Loading…
Nagpur to Ujjain has become simple since the Indore Vande Bharat started: leave Nagpur at 3:20 pm, reach Ujjain at 10:40 pm, sleep two kilometres from the mandir and walk in for the 4 am Bhasma Aarti.
The trap is the older daily train, the Nagpur–Indore Express, which does not halt at Ujjain at all.
This guide sorts the trains, the 540 km drive through Betul and Bhopal, and the overnight buses, with current timings.
Nagpur and Indore are linked by three regular trains, but only two of them halt at Ujjain. Read the table before you book, because the most popular train is the one that skips it.
| Train | Nagpur departure | Ujjain | Indore arrival | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20912 Nagpur–Indore Vande Bharat | 3:20 pm | 10:40 pm same day | 11:50 pm | 6 days a week |
| 12914 Trishatabdi SF Express | 7:00 pm | about 4:30 am | 6:30 am | Weekly (Monday) |
| 12924 Nagpur–Indore Express | 7:00 pm | does not halt | 5:40 am | Daily |
| 18243 Bilaspur–Bhagat ki Kothi | about 1:30 am | 11:50 am | — | Twice a week |
Vande Bharat (20912) is the obvious choice for one or two people. It halts at Betul, Itarsi and Bhopal, and the rake was lengthened to 16 coaches in late 2025, so seats are easier than they were. Check which weekday it skips on IRCTC before fixing the date.
Trishatabdi (12914) is the only sleeper train that halts at Ujjain, with a 15-minute stop around 4:30 am. It is listed as weekly in the current timetable; recheck the day.
12924 is daily and comfortable, but you alight at Indore. Our Indore to Ujjain guide covers that 55 km leg by taxi, bus and local train.
Return trains follow the same pattern: 20911 leaves Indore at 6:10 am and halts at Ujjain at about 6:50 am, reaching Nagpur at 2:35 pm. Timings move at every timetable change, so recheck the week you travel.
The drive is about 540 km and 9 to 10 hours of driving, plus meal breaks. The road is Nagpur, Betul, Bhopal, Sehore, Dewas, Ujjain:
Nagpur to Betul: good four-lane, about three hours.
Betul to Bhopal: mostly four-lane, with a two-lane ghat and forest stretch that is slow after dark.
Bhopal to Dewas to Ujjain: the busiest part, with truck traffic through Sehore and Ashta. Allow three hours.
Leave Nagpur by 5 am and you reach Ujjain for the evening Sandhya Aarti.
Drive only as a group of four or five, or if Omkareshwar is on the same trip; for two people the Vande Bharat is cheaper and faster. Avoid night driving on the Betul–Bhopal ghat.
Private AC sleeper buses run Nagpur to Ujjain every night, leaving between about 7 pm and 11:30 pm and arriving around 6 am. Fares start around ₹650 to ₹900 for an AC sleeper, more on weekends and festival dates.
Operators include Gajraj, Saini, Verma and B.R. Travels; book on any aggregator and confirm the Ujjain drop point, usually Nanakheda or Dewas Gate, 2 to 4 km from the mandir.
IndiGo also flies Nagpur to Indore nonstop on ATR aircraft, about 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 20 minutes, one or two departures a day.
From Indore airport the mandir is 55 km, an hour and a quarter by taxi. For elders who cannot do a night bus, the flight plus taxi is the gentlest way.
The 4 am Bhasma Aarti is why most Vidarbha Yatris go. Passes are issued only on the temple's official portal, at ₹200 per person, and open about a month before the date. No hotel, agent or tout can book one.
If the date is sold out, the ₹250 Sheeghra Darshan ticket takes a shorter queue through the day, and the evening Sandhya and Shayan aartis need no pass. See the Bhasma Aarti booking guide for the exact steps.
Trusted by thousands of Yatris across India.
With elderly parents: flight to Indore and a taxi, or 12924 in 3AC with a taxi from Indore at 5:40 am. Skip the night bus.
On a budget: AC sleeper bus down, Trishatabdi sleeper back if the day fits. Under ₹1,500 a head for travel.
On a tight schedule: Vande Bharat out, aarti next morning, 20911 back from Ujjain at 6:50 am the day after. One hotel night.
Family of five: 12924 in 3AC to Indore, one taxi for Ujjain, Omkareshwar and back to Indore.
Avoid Kartik Mondays, the Diwali week around 8 November 2026 and Kartik Purnima on 24 November 2026, when the general queue runs three to four hours.
Day 1, 3:20 pm: Vande Bharat from Nagpur. Dinner on board or at Bhopal. Ujjain at 10:40 pm, hotel within a kilometre of the mandir.
Day 2: Bhasma Aarti at 4 am. Breakfast, then Harsiddhi, Kal Bhairav and Mangalnath by taxi. Evening Mahakal Lok corridor and the 10:30 pm Shayan Aarti.
Day 3: 20911 from Ujjain at about 6:50 am, Nagpur by 2:35 pm.
Our Mahakal Lok evening guide covers the corridor's timings for that second evening.
Stay within a kilometre of the mandir, so a 10:40 pm arrival means a bed within minutes and the 2 am walk to the aarti gate is short. The temple's bhaktniwas and the Mahakal Dharamshala are cheapest and fill with the aarti passes; book the day your pass confirms.
Freeganj hotels are ten minutes away by auto, with AC and parking for families driving in.
Book the aarti first, the Vande Bharat second and the room third, and Nagpur to Mahakal is a one-night yatra. Har Har Mahadev.
Trusted by thousands of Yatris across India.
Ujjain Junction to Mahakal — Distance, Auto Fare & Walk (2026)
Ujjain ·
Ujjain Temples in the Right Order — One-Day Darshan Route (2026)
Ujjain ·
Ram Ghat Shipra Aarti Ujjain — Timings & Where to Sit (2026)
Ujjain ·
Sandipani Ashram Ujjain — Timings, Gomti Kund & Kids Plan (2026)
Ujjain ·
Harsiddhi Mata Temple, Ujjain — Timings & Lamp Towers (2026)
Ujjain ·
Mahakal Garbhagriha Entry & Jalabhishek — Current Rules (2026)
Ujjain ·
YATRA GUIDES
Walking distances, darshan timings, where to stay, and how to reach — every yatra question, answered.