New Delhi: A fire incident at the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, resulted in injuries to fourteen priests, including assistants known as ‘sevaks’, during the ‘bhasma aarti’ on Monday. The fire broke out in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum around 5.50 am, according to Ujjain Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh.
The unfortunate event led to burn injuries among the priests, with some receiving treatment at the local district hospital and eight others seeking medical attention in Indore. A magisterial investigation into the incident has been initiated, with Zila Panchayat CEO Mrinal Meena and Additional Collector Anukool Jain leading the probe. A report is expected within three days.
The fire was reportedly triggered when ‘gulal’ (a coloured powder used in rituals) fell onto a puja thali containing burning camphor, which subsequently spread across the floor and escalated into a blaze. The entire incident was captured by the temple’s CCTV cameras.
Priest Ashish informed reporters that the fire began after gulal was thrown as part of a Holi ritual, causing the priests to sustain burn injuries and necessitating their immediate transport to the district hospital. Despite the presence of a large crowd, including some VVIPs, in the Nandi Hall in front of the sanctum sanctorum at the time of the incident, no injuries were reported among the devotees.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, in a message on platform X, described the incident as unfortunate and assured that he was maintaining constant communication with the district administration. He further stated that everything was under control.