Shayan Aarti Mahakal: Time, Booking & Fee Rules (Oct 2026)

Key takeaways

Shayan Aarti runs 10:30–11:00 PM in both temple timetables (temple timing page, checked 7 Oct 2026).
Seated entry is booked only on shrimahakaleshwar.mp.gov.in; booking opens 4:00 PM the same day, first-come, first-served.
Fee: ₹250 per person as reported Feb 2026 (still reported Jun 2026); confirm at checkout on the portal.
Booked devotees enter through Gate No. 1 by 10:00 PM (reported Feb 2026).
Without booking, free chalit (moving) darshan continues during the aarti.

Shayan Aarti Mahakal runs 10:30 PM to 11:00 PM nightly at Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain. For a seat, book on shrimahakaleshwar.mp.gov.in from 4:00 PM the same day. The fee is ₹250 per person as reported in Feb 2026; confirm at checkout. Enter by Gate No. 1 before 10:00 PM. Moving darshan without booking is free. As of October 2026.

How this page was checked: timings were checked against the temple’s own timing page on 7 Oct 2026. Booking rules come from Feb 2026 reports (ETV Bharat, The Sootr, Daily Samvad). Written by Kshitij Kumawat, an Ujjain local guide since 2023. This site is independent and does not sell temple tickets.

Shayan Aarti Mahakal time (official schedule)

The Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee runs two seasonal timetables: one for Chaitra to Ashwin and one for Kartik to Phalgun. Several aartis shift by 30 minutes between them. Shayan Aarti does not: the Shayan Aarti Mahakaleshwar slot stays the same all year.

Season (temple timetable)	Shayan Aarti time	Source
Chaitra to Ashwin	10:30 PM to 11:00 PM	Temple timing page, checked 7 Oct 2026
Kartik to Phalgun	10:30 PM to 11:00 PM	Temple timing page, checked 7 Oct 2026

So the Mahakal Shayan Aarti time tonight is 10:30 PM, whatever the month. Shayan is the last aarti of the day. Bhasma Aarti, at 4:00 AM, is the first one of the next day.

Big festival periods such as Mahashivratri and Sawan run special schedules. We do not list festival-night Shayan times here because we could not confirm them from the temple. On those dates, read the notice on the temple portal that day.

This page covers Shayan only. For the morning and evening slots in both seasons, see our full-day Mahakal darshan timings.

Why some websites show 8:30 PM or 10 PM

Search for Shayan Aarti Ujjain timings and you will see different numbers. One travel blog lists 8:30 PM to 9:00 PM. Another lists 10:00 PM to 10:30 PM for winter. Neither matches the temple’s own table, which shows 10:30 PM in both seasons. Older pages are not always updated. When numbers clash, trust the temple portal and check it on the day you go.

Do you need booking for Shayan Aarti?

It depends on how you want to attend. Since 19 Feb 2026, there are two ways in.

Booked seat: ₹250 (reported Feb 2026)

For a seat during the aarti, you book online. The temple portal says Shayan Aarti booking is online only, on its official website, on a first-come, first-served basis. The fee is ₹250 per person as reported in Feb 2026 (ETV Bharat). Patrika still reported the same figure in June 2026. The fee is not shown on the public pages of the portal, so treat it as a reported amount. The fee is shown at checkout on shrimahakaleshwar.mp.gov.in, so confirm it there before you pay (portal checked 7 Oct 2026).

Reports say the receipt is checked for the seated area. Keep it on your phone or carry a printout.

No booking: free moving (chalit) darshan

You can still see Mahakal during Shayan Aarti without paying. Reports from Feb 2026 say chalit (moving) darshan continues during the aarti for devotees without a booking. The line moves past from Kartikeya Mandapam. You do not sit and the line keeps moving, but you do get darshan during the aarti.

So pages that say “Shayan Aarti is free” are only half right. The moving darshan is free. The seat is booked and paid.

Want to see Bhasma Aarti on the same trip? It uses a separate booking with its own fee, window and rules. See Bhasma Aarti booking fee and steps before you plan the morning.

