Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh – Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her sister Shamita Shetty visited the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain on Saturday to participate in the Shayan Aarti. This visit occurred days after a special court in Mumbai summoned Shilpa's husband, Raj Kundra, in connection with an alleged Bitcoin Ponzi scheme.
The sisters arrived at the temple on Saturday evening, where they performed traditional rituals, offered prayers, and sought blessings. They also had the opportunity to view Lord Mahakal during the elaborate and spiritually charged aarti ceremony. Both sisters were observed to be deeply immersed in devotion and wore traditional ethnic outfits for the occasion.
Shilpa Shetty expressed her gratitude and described the visit as a special experience, stating that she hopes to return soon. She was quoted in a temple press release saying, "People don't come here by themselves, but it is Mahakal himself who calls us upon. It seems like we have finally received our calling. It was a unique experience, and it was the first time I took part in the Shayan Aarti. It was well-organised. I would like to come back". Shamita Shetty, a devoted follower of Lord Shiva, echoed similar sentiments, noting that the visit left her feeling calm and spiritually fulfilled. "I am coming here for the first time, and as Shilpa said, I finally got my invitation. And I am feeling very peaceful right now. It has been beautifully organised for both of us and for everyone," she said.
The Mahakaleshwar Temple, located on the banks of the Shipra River in Ujjain, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and holds immense religious significance. The Shayan Aarti is performed during the late hours of the evening. The temple is also known for the Bhasma Aarti, which takes place in the early morning hours.
The visit comes shortly after Raj Kundra was summoned by a special PMLA court in Mumbai to appear on January 19, 2026, in connection with the GainBitcoin fraud case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a supplementary chargesheet alleging Kundra received 285 Bitcoins from Amit Bhardwaj, the alleged mastermind of the Ponzi scheme, to establish a mining farm in Ukraine. The agency values these coins at over ₹150 crore. The ED claims that Kundra acted as a beneficial owner in transactions tied to the scheme and used family transactions to conceal funds derived from the alleged fraud. The ED had provisionally attached ₹97.78 crore worth of assets belonging to Kundra and Shilpa Shetty in 2024, including residential flats in Juhu and a bungalow in Pune.
