At Siddhavat, on the Shipra bank in Bhairavgarh, the families who come for ancestor rites are recorded in "Bahi-Khata" registers kept by hereditary record-keepers, according to TripAdvisor reviewers. This guide covers Siddhavat Ujjain timings and shraddh puja: the hours listed online, the rituals people book, when to go, and what we could not confirm. Timings come from one tour site only, so please verify them on the day.
The banyan and what is said about it
Siddhavat is a sacred banyan tree on the Shipra (Kshipra) bank. A local travel site, ujjaindarshan.com, describes it as one of India's four immortal banyans (Akshayavat), alongside those at Prayagraj, Gaya and Vrindavan. That is the site's claim, not a scholarly one.
The same site relays a local tradition: Mughal rulers tried to destroy the tree by cutting it and capping it with iron sheets, and it sprouted back. Treat it as a story told locally. Wikipedia's entry on the temple does not mention the Puranas, the four banyans or the Mughals. It does call the place a Shaktibhed shrine and notes rites for ancestors' sadgati and thread tying on the banyans for property.
Facts box: timings, aarti, entry
| Item | Listed detail (ujjaindarshan.com only) |
|---|---|
| Open | 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily |
| Morning aarti | 7:00 AM |
| Evening aarti | 7:30 PM |
| Entry | Free |
All of this is from ujjaindarshan.com alone, a tour site rather than the temple. We found no official page, so verify on arrival. TripAdvisor's page also lists no cost and appears to agree on free entry.
The ritual menu for shraddh puja
ujjaindarshan.com, a tour and booking-style site, lists these, usually after a bath in the river:
- Pind daan for ancestors.
- Pitra dosh shanti.
- Kalsarp puja.
- Milk abhishek poured at the roots of the tree.
- Sacred thread tying, done for a child, a marriage or business.
When to go
That site suggests 6 to 11 AM as the ideal window for rituals. It says crowds peak in Pitru Paksha and on Somvati Amavasya, and suggests pre-booking a pandit in busy periods. Pitru Paksha 2026 runs from 26 September (one source says 27 September) to 10 October, ending on Sarva Pitri Amavasya. These dates come from search snippets, so check a panchang.
What visitors say
TripAdvisor shows 4.3 out of 5 from 53 reviews, ranked 16th of 49 attractions in Ujjain. Reviewers describe the priests positively, but some complain about upkeep and cleanliness. The TripAdvisor page also notes that summers are hot, so wear light clothes.
Location and how to reach it from Mahakaleshwar
The temple is at Bhairavgarh, on the Shipra. Wikipedia gives coordinates 23°13'26"N 75°46'37"E and notes that Bhairavgarh is known for tie-and-dye printing. From Mahakaleshwar it is roughly 5 to 6 km (TripAdvisor says about 5, ujjaindarshan says about 6), about 15 to 20 minutes by auto or cab according to ujjaindarshan. TripAdvisor says autos and rickshaws are available near Mahakaleshwar. Bhartrihari Caves and Mangalnath are listed as nearby.
What we could not confirm
- A fixed dakshina or official price list. We found none, and we are not suggesting any amount. As an illustration only, one booking site lists a pind daan in Ujjain at Rs 7,100, but that listing is for Ram Ghat, not Siddhavat, and is a single commercial listing, not an official rate. Whatever you decide, agree on what is included before any rite begins.
- Narayan Nagbali. Ujjain pandit-booking sites list it, but we could not verify it is performed at Siddhavat.
- Distance to the Kal Bhairav temple. Not found.
- Touts, and any cow-dung practice. No sources either way.
- An official phone number. The only number we found belongs to a tour operator, not the temple, so we are not printing it.
Other places
If you are also interested in ancestor rites near Indore, see our guide to Pitra Parvat in Indore. Other guides: Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga from Indore and Khajrana Ganesh Temple.
Last verified: 2026-09-26. Prices and timings change; confirm on the day.
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