How to book Shayan Aarti on the official portal

Mahakal Shayan Aarti booking happens in one place only: the official Shri Mahakaleshwar portal. Follow these steps.

Open shrimahakaleshwar.mp.gov.in after 4:00 PM on the day you want to attend.
Choose Shayan Aarti Booking from the online services list. The same list also shows Sandhya Aarti, Bhasma Aarti and Sheeghra Darshan, so pick the right one.
Fill in the devotee details the form asks for.
Check the fee shown at checkout. It was reported at ₹250 per person in Feb 2026, but the checkout page is the final word.
Pay on the portal and save the receipt as a screenshot or PDF.
Reach Gate No. 1 by 10:00 PM with your receipt. Carry a photo ID as a precaution. This is our advice, not a published rule.

Booking window and entry cut-off

Shayan booking opens at 4:00 PM every day, per the portal notice. Seats go first-come, first-served, so try soon after 4:00 PM. The temple has not published a seat count, and we will not guess one. As per this Feb 2026 report on Sandhya and Shayan booking, booked devotees enter through Gate No. 1 by 10:00 PM. That leaves a 30-minute buffer before the aarti starts at 10:30 PM. Do not plan to walk in at 10:25 PM.

If Shayan Aarti is full

Is tonight’s booking full? You still have three options:

Join the free chalit darshan. It runs during the aarti for devotees without a booking.
Watch from wherever you are. The temple portal has a live darshan section. We cannot confirm that Shayan is streamed every night, so check our Mahakal live darshan guide for how it works.
Book Sandhya Aarti for the next day. Its booking opens at 12:00 PM, so it suits travellers who want an earlier evening.

For help, the official portal lists a temple helpdesk number: 18002331008.

Pay only on the portal. In June 2026, the Free Press Journal reported that devotees had been charged ₹2,500 for Bhasma Aarti by agents, and an FIR followed a surprise inspection. Anyone selling you a Shayan seat outside shrimahakaleshwar.mp.gov.in is not the temple.

Shayan vs Sandhya vs Bhasma Aarti: which to book

All three aartis are booked on the same portal, but their timings, fees and booking windows differ. The table uses only published or reported facts. Where neither the temple nor the press has published a detail, the cell says so.

Aarti	Time (temple table)	Fee as reported	Booking opens	Entry cut-off	Free option
Shayan Aarti	10:30 to 11:00 PM (both seasons)	₹250 per person (Feb 2026; still reported Jun 2026); confirm at checkout	4:00 PM, same day	Gate No. 1 by 10:00 PM	Chalit (moving) darshan
Sandhya Aarti	7:00 to 7:45 PM (Chaitra to Ashwin); 6:30 to 7:15 PM (Kartik to Phalgun)	₹250 per person (Feb 2026); confirm at checkout	12:00 PM, same day	By 6:00 PM	Chalit (moving) darshan
Bhasma Aarti	4:00 to 6:00 AM (both seasons)	₹200 per devotee (Apr 2026); confirm at checkout	Up to 1 month ahead; 300 tatkal permits at 8:00 AM the day before	Not published here	Not published here

Three simple rules follow from the table:

If you reach Ujjain in the afternoon, Shayan has the latest same-day booking window: it opens at 4:00 PM.
If you have seniors or children with you, compare the hours: Shayan runs 10:30 to 11:00 PM, while Bhasma starts at 4:00 AM.
If you want both night and morning aartis, book Bhasma Aarti first, because its booking opens earlier (up to a month ahead, or tatkal at 8:00 AM the day before). Then book Shayan from 4:00 PM.

Two other paid services cause confusion. Protocol darshan moved to an SMS payment link at ₹250 per person in Sep 2025 (Patrika). That is a different service with the same figure. It is not a Shayan seat. Sheeghra Darshan is also a separate paid service on the portal; Patrika reported it at ₹250 in Jun 2026. For a short summary of every aarti, see all five Mahakal aarti timings.

