two together, they are a short distance apart and take about an hour and a half between them.
It is busiest during Navratri, when the queue runs well beyond the gate and the lane outside turns into a full bazaar.
- SignificanceShaktipith — Garh Kalika
- Associated withThe poet Kalidasa
- LocationNear the Bhartrihari caves
- BusiestNavratri
Tip — Pair it with the Bhartrihari caves — they are close, and nothing else is out that way.
Frequently asked
Why is the Gadkalika temple famous?
It is a Shaktipith, and by tradition the temple of the goddess who granted the poet Kalidasa his command of language.
