Bade Ganesh

One of the famous temples of Ujjain

Bade Ganesh

An institute for teaching Astrology and Sanskrit.

This temple situated above the pond near the Mahakaleshwar temple, enshrines a huge artistic sculpture of Ganesh, the son of Shiva. An idol of this size and beauty is rarely to be found. The middle of the temple is adorned by an idol of the pancha-mukhi (five faced) Hanuman. There is provision for learning of Sanskrit and Astrology in the temple

In the middle of the Ganesh temple lies a unique idol of loyalty and faith, that of the monkey-god, Hanuman. Nowhere else but in this temple Hanuman is depicted with five faces. Known as Panchamukhi (five-faced), Hanuman here symbolises courage, loyalty, devotion, strength, and righteousness. The Ganesh temple is also an important center of learning. This reflects on the status of temples in ancient Vedic times, circa 1500 b.c. when houses of prayer were study centers too. This practice is prevalent even today in the South Indian temple complexes where idols are worshiped and religious teachings are imparted.

In Ujjain, the Bade Ganesh Ji Temple is an institute for teaching astrology and Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language considered the root of other Indian languages.