A same-day plan for Shayan Aarti

Here is a simple plan for a Shayan night, built from the official times and the Feb 2026 entry rules.

Time	What to do
4:00 PM	Shayan booking opens on the portal. Book early, check the fee at checkout and save the receipt.
By 10:00 PM	Reach Gate No. 1 with your receipt. Carrying a photo ID is advised.
10:30 to 11:00 PM	Shayan Aarti. Seated with a booking, or chalit darshan without one.
Next day, 8:00 AM (optional)	Bhasma Aarti tatkal permits open for the day after. 300 permits, as reported in Apr 2026.

Note the last row: the 8:00 AM tatkal window is for the following morning’s Bhasma Aarti, not the one a few hours after Shayan. To attend Bhasma right after Shayan, book it in advance.

What changed in 2026

Much of the confusion online comes from rules that changed this year. Here is the dated timeline.

19 Feb 2026: Sandhya and Shayan Aarti seated entry moved to online booking, first-come, first-served. The fee was reported at ₹250 per person.
Feb to Mar 2026: The fee drew public objections. No change was announced.
Apr 2026: Bhasma Aarti booking became online only at ₹200 per devotee, with 300 tatkal permits at 8:00 AM the day before, from 9 Apr 2026.
May 2026: The temple administration said it would promote the importance of Sandhya and Shayan Aarti.
Jun 2026: Patrika still reported ₹250 each for Sandhya and Shayan Aarti.
Oct 2026: We found no notice of a fee change. Confirm the current amount at checkout on the portal.

What Shayan Aarti means

“Shayan” means rest or sleep. Shayan Aarti is the final aarti of the day, after which the sanctum closes for the night. In simple terms, the aarti marks Mahakal’s rest for the night.

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga stands beside the Shipra river in Ujjain. Its idol is Dakshinamurti, which means it faces south. The day it closes begins with Bhasma Aarti before dawn.

Planning both aartis, plus darshan in between? The full checklist is in the Mahakal Playbook offline checklist, a PDF guide you can keep on your phone. For the booking itself, use only the temple portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is Shayan Aarti at Mahakal today?

Shayan Aarti at Mahakaleshwar runs from 10:30 PM to 11:00 PM. The temple’s timing page shows the same slot in both seasonal timetables, Chaitra to Ashwin and Kartik to Phalgun, so it does not change through the year. Festival days such as Mahashivratri can follow special schedules, so check the temple portal notice on those dates.

Can I attend Shayan Aarti without booking?

Yes, but not seated. Reports from February 2026 say devotees without a booking still get free chalit, or moving, darshan during Shayan Aarti, with the line moving from Kartikeya Mandapam. A seat in the aarti area needs an online booking on the official temple portal, and reports say the receipt is checked.

What is the Shayan Aarti ticket price?

The seated Shayan Aarti fee is ₹250 per person as reported in February 2026, and Patrika still reported the same figure in June 2026. The amount is not shown on the portal’s public pages, so treat it as reported. Confirm the fee at checkout on shrimahakaleshwar.mp.gov.in before you pay.

When does Shayan Aarti booking open?

Shayan Aarti booking opens at 4:00 PM every day on the official temple portal, for that same night. Seats are given first-come, first-served, so it helps to book soon after 4:00 PM. Sandhya Aarti booking opens earlier, at 12:00 PM. Booking is online only.

Which gate is used for Shayan Aarti?

Reports from February 2026 say devotees with a Shayan Aarti booking enter through Gate No. 1 and must arrive by 10:00 PM. The aarti starts at 10:30 PM, so the cut-off leaves a 30-minute buffer. Keep your booking receipt ready on your phone or as a printout.

Can I attend Shayan Aarti and Bhasma Aarti on the same trip?

Yes. Shayan Aarti ends at 11:00 PM and Bhasma Aarti starts at 4:00 AM, but they are booked separately. Bhasma Aarti can be booked up to one month ahead, with tatkal permits opening at 8:00 AM the day before. Book Bhasma first, then book Shayan from 4:00 PM on the day.