Ujjain pilots Google Maps for crowd management:Congested routes blocked by showing alternative directions; pilgrims guided to parking

Crowds continue to pour into Ujjain as devotees bid farewell to 2025 and welcome the New Year, 2026. Large numbers of pilgrims from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are arriving for darshan of Lord Mahakaleshwar. The city is witnessing one of its heaviest footfalls of the year. According to the local administration, around 1.5 to 2 lakh devotees are reaching Ujjain every day. On normal days, nearly 6,000 four-wheeler vehicles enter the city, but during the New Year rush this figure has doubled to around 12,000 vehicles daily. Traffic management through Google Maps To prevent traffic congestion and ensure smooth movement, Ujjain Police have, for the first time, adopted high-tech crowd and traffic management using Google Maps. Google Maps used for crowd control Realtime traffic monitoring with IT support CSP Deshmukh further said that a 10-member police team monitors real-time traffic conditions from 8 am to 10 pm every day. Whenever traffic density increases or congestion is anticipated, vehicles are immediately diverted. Following this, the affected route is removed from Google Maps and only an alternative route is shown. The Gurugram-based IT company assists in ensuring that only empty and smooth routes appear on navigation apps, helping pilgrims reach parking areas without delay. Routes changed in real time Routes are being updated in real-time, enabling devotees to reach parking areas directly without entering the city center. Strict instructions have been issued to ensure that no vehicles or shops are allowed on roads near the temple premises. However, despite these measures, many devotees continue to park their vehicles at Smart Parking via Begumbag, resulting in frequent traffic congestion on routes such as Begumbag, Mahakal Valley, Gudri Square, the Harsiddhi Temple area, Jantar-Mantar, Jaysinghpura, the Railway Crossing, and Shaktipath. In view of this, the Temple Committee has appealed to devotees to strictly use the designated parking facilities. Bhasma Aarti and VIP Darshan restricted till January 5 Considering the New Year rush, the Mahakal Temple Committee has implemented special arrangements for 12 days. Online booking for Bhasma Aarti has been closed from December 25 to January 5, and only offline booking is allowed. Additionally, both online and offline bookings for the Bhasma Aarti on January 1 have been completely closed. After more than 5.50 lakh devotees had darshan in the past three days, VIP (protocol) darshan has also been suspended until January 5. During this period, only VVIPs will be granted protocol access. Darshan arrangements revised again The Temple Committee has revised darshan arrangements for the second time since December 28. Devotees attending the 4 am Bhasma Aarti will enter through Nilkanth Gate, while Triveni Gate has been reserved for mobile Bhasma Aarti. For general darshan, the route will begin from Char Dham Path, pass through Shaktipath, and proceed via the Triveni route to Mansarovar. All other entry gates will remain closed. To facilitate devotees, shoe stand facilities have been arranged in the Char Dham area.