Archive · 4 Oct 2026
Barricade Collapses Amid Huge Rush at Ujjain Mahakal Temple
A very large number of people visited the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain on Friday.
As devotees moved toward the temple, a barricade at Harsiddhi Square fell under the pressure of the crowd.
People were briefly confused and frightened, but officials said there was no major accident.
Security workers quickly put the queue system back in place.
Temple officials also added more quick-darshan ticket counters.
They said more than 250,000 people visited the temple that day.
A similar barricade collapse had happened during Nag Panchami on August 17, and that incident caused an accident.
A barricade at Harsiddhi Square collapsed Friday evening as devotees surged toward Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple.
No major accident was reported, and security personnel quickly restored the queue system.
Temple officials said more than 250,000 devotees had darshan on Friday.
The Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee increased quick-darshan ticket counters from one to five.
A similar barricade collapse during Nag Panchami on August 17 had resulted in an accident.
- Who
- Devotees visiting Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple; temple management and security personnel responded.
- What
- A barricade fell amid a crowd surge, causing brief confusion and panic; no major accident was reported.
- When
- Friday evening; a video of the incident emerged Saturday.
- Where
- Harsiddhi Square, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, near the route to Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple.
- Why
- The barricade fell under pressure from the increased crowd; eyewitnesses said heavy traffic around Harsiddhi Square added to congestion.
Crowd and traffic concerns
Temple management response
What contributed to the congestion
Crowd and traffic concerns
Eyewitnesses said heavy traffic around Harsiddhi Square added to congestion as devotees headed to the temple.
Temple management response
The temple management committee attributed the fallen barricades to pressure from the increased crowd.
Crowd-control measures
Crowd and traffic concerns
The collapse caused brief confusion and panic, and a similar barricade collapse during Nag Panchami had resulted in an accident.
Temple management response
Officials said security personnel quickly restored the queue system, extra arrangements were made at high-pressure points, and quick-darshan counters increased from one to five.
- Reported attendance
- More than 250,000 devotees had darshan on Friday, according to the temple management committee.
- Incident location
- Harsiddhi Square, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.
- Incident timing
- Friday evening.
- Immediate outcome
- No major accident was reported; security personnel promptly restored the queue system.
- Quick-darshan counters
- Increased from one to five as the crowd grew.
- Earlier incident
- A similar barricade collapse during Nag Panchami on August 17 had resulted in an accident.
- Other arrangements
- The committee said arrangements at Mahakal Lok, the temple complex and inside the temple remained normal.