Dev Uthani Ekadashi in Madhya Pradesh: Vishnu Temples to Visit

Devotees believe Lord Vishnu rests in yoga nidra for four months, from Devshayani Ekadashi in Ashadha to Dev Uthani Ekadashi in Kartik. This period is called Chaturmas. On Dev Uthani Ekadashi, Vishnu is believed to wake up, and the holy season of Chaturmas comes to an end.

Many families keep a fast, light diyas and perform Tulsi Vivah, the symbolic wedding of the Tulsi plant with Lord Vishnu in his Shaligram form. In many homes this is done on the Ekadashi or the next day. The day also opens the Hindu wedding season, so you will see wedding bands and decorated venues across the state soon after.

A visit to a Vishnu or Krishna temple on this day is a quiet, meaningful way to mark the festival. Madhya Pradesh has some of India's finest Vishnu temples, and most of them are less crowded than the big pilgrim towns.

The Lakshmana Temple is in the Western Group, part of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built by the Chandela ruler Yashovarman. Its main image is Vaikuntha Vishnu, with three heads: a human face in the centre, a boar head for Varaha and a lion head for Narasimha. The doorway shows the ten avatars of Vishnu.

Close by stands the Varaha shrine, with a large stone figure of Varaha, the boar avatar, covered in small carved figures. Many visitors miss it, so ask your guide to take you there.

Khajuraho is calm in this season and the weather is pleasant. Our 2 night Khajuraho tour package starts from ₹7,650 per person. See the full list of Khajuraho temples and sights or browse all Khajuraho tour packages.

Orchha's skyline is ruled by the Chaturbhuj Temple. The Bundela kings built it for Lord Vishnu in the sixteenth century, and at about 105 metres it is one of the tallest temples of its kind. Today an image of Radha Krishna is worshipped here, and the climb to the upper levels gives wide views of the Betwa river and the town.

Its story is tied to the Ram Raja Temple next door. As per local tradition, the queen brought an image of Lord Ram from Ayodhya and kept it in her palace until the new temple was ready. When the time came, the image would not move. So the palace became the Ram Raja Temple, where Ram is worshipped as a king, and the Chaturbhuj Temple's sanctum stayed empty of that image.

Orchha is about 16–18 km from Jhansi. Our Gwalior and Orchha 2 night tour starts from ₹9,400 per person and covers both Orchha and the Gwalior temple below. For darshan timings and the guard of honour ritual, read our Ram Raja Temple Orchha guide.

Inside Gwalior Fort is a small rock-cut temple to the four-armed Vishnu, the Chaturbhuj Mandir. It is cut straight into the rock face, and even its tower is carved from the same stone.

The temple is also famous for maths. One of its inscriptions has what is described as the earliest known stone-carved circular zero, which is why some call it the "Temple of Zero." It is a small shrine, so combine it with the rest of the fort: the palaces, the Teli ka Mandir and the Sas-Bahu temples.

Gwalior has strong train links with Delhi and is about 120 km from Orchha by road, so the two pair well in one short trip.

Gopal Mandir is Ujjain's best-known Krishna temple and the second largest temple in the city after Mahakaleshwar. It stands in the busy main market. It was built in Maratha style in the nineteenth century by Bayaji Bai Shinde, wife of Daulatrao Scindia. The main image of Lord Krishna is silver-coated marble.

The temple is also part of the famous Hari-Har Milan, when Mahakal, a form of Shiva, is taken to meet Gopal Ji, a form of Vishnu. This happens on Baikunth Chaturdashi, a few days after Dev Uthani Ekadashi. Read our guide to the Hari-Har Milan night in Ujjain if you can stay on.

The Ujjain local sightseeing tour starts from ₹4,900 per person and covers Gopal Mandir with Mahakal and the other main temples. See more temples and ghats in Ujjain.