Mahakaleshwar Temple timings
The Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee publishes five aartis a day in two seasonal tables, one for Chaitra Krishna Pratipada to Ashwin Purnima and one for Kartik Krishna Pratipada to Phalgun Purnima. The Bhasma Aarti is 4:00 AM to 6:00 AM in both, and the Shayan Aarti closes the day at 10:30 PM to 11:00 PM. The three aartis between them move by half an hour with the season. The committee does not publish a general darshan window; Madhya Pradesh Tourism gives the temple as open from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. with no afternoon break.
Photo: Ashverse, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mahakaleshwar timings through the day
No official source publishes daily timings for Mahakaleshwar that this page could verify.
Best time for darshan. For a quieter darshan, avoid the two booked peaks the committee publishes, the 04:00 Bhasma Aarti and the late Sandhya and Shayan Aartis, and aim for the late morning after Bhog Aarti or the afternoon, when MP Tourism states the temple stays open with no break.
Mahakaleshwar aarti timings
Full daily schedule
The committee's table for Chaitra Krishna Pratipada to Ashwin Purnima, the Hindu calendar half of the year running roughly from March to October, which applies on the date this page was checked. The other half-year's times are set out further down.
| Time | What happens | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 04:00 – 06:00 | Bhasma Aarti. Booked in advance | Ritual |
| 07:00 – 07:45 | Dadyodak Aarti (Bal Bhog) | Ritual |
| 10:00 – 10:45 | Bhog Aarti | Ritual |
| 19:00 – 19:45 | Sandhya Aarti. Seats booked online | Ritual |
| 22:30 – 23:00 | Shayan Aarti. Seats booked online | Ritual |
Mahakaleshwar timings during festivals
Maha Shivaratri February/March
The committee states the traditional afternoon Bhasma Aarti is performed after the Sehra Darshan, the one day it is held in the afternoon.
Nag Panchami Shravan (July/August)
The Nagchandreshwar temple on the top level opens for darshan, the only day of the year it does.
Mahakal Sawari Shravan and Bhadrapada
The deity is carried in a palanquin procession to Shipra Ghat for worship, drawing large crowds.
How to read the Mahakaleshwar schedule
The committee publishes when the aartis run and when their bookings open. It does not publish when the general queue opens and closes, and that difference matters when planning a day.
Every day, all year 04:00 – 06:00
Unchanged across both seasonal tables. The committee describes it as performed every day, and it is booked in advance.
Three aartis shift 30 minutes
Dadyodak and Bhog Aarti are half an hour later from Kartik to Phalgun; Sandhya Aarti is half an hour earlier.
Bhasma Aarti 08:00
Regular booking on the 1st of the previous month, Tatkal one day before the selected date, both at 8:00 AM.
Sandhya and Shayan Aarti 12:00 and 16:00
Sandhya Aarti booking opens daily at noon, Shayan Aarti at 4:00 PM, first come, first served.
By the committee Darshan hours
The committee's timings page lists aartis only. MP Tourism gives the temple as open from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. with no afternoon break.
Nagchandreshwar Nag Panchami
The Nagchandreshwar temple on the upper floor opens for darshan only on Nag Panchami, according to the committee.
Other hours at Mahakaleshwar
The committee publishes a second aarti table for the other half of the year, and a separate clock for when bookings open. MP Tourism publishes the one number the committee does not: the temple's opening hours.
- Bhasma Aarti, Kartik to PhalgunSame as Chaitra to Ashwin
- 04:00 – 06:00
- Dadyodak Aarti (Bal Bhog), Kartik to PhalgunHalf an hour later
- 07:30 – 08:15
- Bhog Aarti, Kartik to PhalgunHalf an hour later
- 10:30 – 11:15
- Sandhya Aarti, Kartik to PhalgunHalf an hour earlier
- 18:30 – 19:15
- Shayan Aarti, Kartik to PhalgunSame as Chaitra to Ashwin
- 22:30 – 23:00
- Bhasma Aarti booking, regularOfficial website only
- 08:00, 1st of the previous month
- Bhasma Aarti booking, TatkalOfficial website only
- 08:00, the day before
- Sandhya Aarti bookingFirst come, first served
- Opens 12:00 daily
- Shayan Aarti bookingFirst come, first served
- Opens 16:00 daily
- Temple open, per MP TourismNo afternoon break; not published by the committee
- 04:00 – 23:00
Not verified yet 4 items no official source publishes
- General darshan hours from the temple committee. MP Tourism gives 4 a.m. to 11 p.m., but the committee's timings page lists aartis only.
- The exact Gregorian dates on which the seasonal aarti table changes in 2026.
- Festival day timings for Mahashivratri, Shravan Mondays and Nag Panchami, when the committee describes different rituals.
- Queue and waiting times, which nobody outside the temple measures reliably.
Know one of these from an official notice? Send it to us and the page is updated with a new date.
What people ask about the schedule
Answered from the published schedule, and marked unverified where it is.
What are the Mahakaleshwar aarti timings?
From Chaitra to Ashwin: Bhasma Aarti 4:00 to 6:00 AM, Dadyodak Aarti 7:00 to 7:45 AM, Bhog Aarti 10:00 to 10:45 AM, Sandhya Aarti 7:00 to 7:45 PM and Shayan Aarti 10:30 to 11:00 PM.
Where do these timings come from?
From the timings page of the Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee on shrimahakaleshwar.mp.gov.in, read on the date shown under the table. The temple opening hours come separately from Madhya Pradesh Tourism and are labelled as such.
Do the timings change in winter?
Three of them do. From Kartik to Phalgun, Dadyodak Aarti is 7:30 to 8:15 AM, Bhog Aarti 10:30 to 11:15 AM and Sandhya Aarti 6:30 to 7:15 PM. Bhasma and Shayan Aarti stay the same.
When does each seasonal table apply?
The committee defines them by the Hindu calendar: Chaitra Krishna Pratipada to Ashwin Purnima, and Kartik Krishna Pratipada to Phalgun Purnima. That is roughly March to October and October to March, but exact 2026 changeover dates are not verified here.
What are the darshan timings?
The committee does not publish a general darshan window. Madhya Pradesh Tourism states the temple is open from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. and that there is no afternoon break.
Does the temple close in the afternoon?
MP Tourism states there is no interruption or break in the afternoon. The committee's timings page does not address it.
What time should I reach for Bhasma Aarti?
MP Tourism recommends arriving an hour or more before the 4 a.m. start because of the queue. The reporting time printed on a booking has not been verified here.
At what time does Bhasma Aarti booking open?
At 8:00 AM, either on the 1st of the month before your date for regular booking, or on the day before your date for Tatkal booking.
When does Sandhya Aarti booking open?
Daily at 12:00 PM. Shayan Aarti booking opens daily at 4:00 PM. Both are first come, first served.
Is there a weekly closed day?
Nothing the committee publishes indicates one, and it describes the Bhasma Aarti as performed every day. This site has not confirmed the absence of a closed day with the committee.
When is Nagchandreshwar open?
Only on Nag Panchami. The committee states the Nagchandreshwar temple on the top level opens for darshan once a year on that day.
Is the Bhasma Aarti ever held in the afternoon?
Once a year. The committee states that on Mahashivratri the traditional afternoon Bhasma Aarti is performed after the Sehra Darshan.
Back to the whole temple
The dress code, the entry rules and everything else about Mahakaleshwar that has been verified against a published source.